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DDA has hired Matt Andr\u00e9e Wiltens as SVP of U.S. entertainment and strategy and Ryan Smith as director of U.S. film and series, the agency announced on Thursday. <\/p>\n
Both will join DDA\u2019s Los Angeles office. Andr\u00e9e Wiltens will work with DDA partners to build out the film and entertainment verticals and identify additional business areas in the U.S.<\/p>\n
He joins from Gersh, where he served as SVP and head of global corporate communications for the past two years, leading the agency\u2019s communications during a period of significant growth and global expansion. As part of the move, Gersh will transition to DDA as a client for all corporate communications and company events.<\/p>\n
\u201cMatt brings a rare combination of creative vision, operational expertise and extensive industry connections, establishing him as a trusted advisor to some of the industry\u2019s highest profile executives and creatives,\u201d DDA L.A.-based partner Dana Archer said in a statement. \u201cRyan is a highly respected and connected film and television publicist, whose leadership and passion for storytelling will shine at DDA.\u201d<\/p>\n
Prior to Gersh, Andr\u00e9e Wiltens spent five years at Amblin Partners as VP of marketing and communications, where he led award-winning campaigns for \u201c1917,\u201d \u201cThe Fabelmans,\u201d \u201cGreen Book\u201d and \u201cWest Side Story,\u201d collaborating with Steven Spielberg and Sam Mendes. He later worked in-house with Oscar-nominated filmmaker Michael Mann on \u201cFerrari.\u201d He began his career at Paramount, where he spent 10 years working across PR and marketing.<\/p>\n
Smith spent nearly a decade at R&C and PMK, working on campaigns for Apple TV+, Lionsgate, Amazon Prime Video, Hulu, Angel Studios, AGBO and CJ 4DPLEX, as well as supporting talent publicity and executive visibility campaigns. He will lead the U.S. film and series team in Los Angeles and work directly with Katie Conklin and her team in New York<\/a>.<\/p>\n Smith started his career at Allied Global Marketing on regional publicity and promotions campaigns, then joined Click Communications where he supported film and home entertainment campaigns for Walt Disney Studios, Universal Studios, Sony Pictures, 20th Century Fox, Lionsgate and DreamWorks.<\/p>\n