ANDREW McKECHNIE AND STUART HARRICKS LURED TO MODERNSTA! BOSTON

Modernista! has named two of Asia Pacific’s top talents, Andrew McKechnie and Stuart Harricks, as Associate Creative Directors, it was announced today by Gary Koepke and Lance Jensen, Executive Creative Directors and Co-Founders of Modernista!

“For an agency its size, Modernista has a large pool of international talent in all departments,” said Lance Jensen.  “These guys bring a fresh perspective.  We think their work is fantastic,”  added Gary Koepke:  “Andrew and Stuart reflect our creative recruiting philosophy — we don’t hire specialists. We like to hire the best all around creative athletes.”

During his time in Asia, New Zealand native McKechnie worked with Singapore’s top creative agencies.  Most recently he was Creative Group Head at J. Walter Thompson Singapore, where he worked on the HSBC, Shell, Nokia and Nestle accounts.  Prior to that he was at BBDO Singapore, where he created the highly awarded Wrangler ‘Basic Cut’ print campaign.

“Modernista! is more of a think tank than a traditional agency,” said McKechnie.  “The idea, as it should be, takes precedence over everything else. Hopefully the experience we’ve gained in Asia will add another dimension to the agency.”

McKechnie has won numerous regional and international awards, including one of the inaugural Gold Design Lions at Cannes, multiple D&AD in-books, seven Golds and the Outdoor Grand Prix at AdFest, as well as One Show and Clio accolades. McKechnie was also named the Young Professional Of The Year by the Institute Of Advertising Singapore and one of the Top 12 Young Creatives in the World by Clio.

Stuart Harricks has had extensive experience working throughout Asia as well as his native Australia.  Harricks worked at Leo Burnett, Sydney, before moving to Asia and gaining experience in agencies such as Lowe, Dentsu and most recently, Saatchi & Saatchi Singapore, where he was a key creative on the Sony Ericsson, ESPN, Guinness, Singapore Zoo, Singapore  Navy, Lexus and Toyota accounts.

With a rank of #12 in the 2008 Campaign Brief Asia Creative Rankings, he was part of the team that took Saatchi Singapore to the #1 creative agency in Asia.  Harricks has won numerous international awards including merits at D&AD, Silver and Bronze at Cannes, Gold and Silvers at One Show, Silvers at Clio, multiple appearances in Communication Arts and a Gold in Adfest.

“It’s refreshing to be joining an independent agency that doesn’t have to behave as part of a network – they’re responsible for their own identity,” said Harricks.  “We’re both just really excited to be able to take on a new set of challenges in a different market and add to M!’s unique blend of talent.”

Modernista! was founded in Boston, MA, USA in January 2000 by creatives Gary Koepke and Lance Jensen.  With additional offices in Amsterdam and Detroit, today the agency has nearly 200 employees from more than 15 countries.  M!’s client roster includes Cadillac, (RED), HUMMER, Animal Planet, The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, BusinessWeek, TIAA-CREF, Hearts On Fire and Stop Handgun Violence.  Modernista! is fiercely independent.