Leadership

Josh McCall
Chairman & CEO

Our success has always been about creating the most inspiring experiences and showing clients the return that grows their businesses and their brands.

Josh McCall is Chairman & CEO of Jack Morton Worldwide. Josh’s vision for the agency captures its industry-leading legacy in the live space, and builds on it: “We’re here to create the world’s most powerful and engaging brand experiences, and to help our clients build the world’s most talked-about experience brands.”

Josh became CEO in March 2003 and added the title of Chairman in 2007. Under his leadership, Jack Morton has invested in its core offerings and added capabilities to help launch products and brands; engage customers and consumers; and align employees and sales channels. Through his stewardship, the agency has grown globally, with offices in the US, UK, Australia and China, as well as strategic partnerships in India and South Africa. During his tenure the agency has enhanced its creative talent, winning dozens of awards from industry bodies including the Cannes Lions, the Stevies, the EX Awards, the PRO Awards and the Webby Awards.

Josh joined Jack Morton’s New York office in 1984 and demonstrated a passion for client service and helping companies build brand advocacy inside and outside their organizations. He developed strong relationships with key regional clients, multiplied them and then led Jack Morton’s Boston office opening in 1990. In 1993 he became Executive Vice President, responsible for Jack Morton’s Eastern Region, and in 1998 he took on the additional responsibility for human resources and acquisitions initiatives. In 2000 he became the company’s President and Chief Operating Officer.

Josh helps define industry best practices by contributing to professional groups and business and trade publications, including Advertising Age and PR Week. He has addressed groups including the Ad Club, the Wharton School of Business and The World Congress of Sports. He serves on the board of City Year Boston, a national service corps, and on the Advisory Committee for the Harvard Partners Center for Genetics and Genomics, a joint venture of The Harvard Medical School and Partner's HeathCare.

Josh holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Pennsylvania and completed business and management training at the Amos Tuck School at Dartmouth College and The Kenan-Flagler School at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.

Bill Davies
COO/CFO

Great agencies are financially responsible, focused and transparent. That translates to delivering the best value to clients.

Bill Davies joined Jack Morton in 2002 as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer. He is responsible for the company’s global financial strategy and operations as well as information services, real estate, insurance and legal matters.

Prior to joining Jack Morton, Bill served as Senior Vice President for The Interpublic Group of Companies’ (IPG) Advanced Marketing Services group. He served as CFO of Weber Public Relations Worldwide and Shandwick International in 2000. Bill joined The Weber Group in 1990, where he implemented comprehensive financial systems and state-of-the-art technology that improved internal communications and productivity.

Bill played a leading role in Weber’s 1996 acquisition by McCann-Erickson World Group, resulting in a global full-service public relations agency that has grown through expansion and acquisitions.

Charlotte Merrell
EVP
Worldwide Human Resources

Our people are our brand. So my passion is attracting, growing and supporting the best talent out there.

Charlotte Merrell leads Jack Morton’s worldwide Human Resources operations and is charged with building the infrastructure and processes that will enable it to attract, develop, motivate and retain the talent needed to achieve its business objectives.

Charlotte joined Jack Morton in 2001, following a consulting relationship in which she assisted Jack Morton in a comprehensive compensation project that aligned pay practices with evolving business models. Additionally, she was integral in managing Jack Morton’s acquisition of Caribiner International.

Prior to joining Jack Morton, Charlotte was a Senior Consultant and head of the Reward Practice in the HayGroup’s Boston office. She earned an MBA from the Harvard School of Business.

Bill Boris-Schacter
EVP
Operations and Client Finances

Operational efficiency means our clients have a seamless experience with us—one where they see the value of every dollar invested.

As EVP, Operations and Client Finance, Bill Boris-Schacter works with agency leadership to ensure operational efficiency and oversee client compensation and contract administration for key US and global accounts. He also supervises in-house teams including Logistics and Technical Education, US Technical Services, Digital Studio, Entertainment and Speakers and the Production Procurement department.

Bill joined Jack Morton in 1992 as Director of Production for the Boston office. In 2001, he served as Acting General Manager for Jack Morton’s Australia operation. After returning to Boston, Bill became SVP of Operations and Client Finance and played an important oversight role in US production operations. Bill has led the pricing and contractual negotiations with many key accounts including Gillette, Intel, HP, eBay, Monster.com, Hyundai and VMware.

Prior to joining Jack Morton, Bill earned a Juris Doctor from New England School of Law.

