Heat Names New President: John Elder, former associate partner at Goodby, Silver

Heat founder Steve Stone has announced the appointment of John Elder as president and equity partner. Stone will now act as Heat's chairman and creative director. Heat is the SF-based advertising agency launched seven months ago by Stone, one of the founders of legendary ad shop Black Rocket. Elder joins Heat from Goodby, Silverstein & Partners where he was an associate partner overseeing accounts including eBay and Discover Card.

Elder joins Heat to spearhead new business development and provide strategic counsel on Condé Nast, Moderati and other agency clients. Heat is currently completing a three-spot broadcast campaign for a major advertiser set to debut in October.

"He's smart, he's funny and he's got fire in his belly. I can already tell he's got the ‘hunter' gene I've always looked for in a partner," said Stone. "We're trying to build a place where we have smart, talented people who are like magnets for clients and future employees. John is certainly one of those magnets."

"I see a huge opportunity in working at a smaller place. The business has been undergoing a transformation and the winning companies are smaller, more nimble players who can think beyond traditional advertising solutions," commented Elder. "I've admired the work Steve and Black Rocket created over the past 10 years and I'm looking forward to taking Heat to the next level."

John Elder spent the better part of the past 10 years working with Goodby, Silverstein & Partners; most recently as Group Director on eBay, Discover Card, AT&T Wireless and SBC Communications. He also founded the Interactive Group at GSP and contributed to campaigns for Polaroid, Porsche, Pizza Hut and HP among other accounts as well. Elder has also worked with Arnold Communications out of Boston and technology agency Winkler advertising. He is a graduate of Boston College with degrees in Economics and Psychology, which has turned out to be a fortuitous combination for a career in advertising.