Creative director Linas Jodwalis has staked a claim with Almost Gold, a new design-driven production studio featuring director Matthew Egan. Tapping Tom Leonard as executive producer, the Chicago-based shop is positioning itself to provide concept-to-completion creativity for the advertising and entertainment industries.
Jodwalis has a vision that can be traced back to his start in the explosive growth of design centric production and VFX in Los Angeles. An inaugural team member of Motion Theory, Jodwalis was integral to commercial and music video shoots for HP, Reebok, Beck, SyFy Channel and Velvet Revolver, among others. Returning to Chicago to be director of 3D at Digital Kitchen, he expanded his leadership role with projects for clients including Coke, Target, PBS, and McDonald’s. It was at Digital Kitchen that he first worked with director Egan, developing the creative shorthand that would be central to their future collaborations and ultimately lead to the development of Almost Gold. Jodwalis enjoyed collaborating on projects with MK12, Thornberg & Forester, Decoy, and Radar Studios, followed by tenures at Vitamin Pictures, where he was art director and head of 3D, and Method Studios, where he led the VFX department. Each experience and project added a layer of understanding for the future vision for Almost Gold.
With a background in visual art and a life-long infatuation with film, Egan started as an editor and expanded into directing. To date, he has directed projects for Target, Jim Beam, Kellogg’s, Nintendo, POM Wonderful, and writer/executive producer Derek Haas.
Jodwalis and Egan helm projects jointly, building custom teams from a network of talent to produce visually resonant, branded results. Strategy and business acumen is the domain of EP Leonard.
During his career in the advertising and entertainment industries, Leonard has served as producer, executive producer, and director of business development. Leonard has experienced advances in technology, shifts in distribution, and the re-engineering of business models at the highest levels. He has done so as an insider with game-changing companies including NBC, Rhythm & Hues, Pittard Sullivan, PDI/ DreamWorks, Digital Kitchen, Butler, Shine & Stern, Goodby, and Imaginary Forces. On the creative side, Leonard has stood on the front-lines of production with artists like Wim Wenders, John Dykstra, Sam Raimi, Sean Penn, Peter Gabriel, and Frank Oz.
Leonard said, “Linas, Matt, and I had a great working relationship at Digital Kitchen, and I’m elated to be able to help them launch and build Almost Gold. They are exceptional creatives. Both bring key, symbiotic creative strengths to the process, which is why they work so well together. I think with my experience, and the A level resources we have at our disposal, we’re going to be an invaluable partner to agencies and brands when it comes to producing highly creative content.“
