Newsroom
January 15th, 2020
Scott Varland Joins Agency as SVP, Head of Genuine X, North America
Boston, MA – January 15, 2020 – Jack Morton, the global brand experience agency, today announces it has expanded its innovation practice, Genuine X, in North America with the appointment of Scott Varland to senior vice president. Varland will lead the practice in the region and be based in New York.
Varland previously led the marketing innovation practice at M Booth and also ran the creative technology team at IPG Media Lab and Ansible Worldwide (now Reprise). He has has made cars talk, delivered beer, inspired makeup artists, turned binge watchers into vampires and started numerous conversations for brands including Patrón, Johnson & Johnson, MillerCoors, Kia, L’Oreal, Sony, Red Bull and HBO. His work has won several industry accolades including Clios, Shorty and Glossy awards.
In conjunction with Varland’s hiring, the practice has also launched Genuine X academy, a global initiative which will give employees the opportunity to apply for an immersive secondment within the Genuine X team. The aim of the academy is to give greater opportunity to Jack Morton’s entrepreneurial and innovative thinkers and to support the growing needs of its clients and the expansion of its innovation practice.
“Right now, the potential to challenge, disrupt and reimagine brand experiences is extraordinary, and as a result we are seeing tremendous growth in our innovation practice. Adding Scott to the team and creating opportunities for others within our agency was the logical next step,” said Damian Ferrar, SVP, Innovation Director and global head of Genuine X.
“It’s an exciting and transformative time to be an experiential marketer, and I am thrilled to join the incredibly talented team at Jack Morton,” commented Varland. “The ability of emerging technology to synergize data, personalize content and deliver breakthrough, high-touch moments has created a world of new opportunity for brands — all in the service of engaging an audience in a way that makes you feel something.”
Varland holds a master’s degree in interactive telecommunications from NYU along with a bachelor’s degree in fine arts from the institution. He was also the creator of Socialbomb, a venture-backed product development studio that was acquired by Refinery29 in 2013. He will report to Damian Ferrar, the agency’s
innovation director and global head of Genuine X who leads the practice out of London and Jim Cavanaugh, senior vice president and managing director of the New York operation.
Varland is the second senior level hire to join the agency in the last month. Jack Morton recently appointed Austin Powers as its Genuine X APAC lead and strategy director based in Singapore.
About Jack Morton
Jack Morton is an award-winning global brand experience agency. We’re driven by the fact that the world’s most successful brands deliver proof on their brand promise at every touchpoint. It’s what inspires our team each day to help clients “Do something extraordinary.” For 80 years, we’ve strengthened the relationships between brands and the people who matter most to them, through events and experiential, integrated campaigns, digital and content, sponsorship marketing and employee engagement. Jack Morton is part of the Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. (NYSE: IPG). More information is available at www.jackmorton.com.
For more information, please contact:
Cassandra Harris (Hegarty)
Sr. Director of Communications
Cassandra_harris@jackmorton.com
212.401.7046