PRESS RELEASE – Promotions & Hires At Universal Marketing
Another great hour and 45 minute EXCLUSIVE.
I’ll put my sadness at the state of journalism and corporate publicity aside for the moment to mention that Michael Moses is not only talented, but a mensch.
I also take this as a suggestion that the studio is aware that they need a little new blood in creative services, but that they feel that the strategic skills of the department are not the problem with some of the missteps of the last couple of years.
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From: mds@prnewswire.com
Subject: UNIVERSAL MARKETING TEAM TAKES SHAPE UNDER EDDIE EGAN
Date: April 14, 2010 9:56:37 AM PDT
UNIVERSAL MARKETING TEAM TAKES SHAPE UNDER EDDIE EGAN
Michael Moses Promoted to Co-President
Maria Pekurovskaya Named Executive Vice President and Head of Creative Advertising
Jackson George Joins Universal as Senior Vice President of Creative Advertising
UNIVERSAL CITY, Calif., April 14 /PRNewswire/ — Universal Pictures President of Marketing Eddie Egan today announced some key promotions and an addition to Universal’s marketing department.
Eleven-year Universal veteran executive Michael Moses will become Co-President of Marketing and report directly to Egan. And in a restructuring of the creative advertising department, Egan announced the promotion of Maria Pekurovskaya to Executive Vice President and Head of Creative Advertising, where she will oversee newly appointed Senior Vice President of Creative Advertising Jackson George and Senior Vice President of Creative Advertising Scott Abraham. Executive Vice President of Creative Advertising Frank Chiocchi will continue to report directly to Egan. Pekurovskaya also reports to Egan.
“Michael is an incredibly gifted strategist,” said Egan. “I trust his instincts and know he has the creative capacity and the experience to help me lead this team.”
Egan, who has been with Universal since 1994 and became President of Marketing in 2007, will continue to oversee all aspects of marketing for Universal’s domestic feature-film releases, including creative advertising, media, digital marketing, publicity, creative services & promotions, research and administration. Egan reports to Universal Pictures Chairman Adam Fogelson. In his new role, Moses will be involved in all areas of the department and will directly oversee publicity, digital marketing and creative services & promotions. Together, they will manage a staff of 104 people.
Moses is currently Executive Vice President of Publicity and Marketing, a position he has held since 2002. He came to Universal in 2000 as Vice President of National Publicity. For the past eight years, he has overseen domestic publicity campaigns for every Universal title. Before coming to Universal, Moses worked in publicity at Disney and, before that, Warner Bros.
Pekurovskaya has been with Universal since 2002. She was hired as Senior Vice President of Creative Advertising in 2002 by then President of Marketing Adam Fogelson and promoted in 2005 to Executive Vice President. During her tenure, she has worked on the creative campaigns for such films as Bruce Almighty, Dawn of the Dead, King Kong, Meet the Fockers, The 40-Year Old Virgin, Ray, United 93, Couples Retreat and It’s Complicated. Before coming to Universal, Pekurovskaya worked at the Ant Farm as a writer and producer since 1998. She worked on advertising for Chicago, Shrek and Legally Blonde, to name a few. Prior to that she worked for MGM and Columbia Pictures.
“We identified Maria as a huge talent from very early on, and her abilities have continued to grow in the nearly 10 years she’s been at the studio,” said Egan. “She and the entire team comprise what I feel is one of the most formidable creative departments in the industry.”
Jackson George comes to Universal from Overture Films, where he served as Head of Creative Advertising for two years. During that time, he oversaw advertising campaigns for Law Abiding Citizens, The Crazies, The Men Who Stare at Goats, Sunshine Cleaning and The Visitor. Prior, he was at In Sync Advertising for nine years and was involved in advertising campaigns for the Resident Evil franchise, Walk The Line, Castaway, What Lies Beneath, Night at the Museum, Inside Man, Rocky Balboa, Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer and 3:10 to Yuma.
“Jackson is strategic, passionate, tenacious, and wildly creative,” said Pekurovskaya. “We’re lucky to have him.”
About Universal Pictures
Universal Pictures is a division of Universal Studios (www.universalstudios.com). Universal Studios is part of NBC Universal, one of the world’s leading media and entertainment companies in the development, production and marketing of entertainment, news and information to a global audience. Formed in May 2004 through the combining of NBC and Vivendi Universal Entertainment, NBC Universal owns and operates a valuable portfolio of news and entertainment networks, a premier motion picture company, significant television production operations, a leading television stations group and world-renowned theme parks. NBC Universal is 80% owned by General Electric, with 20% controlled by Vivendi.
I thought Eddie Eagan was the cop who was the real-life basis for Popeye Doyle.
Nah, you’re obviously thinking of Eddie Deezen.
The strategic skills are the problem.
Nearly every Universal release is advertised by name-checking other movies. Arty subsidiary Focus Features has the same problem.
The infatuation with “Academy Award Winner” and “Academy Award Nominee” in all promotion? The Academy Awards are a crutch — throw them away.
Chucky, you’re wrong. I don’t think you understand the difference between ‘causation’ and ‘correlation’. In fact, I don’t think you understand the relationship of ’cause’ and ‘effect’ in the first place.
LEGION OF DOOM POWER.
As a wee nitpick, content for one sheets/ads etc. isn’t strategy – it’s comms. Just like “marketing” is not synonymous with “advertising”, despite people tending to conflate the two.