• Monday, Jun. 12, 2017
Eli Ash joins Derby as sr. producer
Eli Ash
NEW YORK -- 

Creative production company Derby has brought Eli Ash on board as its newest sr. producer. In this role, Ash will oversee production work for all of Derby’s agency and brand partners. 
  
Ash most recently hails from Complex Media where she was supervising producer, overseeing all daily production and operations of the company’s original content, and owned-and-operated content channels. Over the course of her career, she has straddled both the broadcast television and commercial worlds, having produced content for networks such as NBC, ABC, A&E, BBC, MTV, The Travel Channel, The Food Network, Discovery Science, PBS, Sesame Workshop and Viacom. In advertising, Ash has produced a number of commercial and branded content pieces for Warner Brothers Records, Nike, GM, BMW, The Nobel Peace Prize, OXFAM Crisis Action, GQ, Vogue, Complex and Vice Media, among others. Outside of Derby, Ash continues to flex her production skills, producing music videos, documentaries and short films with friends and colleagues in her spare time. 
 
Derby represents a diverse roster of directorial talent, including The Bozzwicks, Catherine Orchard, John Poliquin, Josh Hayward, Lucas Borras, Nickolas Duarte and most recently, Roberto Serrini who earned a slot in this year’s SHOOT New Directors Showcase.

  • Tuesday, Jun. 6, 2017
Djordjevic joins Smoke & Mirrors Amsterdam as head of 2D/creative director
Aleksandar Djordjevic
AMSTERDAM -- 

Visual effects, integrated production and postproduction studio Smoke & Mirrors has hired VFX supervisor Aleksandar Djordjevic as head of 2D and creative director, based out of the company’s recently opened Amsterdam studio. He comes over from MPC New York.

Working closely with Smoke & Mirrors’ joint global managing directors, Gary Szabo and Danny Whybrow, Djordjevic will drive the creative output at Smoke & Mirrors Amsterdam, which includes visual effects for major brands like Heineken, Toyota and Coca-Cola.

Djordjevic’s wealth of experience has seen him lead on hundreds of projects for clients such as BBDO, McCann, Ogilvy, Saatchi & Saatchi and Leo Burnett. His VFX work and supervision also spans dozens of Hollywood features such as The Wolf of Wall Street, The Proposal, Men In Black 3 and G.I. Joe: Retaliation.

  • Tuesday, Jun. 6, 2017
Gabriel Portnof joins Framestore NY as CG supervisor
Gabriel Portnof
NEW YORK -- 

Framestore’s New York office has hired CG supervisor Gabriel Portnof.

A born and bred New Yorker, Portnof returns to his roots after 15 years with DreamWorks, based in Los Angeles. During his tenure at DreamWorks, he supervised films such as Turbo, Madagascar 3, Kung Fu Panda 3, Penguins of Madagascar, and most recently Boss Baby.

Portnof’s diverse experience also includes time at Blue Sky Studio where he worked on Horton Hears a Who and previsualized all of the lighting for Ice Age 3. While at Blur Studio, in Venice, Calif., Portnof created high-end video game cinematics. In the commercial world, he was also a part of the original award-winning CG team at R/GA.

Portnof’s film work has been nominated for several Oscars and has won an Annie Award. He is a frequent speaker at industry events including SVA, NAB Show and Creativa Fest.
 

  • Monday, Jun. 5, 2017
Sr. producer Kennedy Davey joins The Mill from Anomaly
Kennedy Davey
NEW YORK -- 

The Mill has added Kennedy Davey to its production team. She joins as a sr. producer for Mill+, The Mill’s content creation arm that focuses on concept-to-delivery creative partnerships. 

With an extensive background in both live action and on the agency side, Davey will use her understanding of clients to help address industry challenges and partner with agencies, production companies and brands to produce the best creative outcome. She will also be focusing her efforts on new areas and applications of emerging technology. 

Previously a producer at Anomaly, Davey joins The Mill with a wealth of experience working with brands such as Converse, Dick’s Sporting Goods, Budweiser, Kohl’s and Panera Bread.
 
Prior to Anomaly, Davey held roles in production with Twentieth Century Fox, Chris Columbus, and Red Hour Films with Ben Stiller, in addition to producing for NBC during the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympic Games.
 
Davey said, “As the industry continues to evolve and the landscape becomes more and more ripe with emerging tech, I’m incredibly excited to be joining a team that is a pioneering force in storytelling. The Mill is renowned and respected for creating high-quality visuals and, as a fan of the company’s previous work, I’m especially enthusiastic about being part of future projects. There’s no better place to leap into the world of high end VFX, direction and immersive content creation.”

