Film marketing veteran Ruben Igielko-Herrlich dies at 62

Ruben Igielko-Herrlich, a veteran film marketing executive, died March 7 in Beverly Hills. He was 62 years old and had been battling glioblastoma brain cancer for four years.

He co-founded PropagandaGEM, a global entertainment marketing group, in 1991 with his friend and business partner Anders Granat. The company has grown to include 10 offices in Europe, Asia, South America and the United States.

Under his leadership, Propaganda created brand integrations such as "The Matrix" placing the phone at Nokia clamshell in the hands of Keanu Reeves and the iconic "Mission Impossible" chase scenes with Tom Cruise driving a BMW.

Igielko-Herrlich has connected Hollywood studios and celebrities to clients such as Gucci, Bulgari, Piaget , Lamborghini and Rimowa. In the early days of product placement, he pioneered unique and creative integrations, as well as orchestrating powerful advertising and promotional campaigns.

Born March 15 in Havana, Cuba, his family immigrated to Switzerland when Fidel Castro arrived in power. He obtained a bachelor's degree at HEC Lausanne, faculty of commerce and economics, then moved to the United States to obtain his MBA at Emory University. He moved to New York, working with luxury brands such as Tiffany and Bulgari, before returning to Geneva, where he became lifelong friends and business partner of Granath, after which they founded PropagandaGEM.

He is survived by his wife, Dr. Lara Fielding; his mother, Elizabeth Herrlich; her siblings, Rebecca Rezzonico, Hanna Shiloni, Evelyn Igielko and Albert Beran; and his children, Cyrus and Charis Hauri.

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