29 April London – Saatchi & Saatchi has strengthened its creative talent by recruiting Peniel Gebreselassie and Eleanor Weitzer, along with Jacob Newton.
Gebreselassie and Weitzer have spent the past three years working together at McCann London. The duo’s work is ‘rooted in social-first, human-centred’ creativity, with campaigns including Activision Blizzard’s Overwatch 2 which featured a showdown between human gamers and AI within the game. They also spearheaded Xbox’sDeadpool & Wolverine custom controller campaign, The Cheeky Controller, which earned a spot as Reddits #1 Hottest Post and a Grand Clio.
Gebreselassie, who was born in Ethiopia, began her career in fashion design whilst Weitzer started out as a fashion and festival photographer in the North East of England. Together, they draw on their diverse cultural backgrounds to bring fresh perspectives to their creative work.
Additionally, Saatchi & Saatchi has hired Jacob Newton as senior creative, joining from DDB New Zealand. Jacob, who won a Gold Cannes PR Lion in 2021 for the New Zealand AIDS Foundation’s ‘Sperm Positive: The World’s First HIV Positive Sperm Bank’ – a campaign designed to highlight the scientific proof that new medications can make HIV non transmissible. Jacob spent eight years working in New Zealand, during which he was recognised as part of the #2 Individual Creative Team of the Year at AWARD Australasia 2024.
Franki Goodwin, CCO at Saatchi & Saatchi, said, “We couldn’t be happier to have Pen, El and Jacob join the team. Pen and El bring a creative energy and vision that’s impossible to ignore, and Jacob is a creative superstar. Collectively, they bring unique thinking, perspectives and the kind of energy that pushes boundaries. We’re committed to recruiting the brightest and best creatives – and I can’t wait to see the impact they’ll make on the agency and our partners.”
