Havas Group has invested in Republica, a multicultural agency based in Miami. Republica was founded by chairman and CEO Jorge A. Plasencia and president Luis Casamayor in 2006 to address the “seismic multicultural and digital revolution.” Republica’s team of 120 experts specializes in creating relevant, enduring connections across culture, language, and technology, providing strategy, creative, research, media planning and buying, analytics, consumer science, digital, public relations, social, and experiential for brands in the U.S. and around the globe. Today, the agency works with numerous brand partners including Walmart, Toyota, Google, Nielsen, Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts, Freixenet USA, Azamara Club Cruises, NBCUniversal Telemundo, Universal Parks & Resorts, Miami Super Bowl 2020 and Goya Foods. The agency will be renamed Republica Havas and will remain headquartered in Miami, with expansion plans to other key U.S. markets including New York, Chicago and Los Angeles. Republica Havas will continue offering expert multicultural marketing intelligence, combined with the ability to leverage Havas’ global integrated communications network as well as tap into parent company Vivendi’s media and entertainment properties. Republica Havas will continue to be led by Plasencia, Casamayor and its executive team, and sit under the direction of Paul Marobella, chairman and CEO, Havas Creative, North America.
Spheres, directed by Chromista’s Eliza McNitt, has won the Grand Prix in VR at the Venice Film Festival. McNitt’s VR series, Spheres, made history at the Sundance Film Festival when it became the first-ever VR experience to be sold in a seven-figure festival acquisition. Spheres is a three-part episodic journey through space and time, executive produced by Darren Aronofsky and Ari Handel, through Aronofsky’s company Protozoa, Episode one, "Chorus of the Cosmos," premiered earlier this year in Venice, narrated by Millie Bobby Brown (Stranger Things’ Eleven). Episode two, "Songs of Spacetime," which premiered at Sundance, was narrated by Jessica Chastain. The third episode, "Pale Blue Dot," previewed at the 2018 Tribeca Film Festival and is narrated by Patti Smith. Venice VR was the first time all three films were shown together. “I’m truly honored to receive the award,” McNitt stated. “It’s remarkable to experience the oldest film festival in the world embrace the newest forms of storytelling.” McNitt specializes in VR and traditional filmmaking, often working alongside scientists to tell stories about the human connection to the cosmos. She is a two time winner of the Intel International Science & Engineering Fair, with work that has appeared at major film festivals, including Tribeca, SXSW, Sundance, Hot Docs, Cannes Next and AFI. Recently she collaborated with Karlie Kloss on a series for Ford called Trailblazers of STEAM, and with Google, for Pixel, to create the short-film, Dot of Light, following three astronauts’ journey to the stars. Commercial/branded content house Chromista was founded in 2013 by Aronofsky and partners Scott Franklin, Sandy Haddad and Ted Robbins. Chromista’s roster includes Aronofsky, McNitt, Xavier Mairesse, Marcelo Burgos, Kasra Farahani, Dael Oates, Alessandro Pacciani, Elliott Lester, Daniel Portrait, and Josh Cole…
