BWM Dentsu adds R/GA’s Jonathon Shannon and Wunderman Thompson’s Alex Newman to creative ranks
BWM Dentsu has made two additions to its creative team in Sydney, in R/GA’s Jonathon Shannon and Wunderman Thompson’s Alex Newman.
The pair have taken up associate creative director roles, under the leadership of recently appointed executive creative director, Marcus Tesoriero.
Jonathon Shannon, Marcus Tesoriero and Alex Newman
Newman’s departure from Wunderman Thompson follows national chief creative officer, Simon Langley, joining independent agency Edge in September. Wunderman Thompson’s leadership changed hands in June, with John Gutteridge departing and Lee Leggett taking the helm as CEO.
Over at R/GA, Shannon’s departure comes after executive creative director and executive strategy director, Craig Brooks and Joel Pearson, respectively, left to set up creative shop Not Bad Pretty Good. Kieran Antill stepped in to become ECD, while former MD, Jon Holloway, returned to the agency.
According to BWM Dentsu, Tesoriero has made it his mission to strengthen the creative team.
“These first four months have been super exciting. In a short time, we already have breakthrough work on the boil and now we’re expanding the creative team – bringing in these super humans to join our crew,” he said.
“Alex and Jono are true problem solvers and share our vision to build enduring brands. I’m pumped to have them aboard.”
Newman added: “There’s an energy of renewal at BWM Dentsu, fuelled by the new ECD Marcus, the amazing, new office location, and a city that’s navigating towards the end of a pandemic. There’s a hunger here that was well worth the 14-days in hotel quarantine.”
Newman has relocated from Melbourne for the role. Prior to his eight months at Wunderman Thompson, he was an associate creative director at McCann and senior art director at DDB.
Shannon has previously worked with Tesoriero at McCann. Shannon was there between 2017 and 2018 as a creative, while Tesoriero spent two years with the agency as deputy executive creative director.
“I’m looking forward to working with Marcus again,” Shannon said.
“It’s a bizarre time to be starting at a new agency, but when we heard about the creative ambition here at BWM Dentsu, we knew we had to be involved right away.”
