Sintras, Johnson, Tajer, Baxter & Lomas prepare to take Manhattan | Artwork: Elke Aspillera
It finally happened.
After years of the ‘Mat Baxter is moving to New York’ rumour doing the rounds, the UM boss is officially joining Henry Tajer’s entourage in the U.S. of A.
And Baxter is the sixth senior Aussie exec to be joining Henry on his American adventure. Other than the fact that the boys from out of town are heading to New York rather than LA, the parallels with sitcom Entourage are uncanny.
Allow Dr Mumbo to recap. Previously on Entourage…
As the leader of the pack, Tajer is clearly the Vinnie Chase of the team. Until earlier this year the IPG Mediabrands executive chairman for Australia, Tajer stepped up to take the global CEO role at the holding group in New York.
Tajer
And now he’s joined by door-kicking loudmouthed agent Ari Gold in the guise of Baxter.
Baxter
Then he’s brought along as his personal manager, old friend and charmer Eric Murphy as president of global business development. Or John Sintras, as he is sometimes known.
Sintras
Which presumably leaves the role of Vinnie’s insecure brother Johnny Drama to MNet boss Travis Johnson, who crosses the Pacific as global head of mobile.
Jonhson
And this rather unfairly suggests that Cadreon’s Marc Lomas who is going over in an, as yet unnamed, global programmatic role, must be gopher Turtle.
Lomas
The supporting cast also matter. So let’s not forget Di Richardson, executive director of Starcom Mediavest, who was poached to be chief strategy officer of UM’s USA operations.
And Former Faulkners Godbold co-founder Charles Godbold who will lead global media auditing for IPG Mediabrands.
Given some of the executives’ well known tastes, it’s fair to say that the luxury car dealers of New York are going to have a very good year.