Davie Brown Entertainment, part of The Marketing Arm, has announced that it has named Lewis Henderson chief executive officer. The long-time digital entertainment and marketing vet was most recently head of William Morris’ digital practice and left the agency last month after nearly 20 years. Henderson will replace James Davie, who co-founded the agency in 1985 and is retiring later this year.
In his new role, Henderson will be charged with expanding Davie Brown’s offering to include digital marketing and entertainment strategy.
As head of William Morris’ digital practice, Henderson built digital entertainment businesses on behalf of the agency’s clients across film, television, music, publishing, theater, sports, corporate and international. Henderson drove a number of the industry’s most notable technology and media partnerships, having counseled many of today’s leading companies from the broadband, mobile and video game arenas. Most recently Henderson worked with Habbo, the largest virtual world for tweens, and negotiated deals with Fremantle’s “American Idol” and NBC’s “Heroes.”
Prior to the launch of William Morris Digital in 2006, Henderson was a co-founder of WMA’s corporate consulting division. In this post he advised Fortune 500 companies on entertainment marketing as well as content development, licensing, acquisition and distribution. Henderson has consulted with a number of international brands and organizations, including Nokia, Pfizer, 24 Hour Fitness, Monster.com, U.S. Olympic Committee, NFL, British Telecom and Compaq.
“Lewis is the rare triple-threat combination of successful agency entrepreneur, leading brand consultant and global digital expert,” said Ray Clark, founder and CEO of The Marketing Arm. “Jim Davie was a pioneer in the entertainment marketing space. Finding someone with the same level of passion, knowledge, and respect in the industry is no easy feat, but Lewis is that person. Lewis strengthens Davie Brown’s position as the agency that understands how to harness the power of entertainment to help brands genuinely engage consumers. In my view, Davie Brown now has the most impressive leadership team in the space and is now well positioned to be the obvious, comprehensive entertainment agency for brands.”
“I’m delighted to join Davie Brown Entertainment and look forward to working closely with Tom Meyer and the company’s incredibly talented team of executives,” said Henderson. “Equally compelling is the ability to build upon the amazing work the company has already done, by bringing digital marketing and entertainment strategy to the mix.”
“Lewis and I share a common vision for Davie Brown and the future of entertainment marketing,” said Tom Meyer, president of Davie Brown. “His reputation as a progressive and inspired leader makes him an ideal fit for Davie Brown. I’m looking forward to partnering with him on innovative ways to help our clients advance their brands.”
Henderson is the third senior-level executive to join Davie Brown since the beginning of the year. In February, Rob Souriall, the former vice president for strategic marketing and promotions at Disney Music Group’s Hollywood Records, joined Davie Brown as its new senior vice president for music and gaming. Chalcea Park, who previously served as executive vice president of Platinum Rye Entertainment, was named Davie Brown’s managing director for talent and licensing in January.
“The Marketing Arm promises best-in-class thinking and execution across all of the emotional platforms, five of which – TV, film, gaming, music, and celebrity talent – fit within the entertainment space,” said Dan Belmont, president of consulting and activation for The Marketing Arm. “Lewis’ addition enhances that promise to our clients. Beyond that, The Marketing Arm and Davie Brown have been committed to building a digital offering across alternative media platforms. Over the last 12 months, our digital team has grown to more than 60 people. Lewis brings a new level of experience to what we’re building.”