Hapa’nings | October 15, 2026
Hapa Represents · Intel for our production partners
Who moved, what shot, who's pitching, and what's open in commercial production. Pulled from the trades, cut down to what matters, twice a week.
Roll006
DateThu · Oct 15
CoversOct 12–14
Who moved
9- Matt MacDonald leaves VCCP US, where he was CCO, to become CCO of Omnicom's Merkley+Partners.
- Shannon Washington named president of VIRTUE, VICE's creative agency.
- Adam Gerhart promoted to global chief client officer at WPP.
- Patch Wadsworth named head of production at Caviar.
- Alison Beck and Erin Kana named executive creative directors at Pinnacle, with a revamped studio structure.
- Perry Tell joins Sid Lee as EVP, US growth and innovation. He was at Saatchi & Saatchi.
- Karen Boswell named global chief transformation officer at M+C Saatchi.
- Big Spaceship names three C-level hires across strategy, account and operations.
- Lark-Marie Antón joins Authentic Brands Group as chief communications officer. She was at USA Today Co.
New work
15 spots with credits| Brand · spot | Agency | Director | Production co. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Movember · "Make a Growmitment" × Rick and Morty ↗ | Special Australia, CREATIVITY&COMMERCE | Aaron Chen | — |
| Rivian · "Ghostbusters" with Bill Murray 🔒 ↗ | — | Gil Kenan | — |
| Deliveroo × Tesco · "Dynamic Duo" ↗ | Pablo | Max Barden | — |
| Kwik Fit · "Kwik Chat" ↗ | VCCP | Mike Upson | — |
| Equinor · "Curious" ↗ | — | Martin de Thurah | — |
| Tubi UK · "Funny Feelings" ↗ | Mischief @ No Fixed Address | — | — |
| Foster's · "Keeps It Simple" ↗ | Publicis London | — | — |
| DoorDash × NHL · "What's For Hockey" ↗ | Broken Heart Love Affair | — | — |
| Wells Fargo · Steve Martin & Martin Short ↗ | — | — | — |
| Southwest · "Airplane Mode" ↗ | — | — | — |
| Taco Bell · Fernando Mendoza & Davante Adams ↗ | — | — | — |
| Sprite × Nikola Jokić · "Never Stop Refreshing The Game" ↗ | — | — | — |
| Novig · Sydney Sweeney sequel, Powerade bites back ↗ | — | — | — |
| Canal+ · twists the sporting tropes ↗ | — | — | — |
| Petco · animated "Paws for Thought" ↗ | — | — | — |
Also out: Instacart's Clementine film (dir. Brian McGinn), AOK sleepless nights (Scholz & Friends, Stink Germany, dir. Ayappa), P&N Bank "Big Bank Ballad" (Good Oil, dir. David Robinson-Smith), Visit Oslo sequel, Kalshi × Ronald Acuña Jr., McCafé Tray Bag "Sipwear," Real Madrid × Uber Eats, Paula's Choice × Hannah Waddingham.
Pharma pulse
6- GSK casts Viola Davis in "Shingles, Actually," a shingles-risk push for adults 50+.
- Biogen signs gymnast Suni Lee for "Keep Your Momentum," a rare kidney disease awareness effort.
- AbbVie "Looking Deeper Than Pigment" from Eversana Intouch uses makeup artistry on real patients to reframe vitiligo for HCPs.
- Noom "Weight Regain Doesn't Care" :30 PSA puts a Halloween hook on life after GLP-1s.
- Cochrane review: drugmakers paid prescribers $3.28B in non-research payments in 2023, $250M of it on meals.
- Walmart will give employees 250+ medications at no cost, GLP-1s included.
Pitches & business
10- Stagwell wins ServiceNow, the largest multi-agency deal in its history. 72andSunny and Code and Theory are on the team.
- Publicis CEO Arthur Sadoun: with fewer big holdcos, client conflict is no longer a dealbreaker.
- ProductionHollywood River Studios breaks ground on a 110-acre production campus in Wood River, IL, near St. Louis.
- Chemistry acquires design agency Colossus.
- WILDE names Bakery its creative agency of record.
- MMGY and R&R Partners join forces.
- LERMA/ named agency of record for Real California Milk.
- United reorganizes its advertising business around Starlink and other tech investments.
- Giants & Toys opens a Malmö office.
- Hailstorm launches Hailstorm Academy.
Signings
4- Naqqash Khalid joins Somesuch.
- Camilà Cornëlsen joins Picture North.
- Andrew "Oyl" Miller signs with Arts & Sciences.
- Flora MacLeod joins Electric Theatre Collective.
Dates & deadlines
2- ADC 106th Annual Awards: entries open. Theme: "In Search of What's Next."
- 2026 ADWEEK Experiential Awards: shortlist out, winners in December.