People on the Move

Creative studio Splice has brought visual effects artist Patricio Fernandez aboard its roster. With credits that include such feature films as Wrath of the Titans, Terminator: Salvation, Iron Man 3 and Captain America: The First Avenger, Fernandez expands the visual effects capacity of Splice, as the company continues to grow its feature and episodic television visual effects team.

Early on in his career Fernandez served as a creative and producer for commercial campaigns, an assistant editor for a feature film, and an editor for a postproduction company, all in Argentina. With his mind set on future goals, he moved to the U.S. in late 2000 where he earned a Master’s Degree in Computer Animation at the Miami International University of Art and Design. Since then, Fernandez founded Illusion Factory, Inc. in Florida, a postproduction company that provided services to Discovery Channel. He then freelanced for a variety of studios but for the three years prior to joining Splice, he worked regularly with Method Studios in Santa Monica, Calif.

Fernandez has worked in a variety of roles as a VFX artist for the aforementioned feature films  as well as Cloud Atlas, This Means War and Argo, in addition to a  number of commercials and Super Bowl ads for Kia, Microsoft, Direct TV and Canon.

Splice producer Drew Sondeland said of Fernandez, “He has the know-how and experience to be plugged in early, providing our clients with valuable pre-pro insight. His vast capabilities have already opened up a lot of new exciting opportunities for Splice.”

Editor Tom Vogt has joined the roster at the New York office of Spot Welders, the creative editorial company.  

Vogt’s career includes an extensive background in editing long and short form comedy for broadcast and cinema. He played a key role in the irreverent storytelling of Trey Parker and Matt Stone, shaping as lead editor the groundbreaking animated TV series South Park. Vogt’s credits also include Team America: World Police and South Park: Bigger, Longer and Uncut.

Vogt also spent two years working closely with the Academy Award-nominated director Morgan Spurlock, for whom he edited POM Wonderful Presents: The Greatest Story Ever Sold, Spurlock’s take on sponsorship and branding.  Formerly on staff at Bluerock and MacKenzie Cutler, Vogt has since freelanced for a range of agencies and post houses.

The editor’s commercial work includes spots for FedEx, Axe, Oberto Beef Jerky, eBay, ESPNU and AT&T (starring Will Arnett). Vogt’s deft timing on Bud Light’s famous “Dude” spot helped launch the campaign that became an early Internet sensation.

Vogt wanted to bring his skills to a company with a strong brand and experience and knowledgeable leadership. After meeting with the key players at Spot Welders in NYC, including partner/editor Dick Gordon and EP Joanne Ferraro, he was convinced it was the best place for him.  Vogt added that the ability to move back and forth between advertising and entertainment is another factor that attracted him to Spot Welders. 

A former acoustical engineer, Vogt designed concert halls, recording studios and performance spaces for Walt Disney World, Epcot Center, Universal Studios Tokyo and EuroDisney in Paris. While in France he began to study art and photography. His work eventually caught the eye of Carter Tomassi, the head of cinematography at Colossal Pictures, the vanguard San Francisco studio behind numerous award-winning commercials, interactive media projects and TV series such as MTV’s Liquid Television.

Vogt went on to join Colossal as a camera assistant and worked his way up through the production and effects ranks.  That’s where he discovered his passion for editing, which he saw as a link between his creative interests and his technical inclinations. After Colossal he sent his work to the creators of South Park, who welcomed him to the fold. Within months he was serving as the show’s lead editor, a post he held for eight years.

Vogt credits his experience in animation with teaching him many of the fundamentals of storytelling. While he enjoyed his time on South Park--and feels what he did there has resonated in popular culture--he’s happy to ply his craft on a wider creative stage.

“For me, the joy of editing and being able to tell different kinds of stories shouldn’t be limited to a specific genre,” Vogt explained. “What I learned in animation and comedy taught me a lot about rhythm and nuance, and those lessons can apply to anything. I’m looking forward to putting all that to use here at Spot Welders.”

Translation has added creative director duo Nick Sonderup and Andy Grant to its roster. The new arrivals mark the first major creative hires under the tenure of CCO John Norman and ECDs Jay Berry and Marc d’Avignon, who were brought on board in early 2014. Sonderup and Grant will focus their work primarily on the agency’s State Farm initiatives, having already contributed to the launch of the inaugural State Farm Neighborhood Sessions, a philanthropic concert spotlighting pop icon Jennifer Lopez in her hometown of the Bronx.

Sonderup comes to Translation following a three-year run at BBDO, and nearly five years at Wieden + Kennedy before that--having begun his career as a writer at MTV Networks. A copywriter by trade, he has delivered his wordsmithery for several top brands, including GE, ESPN, American Red Cross, Starbucks, Sharp and MTV. His work has been distinguished with AICP Show, Art Director’s Club, ANDY, One Show, Effie, and ADDY awards, just to name a few, and his contributions to GE’s acclaimed “Childlike Imagination” helped the spot to earn a primetime commercial Emmy nomination. Sonderup has also deployed his talents across numerous projects beyond the advertising industry, serving as the creative director of the inaugural Woodstock Comedy Festival in 2013, and creating the documentary “100 Bands in 100 Days,” which premiered at SXSW 2011.

Grant joins Translation from Crispin Porter + Bogusky, where he helped to create one of the most-viewed commercials of all time, “The Selfie Shootout,” starring Kobe Bryant and Lionel Messi, and boasting over 138 million YouTube views.  An advertising veteran of 14 years, Grant has spent significant time working in offices all over the world. Prior to moving to Los Angeles for his role at CP+B, he enjoyed stints as an ACD and art director at a number of top international shops, including BBH Singapore, WCRS London, TBWA\Hunt\Lascaris Johannesburg, and Ogilvy Prague.

Production company Über Content has launched a long-form content division. Coming on board to spearhead that effort is industry veteran Lenny Beckerman, formerly of Anonymous Content and Hello & Company, who assumes the position of Über Content’s executive VP of film/TV.

Über Content has made previous forays into long-form with the production of three feature length documentaries, including 2010’s I Am Comic, which premiered on Showtime.  Beckerman will work closely with partner/EP Preston Lee to help shape the visions of Über Content’s filmmakers and guide the company’s transition into film/TV.  Along with producing, Beckerman will continue to manage a select roster of writers and directors. The new division launches with a development fund that will allow Über to seek out and secure potential properties to develop.

Beckerman has managed high-profile talent and produced over 100 pieces of content in various genres over the past 16 years. Starting in 2000, Beckerman worked at Anonymous Content with Steve Golin for 11 years, where he helped many of the roster’s commercial and music video directors break into features. Anonymous Content produced over 15 features while Beckerman was with the company, including the renowned films Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Lake of Fire, Babel, and Winter’s Bone, all of which were nominated for various awards, including Oscars. Beckerman also established the company’s Literary Management Department, acting as a liaison to film studios, independent producers and funding sources, and helping the department to grow to presently include 20 managers.

In April of 2011, Beckerman took on the new position of head of film and television at Hello & Company. There, he continued to manage a roster of writers and directors while generating new development for both film and TV as a producer. Recently, Beckerman wrapped the food noir thriller Bone in Throat with Hello director/partner Graham Henman, based on the best-selling novel written by Anthony Bourdain, due out next year.