Tombras has hired Chad Hopenwasser as its first chief production officer. Hopenwasser spent the past five years as Anomaly’s chief production officer and also previously led production at TBWA\Chiat\Day and Crispin Porter Bogusky. Hopenwasser will be based in Tombras’ New York office, which opened in late 2019.
Along with Hopenwasser, two more people are joining the agency. Ray Edwards, most recently VP, data at BBDO Atlanta, joins as Tombras’ first senior VP, analytics for its recently opened Atlanta office. And Diana Patterson, most recently an integration director at Empower, joins as VP, media director for its Knoxville, Tennessee office.
While Hopenwasser will be based in New York he will travel to the agency’s production studio in Knoxville when necessary.
Subscribe to Ad Age now for the latest industry news and analysis.
“One of the things I’m most excited about is all the capabilities Tombras has to offer because every client's different, I feel like Tombras had the right kind of setup that we could create an environment where we can really do bespoke production solutions,” Hopenwasser told Ad Age.
Among his first projects for the agency is an upcoming national campaign for Pernod Ricard’s TX Whiskey brand, along with work for clients such as Krusteaz, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and Orangetheory.
Hopenwasser’s hire is also a reunion since he will be working with Jeff Benjamin, who previously worked as CPB’s chief creative officer during Hopenwasser’s tenure, and joined Tombras as CCO in 2019.
The three hires announced Thursday continue a string of filling leadership roles at the growing agency. In 2020, 72andSunny and R/GA vet Denice Heyward joined as senior VP, director of business affairs, and Alice Mathews was promoted to CEO. Tombras had 150 employees in 2015 and now has more than 400 employees.