Zu Al Kadiri, Mill+ executive producer, added, “Kennedy is an incredibly strong addition to our team, and her extensive industry knowledge garnered through working both the production and agency side equips her perfectly to help develop our Mill+ offering and collaborate with clients here in New York.”

  • Thursday, Jun. 1, 2017
Arcade signs editor Graham Chisholm
Graham Chisholm
SANTA MONICA, Calif. -- 

Bicoastal editorial company Arcade has brought editor Graham Chisholm aboard its roster for global representation. This marks the first time he has been repped in the U.S.; he had been previously been handled in Canada by Married to Giants through which he won an AICE Award last year in the Best of Toronto category for Sport Chek’s “All Sweat is Equal” out of agency Sid Lee.

“Graham’s ability to tell stories that draw in the viewer is amazing,” assessed Damian Stevens, Arcade’s managing director. “His use of music, sound and overall editing style is very unique.”

Chisholm’s career began in Montreal, Canada, where he worked for three years before moving to Toronto to continue perfecting his craft. For over a decade, Chisholm nurtured strong relationships with assorted advertising agencies and brands, including Gatorade, Land Rover, Budweiser, Ford, Chevrolet and The Toronto Raptors. He works closely with clients to create meaningful and effective campaigns, earning him several awards for his work including multiple Cannes Lions, Best in Show at the AICE Awards, Bessie’s, and the ADCC’s. Chisholm has become best known for his ability to tell compelling and persuasive stories, regardless of the brand or medium he’s working with.

“Graham’s influence and dedication on a project extends beyond the edit and into the finishing of the film,” noted Michael Lawrence, director of a Powerade spot that Chisholm edited. “In our case, he is involved in everything, a true collaborator on an intellectual level, as well as a gifted craftsman. Graham has earned my trust and heartfelt praise through our time working together and becoming friends along the way. I couldn’t recommend him more.”

Chisholm is in the midst of working on a new project at Arcade for Adidas via ad agency 72andSunny. He earlier completed his first project for Arcade, a short film about “LA2024,” also via 72andSunny, promoting Los Angeles’ bid for the 2024 Olympic Games. The Arcade team is riding yet another wave of momentum this year, having just completed a music video for Kendrick Lamar entitled “Humble” and commercial campaigns for Chipotle, Southwest Airlines, Bud Light, AT&T, Ikea, Sonos, Northrop Grumman and more.

Arcade’s talent lineup includes Chisholm, Dave Anderson, Kim Bica, Kyle Brown, Jeff Ferruzzo, Will Hasell, Geoff Hounsell, Sean Lagrange, Paul Martinez, Nick Rondeau, Greg Scruton, and Brad Waskewich. 

  • Thursday, Jun. 1, 2017
Paul Abatemarco named L.A. EP for LOGAN
Paul Abatemarco
LOS ANGELES -- 

LOGAN, a bicoastal content-creation studio, has appointed Paul Abatemarco as executive producer in Los Angeles, adding two decades of production expertise and close work with the world’s largest brands.

Prior to LOGAN, Abatemarco oversaw sales and operations for Brand New School’s West Coast studio, helping guide the company to record growth during that time. Abatemarco also helped lead MPC launch MPC Creative in the United States and has served as executive producer at Stardust. Most recently, Abatemarco was managing director at Los York.

Abatemarco’s experience includes campaigns with brands such as Nike, Google, Target, Adidas, Honda, Ford and Toyota. The commercial and advertising veteran also served on the management side at studios such as Digital Domain and Radium, and was director of operations at postproduction operation R!OT.

LOGAN, along with its roster of directors at Logan & Sons, has worked on recent brand campaigns for Apple, Nike, BMW, Clinique and Cisco, among others. The company’s latest entertainment marketing campaigns include Netflix’s Santa Clarita Diet and the Clio award-winning work for 20th Century Fox’s blockbuster X-Men: Apocalypse.

  • Wednesday, May. 31, 2017
Vanessa Watts joins Laughlin Constable as EVP of Media
Vanessa Watts
CHICAGO -- 

Laughlin Constable has hired Vanessa Watts as its executive VP of media in charge of developing and executing media strategy to define the future direction of client business.

“Vanessa has a wealth of experience delivering full media service to clients and pushing them to do innovative work,” said Mat Lignel, CEO and president of Laughlin Constable, which is based in Milwaukee and Chicago. “Vanessa brings a deep grasp of the media landscape and collaboration to this newly created Media EVP role.”

