People on the Move

Tom Sebok has been named chief client officer at agency Meredith Xcelerated Marketing (MXM), a content-powered digital agency which is part of Meredith Corporation (NYSE: MDP). Based in the company’s New York office, Sebok will report to Georgine Anton, president, and will be responsible for managing client relationships across MXM’s entire portfolio.

At BBDO Worldwide, Sebok led its global service of PepsiCo across 80 countries.  Previously, Sebok was CEO of Young & Rubicam in North America.  Before Y&R, Sebok was EVP, managing director, at BBDO where he served as global account leader for PepsiCo, FedEx, Motorola, Pizza Hut, Lowe’s and more. He also spent three years at Ammirati Puris Lintas where he led UPS, Goldman Sachs, and PwC. Sebok began his career at Grey Advertising and holds a BA in English and American Literature from Brown University. 

Lauren Concar has become executive director of the Garden State Film Festival (GSFF). She takes on the role as the GSFF returns to its original home in Asbury Park for the 2018 festival. The return move marks the festival’s “Sweet 16” anniversary and follows a successful four-year run in Atlantic City.
 
Concar has been with the festival for many years, acting most recently as the festival’s director of operations. She and production manager Kristen Dirato have been responsible for many of the festival’s weekend events in the last few years, including all the advance planning, event management and operations during the event. Concar has also taken on many of the administrative functions of the executive director for more than a year. She is an award-winning producer, director and editor, and is the head of the Brookdale Television department at Brookdale Community College.

GSFF board chairman Nicholas J. Falcone said of Concar, “She knows this festival backwards and forwards and most importantly knows the people who make this event. She knows what the fans want and her background in production allows her a deep understanding of the needs of the filmmakers. She is steady, focused and will bring great things to the GSFF in her expanded role.”         

Founder Diane Raver said, “Lauren was raised in the film festival; she is really part of its fabric. Over the years, she has taken on more responsibilities and has logged countless hours, doing all the important work of preparing for the event and the essential follow-up work after the event. Those who know Lauren know she will be extraordinary and those about to meet will be most impressed.”

The 2018 festival is scheduled for March 22-25, 2018. The call for entries opened on July 1, 2017.

Postproduction and editorial house PS260 has brought editor David Blackburn aboard its roster. He will be based in the bicoastal company’s office in Venice.
 
Blackburn joins PS260 from Beast Editorial, previously cutting commercials and creating graphically visual, musically-driven, fashion-forward spots for brands including Adidas, Verizon, Ford, Michelob, Lexus, Champs, T-Mobile, Coors Light, Nascar and PlayStation. He also recently won an AICE editing award for Adidas’ “MiCoach” campaign. Blackburn’s credits also include high profile music videos for artists such as Eminem, Britney Spears, Lady Gaga, Mariah Carey, Aerosmith, Justin Timberlake, George Michael and Marilyn Manson. In 2003, Blackburn was nominated for an MTV award for Best Editing for Eminem’s “Without Me” and won the MVPA’s Best Editing award in 2005 for Blink 182’s “Always.” Blackburn also edited the very first Google Cardboard VR music video for Grammy award-winning artist Avicii.

“I’ve done a lot of work with action, visual effects and music, but first and foremost, I cut for emotion,” Blackburn said. “Storytelling is key. I pay most attention to the emotional arc of the characters and the story, and given that PS260’s work is rooted in emotion and compelling content, I feel like we are a natural fit. I can’t wait to get going with the team and see what’s in store for us this year.”

Blackburn has also cut a variety of feature films including Warner Brothers’ Torque, which was directed by Joseph Kahn; the coming of age movie ATL, directed by Chris Robinson; indie feature Adventures of Power and Detention; and the documentary Why We Ride.

Colorist Paul Allia is coming aboard Picture Shop. His notable projects include Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders and Minority Report. 

Allia comes to the Burbank-headquartered Picture Shop from Technicolor’s broadcast division, where he worked as final colorist collaborating with Academy Award-winning writers and directors including Dustin Lance Black on ABC’s When We Rise.
 
“Paul has been on my radar for a while now; over the years he’s grown to become a fantastic colorist. His talent and ambition combined with his commitment to clients, makes him a great addition to the Picture Shop family,” noted Bill Romeo, president of Picture Shop.
 
“After seeing the facility and talking with the talent it was clear that Bill had created a space that was not only state-of-the-art, but also felt like a second home to both staff and clients,” said Allia. “I’m thrilled to be joining this amazing team, and honored to work with so many people I considered mentors over the years.” 

Currently grading on DaVinci’s Resolve, Allia is set to start July 1.