Yarn appoints Slade MacDonald as Intermediate Creative and Michelle Koster as Senior Account Director as growth continues

Independent creative agency Yarn has added two new faces to its team, welcoming Slade MacDonald as Intermediate Creative and Michelle Koster as Senior Account Director.

Koster joins from McCann New Zealand (previously FCB Aotearoa), stepping into a senior leadership role across a broad mix of clients, including MAS, Mercury, Air New Zealand, My Food Bag, Tourism New Zealand and Hell Pizza. While MacDonald joins from Stanley St, forming a new creative partnership with Art Director Joachim Pearson.

Koster says the move to Yarn has been a refreshing shift: “I’ve loved the move from a network agency to an independent that’s creating genuinely great work. The process and client partnerships feel tighter, more collaborative and a lot more rewarding.”

MacDonald says the move reflects the kind of work he’s drawn to: “More than once, I’ve been the guy going ‘have you seen this!?’ while sticking Yarn’s work in an annoyed colleague’s face. So I’m beyond stoked to be working with the people responsible.”

Yarn CEO Heath Davy says both hires reflect the agency’s continued momentum: “Michelle and Slade joined us late last year, but we’ve been heads-down on project after project since they started, so we’re only now taking a moment to officially welcome them.

“They’ve already proven to be invaluable additions to the team, bringing a wealth of experience, and quickly embedding themselves into the rhythm of Yarn’s fast-moving, creatively led approach.”

The team expansion comes off the back of a strong run of work for Yarn, including multiple campaigns for new client MAS. Most recently, a light-hearted campaign imagining the wild theories behind its decade-long Consumer NZ People’s Choice streak, following the earlier ‘Even smart cars have dumb moments’ campaign.

Not to mention the award-winning ‘Doobious’ campaign for Hell Pizza, which sold out of “herb” grinders in just 24 hours, reignited the cannabis conversation, and took home a Silver at last month’s Axis Awards.

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