Canvas Worldwide Appoints Seasoned Leadership Team

NEW YORK and LOS ANGELES, April 18, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Canvas Worldwide, a joint venture between Horizon Media and global creative powerhouse INNOCEAN Worldwide, announced today that it has appointed a senior leadership team of industry veterans to architect and execute the agency's vision. The agency has appointed YS Seo as Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, Amy Ginsberg as Executive Vice President and Chief Investment Officer, Mark Brown as Executive Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer, and Greg Johns as Executive Vice President and Chief Digital Officer, effective immediately. The executives will report to Paul Woolmington, CEO of Canvas Worldwide.

YS Seo has been appointed as Chief Operating Officer, Canvas Worldwide. She was formerly the CEO of INNOCEAN Worldwide Canada and over the past five years under YS Seo's leadership, the agency has grown to more than 100 employees and has become a full-service, fully integrated advertising agency including strategic planning, account service, creative, partnerships and events, media planning/buying and production. As second in command within Canvas Worldwide, YS will oversee all on-going business operations and ensure that the agency's business infrastructure runs efficiently as it grows beyond its two main offices in New York and Los Angeles, and regional offices in Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, with more to come.

"I am excited to transition into my new role as Chief Operating Officer of Canvas Worldwide and help lead a new type of agency during an exciting period of change in the industry," said YS Seo, Chief Operating Officer at Canvas Worldwide.

Amy Ginsberg has been appointed as EVP, Chief Investment Officer at Canvas Worldwide, and will be based out of the agency's New York office. Ginsberg joins the agency after 7 years at Initiative where she was Managing Director of Investment, leading all investment efforts for automotive accounts Hyundai and Kia. She also oversaw client investments for Merck, Burlington Coat Factory, Victoria's Secret, and Arby's.

With more than 20 years of experience on both the sales and buying sides of the business, Ginsberg has serviced and represented a diverse variety of brands across industries that include packaged goods, pharmaceutical, automotive, retail, QSR and toys. In her role, she will partner with Canvas Worldwide leadership to lead television, digital, print and local activation strategies to monetize client investments, and develop strategic multi-platform media deals.

"Canvas is here to turn the industry upside down and disrupt the status-quo in order to create better opportunities for our clients," said Amy Ginsberg, EVP, Chief Investment Officer at Canvas Worldwide. "I'm excited to seek out new and emerging technologies, foster new media research capabilities, and to partner with our leaders across channels to create engaging new opportunities for our clients." 

Mark Brown has been hired as EVP, Chief Strategy Officer at Canvas Worldwide based out of the agency's Los Angeles office. Brown has a combined 30 years of experience across media agencies and media sales. Prior to joining Canvas Worldwide, he was Managing Director at Initiative where he led a team of 150 across business, strategy, analytics and investment for clients. Brown will oversee all investment and strategy efforts for Hyundai Motor America and Kia Motors America business at Canvas Worldwide.

"It's a thrilling opportunity to build a communications agency from scratch," said Mark Brown, EVP, Chief Strategy Officer at Canvas Worldwide. "Paul's vision of creating something new every day has created a vibrant atmosphere for agency employees to grow and thrive within. I'm excited to become more engaged with our agency partners to create new, first-to-market opportunities for our clients.

Greg Johns joins Canvas Worldwide as EVP, Chief Digital Officer and will be based out of the agency's Los Angeles office. Johns was formerly SVP, Senior Director of Digital Strategy at Initiative. As EVP, Chief Digital Officer, Johns will oversee all digital strategy across the agency's digital teams.

"We continue to witness disruptive change in our business, largely being driven by the needs of digital marketing," said Greg Johns, EVP, Chief Digital Officer at Canvas Worldwide. "The opportunity to lead digital at an agency well positioned not merely to adapt, but empowered to rewrite the rules of agency marketing, is one I certainly relish."

Earlier this year, Canvas Worldwide appointed seasoned agency and media veteran, Paul Woolmington as its Chief Executive Officer. Prior to joining Canvas Worldwide, Woolmington was an advisor, advocate and consultant devoted to a portfolio of client, media, agency advisory, consultancy and board directorship roles for top brands and is an active angel investor. Woolmington founded and launched two successful independent media and communications companies, The Media Kitchen and Naked Communications Americas.

"I'm thrilled to have such experienced executives on Canvas Worldwide's senior leadership team," said Paul Woolmington, Chief Executive Officer of Canvas Worldwide. "Alongside some of the industry's top talent, I'm excited to lead Canvas into a new era of solution driven communications and to create magical work on behalf of our clients in ways that have never been done before."

Most recently, Paul co-founded and led Naked Communications Americas; a preeminent, objective media communications and management consultancy -- the first of its kind. The agency received several accolades, and Paul was personally recognized as one of the Top 10 most creative people in Marketing Services by Fast Company magazine. According to Fast Company, "The Media Maestro successfully disrupted the U.S. marketing scene with his agency's approach to media agnosticism." Prior to Naked and The Media Kitchen, Woolmington was one of the architects of media specialization in America as a leader of the launch and subsequent global roll out of Young & Rubican's media operations, and The Media Edge (now MEC). Previously, Woolmington worked at global holding companies including IPG and WPP, and at MDC Partners.

Canvas Worldwide combines Horizon's industry-leading media agency expertise with INNOCEAN Worldwide's creative footprint. Canvas Worldwide has two main offices in Los Angeles and New York, and regional offices in Chicago, Dallas and Atlanta. Canvas Worldwide's senior leadership team will focus on stewarding the agency's first clients, Hyundai Motor America and Kia Motors America, which officially transitioned to Canvas Worldwide this year.

About Canvas Worldwide

Canvas Worldwide (www.canvasworldwide.com) is an independent media agency network that approaches every client challenge as a blank white canvas to create custom solutions for brands who are willing to make their own bold strokes. Newly launched in 2015, the agency has offices in Los Angeles and New York, and regional offices in Chicago, Dallas and Atlanta. Canvas Worldwide's clients include Hyundai Motor America and Kia Motors America, with estimated billings of over $1 billion.

The company's mission is to always be surprising, original and inspiring by shunning the status quo and being fearlessly creative. Every time. Everyone who works at Canvas Worldwide is empowered to quickly bring exciting new possibilities to life.

The new media agency network is a joint venture between Horizon Media, the largest and fastest growing privately held media services agency in the world, and global creative powerhouse INNOCEAN Worldwide. The joint venture was created to embrace the rapid pace of change in the industry in the belief that future viability means reimagining what's possible.

Canvas Worldwide is now hiring: http://www.canvasworldwide.com/careers

Contact
Canvas Worldwide
Kaya Lobaczewski
(212) 220-2102
[email protected]

SOURCE Canvas Worldwide

Related Links

http://www.canvasworldwide.com