A group of executives is leveling up at 42West’s BHI division.
The agency known for its work with Funko and Mattel Television revealed a pair of promotions and the hiring of a new vice president as it looks to grow the business in the coming months.
42West/BHI Co-Presidents Dean Bender and Shawna Lynch promoted Jonah Keel to senior vice president and Briana Richard to vice president. Keel previously served as vice president while Richard was an account director. Blake Shuster joins the company as vice president. He most recently served as head of U.S. communications, gaming, at Red Bull.
“Since BHI was acquired by Dolphin Entertainment and subsequently merged with 42West in January 2021, the division has experienced high double-digit growth,” Lynch says. “We owe a great deal of that success to the leadership skills of Jonah and Briana. They are both client and staff relationship builders that drive the efforts of our best-in-class clients, while simultaneously bringing on new and exciting partners.”
Keel joined BHI from Click Communications more than five years ago and has expanded the agency’s reach across consumer products, gaming, tech, streaming, and influencers with clients such as Warner Bros. Games and Tyler “Ninja” Blevins.
Richard (formerly Rojas) joined BHI in 2015 and leads consumer products and entertainment content accounts alongside Lynch. Notable recent campaigns include Funko’s debut at the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade with a Pop!-inspired Grogu (Baby Yoda) balloon, the launch of Dino Ranch on Disney Jr., and the promotion of the Emmy Award-winning Netflix series, Arcane.
Prior to his work at Red Bull, Shuster held roles at Twitch, Blizzard Entertainment, and Fortyseven Communications.
“Blake is joining the company at the right time in terms of recent and anticipated growth,” Bender says. “42West/BHI’s gaming practice has deep roots in the ever-evolving world of interactive entertainment and with Blake’s appointment, our teams and clients gain a creative, respected, and experienced leader with both agency and in-house experience.”
Shuster will lead BHI’s gaming practice with Bender and Keel as the company looks to grow its reach with video game publishers and players in the Web3 space, including NFTs, blockchain gaming, and the metaverse.