Tara Back
President
New York

With more than a decade’s experience at Jack Morton in management positions on two continents, Tara is a key catalyst in the agency’s ongoing success.

In December 2008, Tara assumed the role of Executive Vice President and Managing Director. Her move to New York followed a successful five-year tenure as Managing Director for the agency’s operations in Australia. In 2011, Tara was named President, New York also overseeing Jack’s operations in Chicago and Los Angeles.

She built award-winning creative-led teams in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane, as well as a new business effort that resulted in blue-chip client partnerships including Microsoft, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Sony, Ford, British American Tobacco and Casella Wines. In addition, Tara was instrumental in leading the Jack Morton team through the process of successfully pitching and then producing the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2006 Melbourne Commonwealth Games.

Julian Pullan
President
EMEA

Julian Pullan joined Jack Morton in 2002 as Director of Operations in London and became Managing Director in 2005. Under his leadership the European operation has grown significantly in size and reputation. In January 2009, Julian joined the Executive Team and in 2011 become President, EMEA.

In Julian's 25 years in the business he has been responsible for major communications projects for numerous clients, including Toyota, Lexus, Philips, Shell, the British Government, Ericsson, Nokia, HP, Barclays and over 100 projects for General Motors Europe.

Julian frequently contributes to trade publications in the UK. His work has won over 30 creative awards and he has served as a member of the board of the International Visual Communications Association.

Paula DeFeo
SVP
Managing Director
Norwalk

Behind-the-scenes technology is integral to keeping up with evolving expectations of our audiences as they demand more seamless integration and customization in their experiences.

As Managing Director, Paula DeFeo leads both Jack Morton’s technical training practice and conference management team. A 15-year veteran of events “powered by technology,” she remains intimately involved in the development, growth and enhancements of event marketing competencies and tools.

Paula works collaboratively with a large staff ranging from technologists to planners across Jack Morton’s global network. Her standardized and sustainable techniques and strategies have been used over the years by industry leaders such as IBM, Nortel, HP, Lotus, CA, Lenovo and General Motors.

Pat McClellan
SVP
Managing Director
San Francisco

Never stop learning. Do something hard.

As Managing Director of Jack Morton’s San Francisco office, Pat McClellan is responsible for meeting clients ’ business goals by creating innovative and effective programs and campaigns. He accomplishes this by recruiting, retaining and motivating the most talented people in the industry.

Since joining Jack Morton in 1998, Pat has led teams in a variety of roles ranging from production to creative director to strategist. He has worked with industry-leading clients including, eBay, VMWare, Microsoft, Cisco, The Home Depot, Apple, PeopleSoft, Intel, Walt Disney Imagineering and Motorola. Pat also leads Jack Morton’s Global Tech Practice.

With 25 years of communications and strategic experience, Pat has won numerous awards for his work on consumer promotions, video and interactive software programs.

Pat is a frequent blogger on JACK360 and drives a Prius that gets him 50 mpg.

Bob Denby
SVP
Managing Director
Jack Morton Exhibits

After 30 years in this business, one thing remains the same regardless of technology or trends—engaging people on a personal level is the most effective way to make them feel connected to a brand.

As Managing Director of Jack Morton Exhibits, Bob Denby has been the guiding hand behind the group’s transformation from a boutique exhibit house into a nationally recognized leader in the exhibits and tradeshow industry.

Under Bob’s leadership, Jack Morton Exhibits, a specialized practice group within Jack Morton, combines high-end fabrication of tradeshows, mobile tours, broadcast sets and architectural interiors with white-glove customer service.

Over the years Bob has spearheaded projects for Johnson & Johnson, Intel, Bank of America, Turner Broadcasting and recently gained traction with NASCAR trackside experiences for both Texas Instruments and ESPN.

Helen Graney
VP, Managing Director
Australia

As Managing Director, Australia, Helen Graney oversees Jack Morton’s Australia operations in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. For the past ten years with Jack Morton, she has combined her understanding of excellent client service with an ability to translate business objectives into communication strategy and deliverable projects.

Most recently as Director of Client Services, Helen contributed to a significant growth in client relationships that is reflected in Jack Morton’s leading agency profile in Australia.

Previously, Helen served as Account Director for several years working with key accounts across a wide range of industries, improving her understanding of their business objectives and the company culture. Her experience across employee engagement projects allowed Helen to play a pivotal role in the growth of Australia’s Brand Inside work.

