Los Angeles, CA, September 12, 2011 -- After two decades of spearheading creative and strategic initiatives both on the client side (ABC, Universal) and the service side (Pittard Sullivan, Trailer Park), Curt Doty has joined legendary creative consultancy Bemis Balkind, and will spearhead the agency’s newly expanded Digital Group in the next phase of its client offerings in the areas of digital content, advertising, and distribution. Doty will serve the company as both its GM and as Executive Creative Director, Digital.

For the past several years, Bemis Balkind’s digital services have been focused primarily on the creation of websites and banner advertising campaigns promoting major theatrical releases. With Doty onboard, the agency is, today, now positioned to build the groundbreaking platforms and coherent interfaces that will deliver user-centric design and dynamic content to an increasingly savvy and connected consumer. Doty will weave the agency’s existing digital service capabilities into the newly expanded Digital Group, which, under his wing, will work closely with major corporations and media companies, helping them to make sense of their digital futures.

Bemis Balkind is a multi-award winning, renowned and highly regarded creative agency which designed and implemented campaigns for many of the biggest motion pictures hits recently, including Tim Burton’s “Alice in Wonderland 3D,” “Slumdog Millionaire,” “Black Swan,” “Bad Teacher” and “Shrek.” Mr. Bemis was featured in Morgan Spurlock’s recent documentary “The Greatest Movie Ever Sold.” Historically, the agency crafted the infamous campaigns behind “Rosemary’s Baby” (“Pray for Rosemary’s Baby”), “Alien” (including the tagline, “In Space No One Can Hear You Scream”), “Superman,” “Fatal Attraction,” “Forrest Gump,” and countless others.

In addition to its theatrical work, Bemis Balkind has also stood at the forefront of countless media revolutions, from launching cable TV giants CNN, HBO, and ESPN, (complementing Doty’s branding of over 20 TV networks in the U.S., Europe and Asia, including Star TV, CBS, ABC and FX) to allowing true multi- platform information sharing with Adobe Acrobat. Always industry agnostic, the agency also guided IBM through its transition from mainframe to desktop, and repositioned Goldman Sachs for its IPO.

“I’m incredibly excited to be here, because these guys have innovation in their DNA,” says Doty. “We’ve been on parallel paths all our careers, helping clients through complex and difficult sea changes in the media and business landscape – from broadcast to cable in the ‘80s, theatrical to home entertainment in the ‘90s, and brick and mortar to e-commerce at the millennium. Recently the music and publishing businesses have also been revolutionized, TV is appearing on computers and tablets, movie consumption and distribution is on the verge of exploding into a multitude of different platforms, and books have turned into immersive interactive experiences. I feel it was inevitable that I would wind up here.”

Bemis Balkind Chairman Aubrey Balkind, who recently relocated to Los Angeles from New York, said, “It’s an exciting opportunity to bring Curt Doty to our agency—his record of success is tremendous. Curt’s expertise in building infrastructure is enormous. Creating a user-centric interface for consumers is vital to the success of our clients, both in and out of the entertainment industry. We can now become true co-creators with our diverse array of clients and their consumers.”

Bemis Balkind President Peter Bemis adds, “What I like most about Curt is that at heart he is a designer and a creative. The key for us is creating beautiful, simple, user-centric design. Without that, the consumer has got nothing to be passionate about, and the client’s brand expression suffers. I believe that Curt’s expertise across the full digital spectrum will elevate our client’s marketing campaigns to the next level.”

“We see a world where we collaborate and participate with the consumer instead of just talk at them,” continues Balkind. “We want to empower people to create and, in a sense, socialize their own campaigns. There are all these new ways of delivering content today, whether it be on TV, PC, smart phone, tablet or eReader. We can provide the word and image elements that will begin meaningful conversations that evolve into cultural memes. The power of real people talking and delivering coherent messages to each other is enormous. For most people, especially young people, advertising feels like an uninvited guest. We now have the opportunity to seamlessly embed marketing within entertainment and entertainment within marketing, to become a welcome and integral part of people’s lives.”

Doty becomes the third Executive Creative Director with Bemis Balkind, along with Charles Riemers, formerly of Crew Creative, and Kishan Muthucumaru, formerly of 30 Sixty Advertising.