Global Marketing Production Advisory APR Names Patrick Lafferty as CEO

Jul. 09, 2026

APR, the independent global marketing production advisory that pioneered “production consulting” nearly 30 years ago, today announced the appointment of Patrick Lafferty as Chief Executive Officer. The strategic elevation underscores APR’s commitment to navigating relentless content demands by shaping more effective production ecosystems across creative, high-volume content, experiential, and ever-emerging channels for the world’s leading brands.

The appointment marks the culmination of a planned succession process that began with Lafferty's appointment as President earlier this year. As he assumes responsibility for the day-to-day leadership of APR, owner & founder Jillian Gibbs will focus on representing the company across the industry while advancing production as a strategic business discipline, through thought leadership and speaking engagements, as well as further leveraging her book, The Marketer’s Guide to Creative Production.

The leadership transition comes as AI reshapes every aspect of content creation, production, and marketing operations. Building on its foundation as the industry's leading production advisory, APR helps  clients navigate complex decisions around procuring in-house and external production models, partner/roster ecosystems, and the technologies reshaping how marketing content and experiences get produced.

Lafferty said:

“Brands are rethinking how work flows through their organizations in an AI-driven world. They’re confronting a series of interconnected decisions about which capabilities belong inside the company and how they balance work with agency, production, and technology partners. Clients need independent, unbiased advisors with expertise and experience who can help them reimagine the entire content ecosystem rather than just optimize individual parts of it. That’s the opportunity we see for APR.”

 

Lafferty brings more than 25 years of leadership experience across some of the world’s most respected marketing, media, and agency organizations. He served as COO of Acceleration Community of Companies (ACC), President of mcgarrybowen and Translation, CEO of BBH North America, Chief Marketing Officer of Discovery’s Travel Channel, and has held senior leadership positions at McCann and Leo Burnett. He has built his career helping marketing organizations turn shifting market dynamics into growth by connecting creativity, technology, and operations.

Gibbs, a self-proclaimed “production optimist” who defined the production consulting category and built APR into the world’s most influential production advisory, will continue to help shape the company’s long-term vision, drawing on three decades of experience defining industry standards, advancing more transparent and efficient production models, and elevating production as a strategic business driver.

Gibbs said:

“APR was built around helping clients navigate change and solve challenges they experience in marketing production. That’s been true since we pioneered production consulting, and it’s just as true today as marketing organizations face significant change relative to content creation. Patrick brings the rare combination of deep industry experience, a willingness to challenge conventional approaches that this moment requires and is a thoughtful and intentional leader.”

 

Today, APR advises more than 400 brands worldwide, including Fortune 500 companies such as Constellation Brands and Google, leveraging a global footprint spanning 55 cities, hands-on experience with more than 3,000 agencies and production companies, and intelligence informed by billions of dollars in annual marketing production spend. Through ACERO™, its proprietary production intelligence platform, APR defines historical and should-cost benchmarks to help clients make smarter decisions about investments and partnerships, unlocking greater value across their content ecosystem.