Liz Bigham
SVP
Director of Brand Marketing

There’s nothing like experiencing a brand first-hand to inspire people’s passion and belief. It just makes sense to me that brands will increasingly invest in experiential moving forward.

Liz Bigham joined Jack Morton in 1999 to build and leverage one of its most powerful assets: its brand. Under her leadership, Jack Morton has developed the experiential marketing industry’s premier agency brand, supported by a spectrum of thought leadership, research, sales and marketing tools, PR and online engagement.

Liz is a frequent blogger and speaker at industry events from Event Marketer’s Experiential Marketing Summit in Chicago to the first African Experiential Marketing Conference in Johannesburg.

A magna cum laude graduate of Barnard College, Liz received an MPhil in Art History from Columbia University and worked in curatorial positions at New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art and Museum for African Art prior to joining Jack Morton.

Ben Taylor
President
Asia-Pacific

As President, Asia-Pacific, Ben Taylor’s role is to oversee Jack Morton’s operations in Hong Kong, Beijing, Singapore and Australia. Ben joined in 2005 to head up Jack Morton’s presence and expansion in China and build teams and a growing client portfolio throughout the region.

Under Ben’s leadership, Jack Morton’s Asia operations now work for many of the world’s leading organizations including Procter & Gamble, HSBC, Pfizer, Ford, IBM and Coca-Cola.

Ben started his first events company at the age of 15 in the UK and has been in the industry ever since—producing impressive experiences including Dow Chemical’s Beijing Olympic Program, UBS’s Greater China Conference, Coca-Cola’s Strategy Meetings and the launch of the London “Gherkin”.

Steve Mooney
SVP
Managing Director
Boston

Conversations are taking interesting forms lately. Consider what teenagers mean when they say: "Of course, I talk to them all the time." Consider what 30-year-olds mean when they talk about their experiences. People in their communities are engaging in so many different kinds of conversations and such a fascinating variety of experiences.

As Managing Director of Jack Morton’s Boston office, Steve Mooney oversees the development of multi-year agency relationships dedicated to building and activating brands for clients. He has succeeded with a strong focus on the agency’s digital and strategic planning offerings.

Since he joined Jack Morton, Steve has played various roles from creative and production to management. He has even dabbled in training. Most recently, Steve has helped form Jack Morton's Experiential Planning Group, worked on integrated campaigns for Harvard Business School, BlackBerry and Fidelity and ridden on Team JACK in the Pan Mass Challenge.

Steve is a strong advocate of using technology to make new connections and is a frequent contributor to Jack Morton’s twitter feed.

Julie Nelson
SVP
Managing Director
Gaithersburg

It’s my job to ensure that our financial systems are efficient and incorporate strong internal controls so our clients know they are working with a trusted and stable partner.

Julie Nelson joined Jack Morton in 1995 as Director of Financial Planning.  Through the years she’s assumed new responsibilities including Managing Director of the Gaithersburg office which serves as Jack Morton’s US accounting headquarters. In 2008, her team was charged with the additional role of managing sister agency Octagon’s North American accounting operations.

Prior to joining Jack Morton, Julie worked in the aerospace, healthcare and software industries. She is a Certified Public Accountant and received her MBA from George Washington University.

Daryl Butler
SVP
Managing Director
Los Angeles

Daryl Butler joined Jack Morton in 2010 as Senior Vice President and Managing Director for Jack Morton’s Los Angeles office. Over the course of his 20 plus-year career, he has worked with iconic brands such as Nike, The Jordan Brand, Boost Mobile, Nextel and Walt Disney.

Daryl has broad based, progressive experience in marketing, sales and finance. Prior to Jack Morton, Daryl was Director, Global Consumer Experience at Jordan Brand, a division of Nike, Inc., where his team delivered content and assets to domestic and international business units that drove traffic, sustained loyalty and enabled a deeper connection with consumers in their communities. Daryl was also personally responsible for developing a retail reset strategy for the Jordan Brand in China that departed from domestic strategy and led to increased retail traffic and better consumer reception.

An active member of his community, Daryl served as Chairman of the Scholarship Program for the Morehouse College Alumni Association, Team Leader for the West Angeles Church Prison and Youth Ministries, and Treasurer of the Urban Village Investment Club. Daryl earned his BA in finance and Marketing from Morehouse College and his MBA from the Graziadio School, Pepperdine University, with a concentration in finance.

Ted Przybocki
SVP
Executive Director, Operations
Detroit

“We are unique in the marketing communications world in that we’ve been talking to audiences face-to-face for 70 years. Culturally, we approach marketing from a theatrical point of view with that deep understanding of how to make strong, emotional and memorable connections with people through digital and live experiences.”

