Creative editorial and postproduction boutique Hiatus has added editor Joe Kell to its roster. He had previously been with Friendshop! in New York.
Kell joins at an eventful time for Hiatus which this month marks its third anniversary and in June will see the feature film We Need To Do Something debut at the Tribeca Film Festival. Hiatus founder/editor Shane Patrick Ford cut director Sean King O’Grady’s horror pic which is from the producers of Saw and Bird Box. Additionally the team of Hiatus had the short film Still Home–cut by ford for director Keenan Wetzel–make its world premiere during the Cleveland International Film Festival earlier this month.
Kell gravitated to editing from an early age, and never left its orbit. It’s an art form that speaks to his sensibilities as a storyteller and problem-solver, because creative solutions in the edit cannot only be discovered, they can also be invented. Kell followed this passion for postproduction from Ohio to New York City, where he worked for a decade across a wide spectrum of genres and formats. Now he’s back in the Midwest at his new roost, Detroit-based Hiatus.
“Coming from another boutique editorial shop, I’m used to working in a small, collaborative environment, almost like its own creative agency,” said Kell. “I also love that Hiatus is an editor-owned shop with a high bar for their creative output. Their work has a strong point of view and a unique voice, making it a natural home for my editing style. From my very first conversation with Shane and his team, I knew I’d found something really special.”
Recent collaborations for Kell include a commercial campaign with director Tom Gould on an Australian-based liquor brand Mercury Cider via BBDO/Melbourne. With Gould in his native New Zealand, the agency in Australia, and dailies coming from New York, Kell was able to conduct the offline edit internationally from Detroit with a remote workflow utilizing the Evercast streaming platform. “Of all the experiences I had during the pandemic year, that was a highlight,” said Kell. “I realized that I could host live sessions with creative directors halfway across the world. It was pretty cool.”
Kell also worked on a director’s cut of “Women Who Power America” for Ford with director Amara Untermeyer. “The client launched our cut on their official channel in honor of International Women’s Day,” noted Kell, who brought in two of his frequent collaborators in New York for finishing on the project–Julienne Guffain at Sonic Union and Kath Raisch at Company 3. “My two cornerstone pieces from the last year are a global campaign, and a campaign right here in my own, new backyard,” pointed out Kell.
Hiatus’ Ford said, “Because we had been working for a long time on our remote technology abilities, we were positioned very well for the shift to remote work last year. When we met Joe Kell, we instantly hit it off. We had similar likes and interests, as well as the same ideas about where we are all going with film, advertising and storytelling. Also, his background in sound editing was very important to us at Hiatus. I’m a musician. Our executive producer Joshua Magee is also. We have a staff composer. Music and sound are already fused into our process; it’s a huge part of what we do. We look forward to watching him grow his talent at Hiatus.”
Recent projects for Hiatus include campaigns for Ford, Bumble, New Balance, Cadillac and Pepsi. Hiatus is currently in the midst of a long-form project for Hummer via GM Marketing, which began in December 2020 and is due to debut in September 2021.
Apple, WWF, CeraVe, Sydney Opera House Among Those Having A Grand Time At CICLOPE
An awards ceremony last night (10/10) capped three days of CICLOPE in Berlin, marked by talks by notable speakers, collaborative Craft Sessions, and attendees making global connections.
Drawing nearly 1,700 entries, culled down to 370 finalists across 18 different countries, the competition saw judges award seven Grand Prix winners, 45 Gold, 51 Silver and 61 Bronze trophies.
Grand Prix winners were:
--Appleโs โFlockโ directed by Ivan Zacharias of SMUGGLER for TBWAMedia Arts Lab, Los Angeles.
--WWFโs โUp In Smokeโ directed by Yannis Konstantinidi via production company NOMINT.
--A$AP Rockyโs โTailor Swifโ from directors Vania & Muggia of production company Iconoclast.
--Spotifyโs โSpreadbeatsโ directed by Maldita via production house The Youth for FCB NY.
--CeraVeโs โMichael CeraVeโ from directorial duo Tim & Eric via production company PRETTYBIRD for WPP Onefluence team, led by Ogilvy PR North America.
--Sydney Opera Houseโs โPlayit Safeโ directed by Kim Gehrig via Revolver x Somesuch for agency The Monkeys.
--Gucciโs โWho is Sabato De Sarno? A Gucci Storyโ directed by Henry Joost & Ariel Schulman via Moxie Pictures.
Special Awards--Yearโs Best
CICLOPE Special Awards went to:
Production Company of the Year: SMUGGLER
Director of the Year: Ivan Zacharias
Editing Company of the Year: Work Editorial
VFX Company of the Year: Electric Theatre Collective
Animation Company of the Year: Untold Studios
Sound Company of the Year: Barking Owl
Music Company of the Year: String & Tins
Agency of the Year: TBWAMedia Arts Lab
Brand of the Year:... Read More