Watts joins Laughlin from HavasMedia in Chicago, where she led the agency’s new business efforts and worked on Sears Holdings, Reynolds Consumer Products and Valspar Corporation. Her 20 years of experience include stints in Australia, long tenures at prestigious global networks such as BBDO, DDB and Havas, and a portfolio of clients ranging from challenger brands to large national brands.

Laughlin Constable has long offered media planning and buying as part of the services it offers clients, unlike many other independent agencies, because it allows the agency to deliver the right ideas in the right context to consumers. 

As EVP of media, Watts will lead a team of media planners and ensure all initiatives are closely tied to clients’ business needs and strategic drivers. “Laughlin Constable is a combination of great talent and culture,” Watts said. “LC was one of the first independent agencies to launch its own trading desk, signaling to me that this was a team committed to delivering strong, creative and spot-on solutions to its clients.”

  • Monday, May. 29, 2017
Sr. producer Bill Galusha joins Leviathan
Bill Galusha
CHICAGO -- 

Specialized creative agency Leviathan has added Bill Galusha as sr. producer. 

Over the past several years, Galusha has produced and curated high-profile projects for clients including Google, NASA, Nike, VICE and YouTube. A former producer at Bot & Dolly (and its sister company, Autofuss), Google, and Obscura, Galusha has to his credit an array of groundbreaking interactive and experiential installations.

For a few examples, in 2016, VICE’s arts and culture platform The Creators Project launched “Future Forward,” a nationwide series of events featuring original artworks from internationally renowned studios. Galusha was the series’ curator and executive producer. A year earlier, he and his team helped design, and fully fabricated Prismatic_NYC, a permanent kinetic sculpture which hovers just above NYC’s Highline Park. Among many other career accolades, Galusha and his team at Bot & Dolly won Best in Show at the 2014 SIGGRAPH Awards for BOX, which combined robotics, motion capture, and dynamic projection mapping.

“I’ve always been very interested in what Leviathan has been up to--very cool work and very cool people,” Galusha said. “Teaming up with Chad [company president Hutson], Jason [executive creative director White], and their assembled talents, and really pushing forward together, I’m hoping that my experiences will resonate here and continue to bring big business and exciting new work opportunities for us all.”

Hutson said of Galusha, “Bill’s breadth of hands-on experience producing content and interaction for environments is unmatched. We’re talking robots, mirrors, lasers, projection mapping, military-grade hardware, and beautiful imagery--all designed for physical environments.”

  • Wednesday, May. 24, 2017
Post producer Tony Rucker comes aboard 3008
Tony Rucker
DALLAS -- 

Editorial boutique 3008 has added Tony Rucker as post producer. He brings to the Dallas-based shop over a decade of postproduction experience that includes national commercial campaigns, branded content, 3D animation and visual effects. 

His in-depth knowledge of the technical side of the business helps him to create a seamless workflow for his clients. Before joining 3008, Rucker post-produced at Post Asylum, Element X and Fast Cuts. His clients have included Visionworks, The Salvation Army, Atmos Energy, and Mott’s.

“Tony is a natural fit for 3008. He is dedicated, experienced, and has this ability to navigate through the complexities of any job with ease. We anticipate he will be a great asset to our clients as our company continues to expand and evolve,” said Brent Herrington, Editor and Owner of 3008.

This past year, Herrington assumed sole ownership of 3008. While editorial remains the company’s main focus, Herrington has expanded its editorial roster and turnkey production arm. “As we see our clients needs evolve, we want to ensure that we too are evolving as a company to offer the talent, comprehensive services and a seamless experience,” he said.

  • Wednesday, May. 24, 2017
Jordi Bares joins Framestore as creative director
Jordi Bares
LONDON -- 

Jordi Bares has come aboard Framestore as creative director in advertising, London. He previously led teams at The Mill, Realise Studio and most recently, Glassworks. With a reputation for breaking creative boundaries, he has built a portfolio of work spanning brands including Adidas, Guinness, Heineken, Levis and Sony.

Bares trained as an architect in his native Spain, and worked in both software engineering and cel animation before discovering the world of VFX. His eye for structure, and a desire to replicate physical realities born of his architectural studies, continue to inform his work as an artist and supervisor on a daily basis.

He will further bolster Framestore’s successful Advertising division, which upholds at its heart the core craft of beautiful visual effects. The artists frequently work hand-in-hand with the newer disciplines offered by the  VR Studio, Framestore Pictures and Framestore Labs, offering clients a highly collaborative and streamlined pipeline and a truly 360° approach to campaigns

MySHOOT Company Profiles