Hybrid AI production studio Elevado has appointed Bryan Farhy to serve as its managing director. Farhy will own Elevado’s commercial function–leading new business, go-to-market strategy, and studio growth–as the studio expands its roster of agency and brand partners.
The hire marks a deliberate next step for Elevado which was launched in 2025 under the Saylor umbrella. Elevado has built a reputation for hybrid workflows that fuse AI with live action, animation, and VFX for clients including Johannes Leonardo, Prime Video, Adobe, Netflix, Apple, Universal, and Hilton.
“We’ve spent the last year proving the work. Now we’re building the business to match it,” said Rupert Cresswell, co-founder & chief creative officer, Elevado. “We’re not bolting AI onto old production models–we’ve built an entirely new one. Bryan has spent his career translating exceptional creative into exceptional partnerships, and he does it with taste. He’s the right person to put Elevado in every room where the most ambitious advertising work gets decided.”
Farhy joins Elevado with more than two decades of commercial leadership across the production and advertising industries. His career includes senior management at Method Studios, where he served as managing director, West Coast; B-Reel, as director of business development for North America; RSA Films as executive producer and head of sales USA; and Stink Films, as North American head of sales. Across those roles he has built and led relationships with brand-side marketing leaders, agency production heads, and creative directors–and has become known for architecting brand alliances that create real, lasting value for clients and talent alike.
At Elevado, Farhy will build and manage the studio’s new business pipeline across AI, live action, animation/VFX, and production; lead pitch strategy and deal-making; and partner closely with Cresswell and team to ensure every engagement is set up to succeed both creatively and financially. He will also help define the studio’s commercial narrative and market positioning.
“There are many production companies retrofitting AI into workflows that were never built for it. Elevado is the rare studio that started from the other direction–artists first, tools in service of the idea, and maximizing production value. We are a true collaborator, not a vendor,” said Farhy. “That’s a genuinely different pitch. My job is to make sure the market understands exactly what this team can do, and to build the pipeline and partnerships to support that team vision.”
Beyond his advertising work, Farhy is the founder of Fireflies West, a nonprofit made up of members of the advertising and entertainment industries. Since 2007, its annual charity bicycle ride from San Francisco to Los Angeles has raised more than $7 million for leukemia and cancer research at City of Hope.