As part of the Management team of Jack Morton’s Detroit office, Ted Przybocki, Senior Vice President, has a 25-year tenure in marketing communications, creating innovative and effective campaigns for dealer, internal, news media and consumer audiences.

Since joining Jack Morton in 1995, Ted has created and managed programs for clients such as GM, Chevrolet, Cadillac, Pontiac and Saturn. Ted has also been instrumental in creating successful grass roots marketing campaigns targeting Hispanic / Latino consumers, and has led teams in producing prestigious public events such as the 35th and 37th Ryder Cup Opening and Closing Ceremonies.

Larry Deutsch
SVP
Managing Director & Consumer Practice Leader
Chicago

Insight-inspired ideas is the key to marketing innovation.

Larry Deutsch joined Jack Morton in 2007 as the Managing Director of Jack Morton’s Chicago office and global Consumer Practice Leader. Over the course of his 25-year career, he has helped some of the most recognized agencies and brands to grow.

Larry’s experience is a unique blend of consulting, client-side brand management and agency leadership. Prior to Jack Morton, Larry was Managing Director at OgilvyAction, where his teams created award-winning experiential marketing campaigns including the Motorola StudioMoto tour which earned Event Marketer magazine’s Grand EX Award. Larry’s work has also been recognized by the PMA Reggie, PROMO Magazine PRO and AMA SPIRE Awards.

An active contributor to the marketing industry, Larry served on the Promotion Marketing Association’s Board of Directors and was an original member of the Event Marketing Council. Larry earned his MBA from the University of Michigan and graduated magna cum laude from the University of Illinois.

Matt Pensinger
SVP
Managing Director
Chicago

Matt Pensinger has built his career helping brands build strong relationships with consumers through experiential marketing and promotions. Matt leads Jack Morton’s Chicago office, which works with clients including Abbott, Procter & Gamble, Lawson and CME Group.

After more than a decade working with sports properties and General Motors, Pensinger lead Relay Worldwide’s consulting practice where he developed client relationships with top brands including PayPal, Sharp Electronics, Walgreens, Kellogg, Toyota, Morgan Stanley, Discover Financial Services and McDonald’s.

Prior to agency life, Pensinger guided General Motors’ marketing partnership programs and developed platforms and alliances for GM brands with major properties including Major League Baseball, The Walt Disney Company, the U.S. Olympic Committee, Warner Brothers Studios and the NCAA. As manager of sports and entertainment marketing at GM, Pensinger was also responsible for developing the company’s product placement program in film and television for all GM brands.

Pensinger received his B.A. in English from the University of Illinois and an MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.

Brian Patterson
EVP
Managing Director
Detroit

Brian Patterson is Executive Vice President, Managing Director, of Jack Morton’s Detroit-based team, which creates powerful and engaging experiences to help General Motors and its brands connect with all of their most important audiences, from employees and the retail channel to press and consumers. Brian joined Jack Morton in 1994 as Co-General Manager/Executive Creative Director, taking on his current role in 2011. A 27-year veteran of the automotive business, Brian is a passionate believer in the need to continue to elevate the impact of live experiences as part of brands’ overall marketing mix, and is deploying that vision to make Jack Morton’s Detroit team an even stronger partner to clients.

Matt Jones
SVP
Strategy & Creative

Matt began his career as a UK government economist before moving into political campaigning. He was made Chief Political Adviser (Communications) to the UK Conservative Party in 2003. After migrating to Australia in 2005, he enjoyed a brief stint advising the NSW Government on communications strategy, before joining Jack Morton in July 2006 as a Creative Strategist.

Since joining Jack Morton, Matt has worked to shape brand experiences and integrated marketing campaigns for clients around the world including CA, Ford, Holiday Inn, IBM, Qantas, Samsung, Volkswagen, and [yellow tail].

Matt moved from Sydney to New York in April 2009 to become Director of Strategy and Planning for the New York office. In January 2010, Matt was made SVP, Strategy & Creative, responsible for leading Jack Morton’s global idea community.

Matt is responsible for spearheading a culture of simple thinking and knowledge-based creativity across all Jack Morton’s work, ensuring that everything we do is based on great insights and intense creativity, always targeted on achieving the outcomes that matter most to our clients. Matt is a regular writer, speaker, and blogger on brand, marketing, communication, strategic thinking, and experience brands.