• Thursday, May. 11, 2023
Julie Collins joins WAX as exec producer
Julie Collins
NEW YORK -- 

Boutique postproduction company has brought Julie Collins aboard as executive producer. As an agency producer, Collins has worked across a range of mediums and platforms from epic TV spots to branded content and short form social media. She has built an portfolio of clients, including Meta, AT&T, MasterCard, L’Oreal, Coca-Cola, Verizon, J&J and Wendy’s.

Following a decade-long tenure at McCann’s production department, Collins went on to join BBDO as a senior producer, where she was soon recruited to run one of the largest accounts within BBDO North America for AT&T. Promoted to group executive producer on the account, Collins was responsible for leading her team in all aspects of managing and cultivating AT&T’s content departments in New York, Los Angeles and Dallas. Under her tutelage, guidance and mentoring, Collins’ teams have produced award-winning and culturally impactful fully integrated 360 campaigns that have gained tens of millions of views and impressions. 

With an in-depth understanding of agency creative, production, edit, post and VFX, Collins has cultivated hundreds of longstanding relationships within the agency and production community during the course of her career. Committed to helping brands and creatives execute their vision and brand goals, Collins will manage WAX’s integrated VFX, telecine/finishing and live-action production. 

Collins said, “I’ve always loved the postproduction process where literally anything is possible. Crafted storytelling is really an art and I have been lucky to work with some incredible editors during my career. As a producer you get a fast education on how critical the editor is to the process. Toni [Lipari, founder of WAX] had a vision early on for WAX and she has not wavered from that vision! All of the staff editors, producers, VFX designers, have an incredible sense of responsibility to deliver the best creative work to clients.”

  • Wednesday, May. 3, 2023
Sara Wallace named EP at The Corner Shop, London
Sara Wallace
LONDON -- 

Executive producer Sara Wallace has joined the London operation of The Corner Shop, the production house which maintains headquarters in Los Angeles.

Wallace previously served as an EP at SMUGGLER in London for four years. There she worked with A-list directorial talent such as Tom Hooper, Mark Molloy, Kathryn Bigelow and Aoife McArdle.  Wallace was also integral in shaping the up and coming roster, finding director Fenn O’Meally and playing a pivotal role in developing her career. Her work at SMUGGLER contributed to their Cannes Lions Palme d’Or win in 2022, along with numerous other accolades.

Wallace’s strengths as an EP also come from her agency experience, having spent four years in New York working with Droga5 and Mother producing many films and live events. While at Droga5 she produced a live event and music video for Beyoncé on behalf of the UN, which was performed live at the General Assembly Hall, UN HQ, in front of a celebrity audience, including Michelle Obama. The event raised over $100MM for charity.

In her spare time Wallace is a keen philanthropist and is board director at the charity Rich Mix. An arts center, cinema and live music venue in Shoreditch aiming to make art and wellbeing accessible to marginalized and underprivileged communities. She is currently setting up an initiative to teach film in local underfunded schools.

Wallace has been a jury member for every major design and advertising award show globally and has won a plethora of awards across the board. She said, “what drew me to The Corner Shop is its genuine ethos of inclusivity and championing of voices previously disregarded. It’s not enough to do great work anymore, you have to care--we all need be making a holistic effort towards positive change both politically and environmentally. Anna Hashmi [founder of The Corner Shop] has embodied that spirit from the start. I’m pleased to be working alongside some of the smartest and most creative people I’ve met.’

Hashmi said, “Sara Wallace’s undeniable experience, passion and genuine philanthropic sensibilities will be a great addition to represent and support our roster of authentically eclectic talent, from established commercial directors, new voices and emerging talent. Working alongside production-focused EP Tess Mitchell, Sara Wallace adds to our development and management focus and will be a great asset.”

 

  • Monday, May. 1, 2023
Romain Demongeot appointed global ECD at Rodeo FX
Romain Demongeot
MONTREAL -- 

Romain Demongeot is joining Rodeo FX’s ads & experiences division as executive creative director. He has had a hand in such projects as an INTEL virtual concert with an avatar of DJ Diplo, a campaign for L’envol perfume by Cartier, an interactive AR campaign with the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the launch of the Bentley EXP 100 GT.

Throughout his career, Demongeot has incorporated into his work various technologies such as real-time 3D, VFX, Metaverse, and virtual shoots. 

His journey into the world of advertising began with his graduation from ESAG Penninghen, a prestigious art school in Paris, where he earned a Master’s Degree in concept and art direction. He started his career as an art director at Duke Razorfish in 2007 and quickly earned accolades for his imaginative interactive website for Levis. He later joined DDB where he worked as a copywriter and art director on several notable campaigns for brands including McDonald’s. In 2016, he became creative director at UNIT9, producing advertising experiences including a giant stunt for telco Swisscom. Following his period as executive creative director in 2019, he joined Media.Monks as a global creative director, contributing to AI, VFX, and CG projects with clients such as Epic Games.

  • Thursday, Apr. 27, 2023
Nomad adds editor Raj Ramnauth
Raj Ramnauth
NEW YORK & LOS ANGELES -- 

Editor Raj Ramnauth has joined the roster of Nomad Editing Company for U.S. representation.

Ramnauth is well-known for his music videos, including “Life is Good” and “God’s Plan” with Drake and “Con Altura” by Rosalia. Ramnauth has also worked on film and brand projects, ranging from Jason Day’s short documentary Never Say Die to campaigns for Budweiser and the Hockey Diversity Alliance, “Tape Out Hate”. Since joining Nomad, Ramnauth has edited the latest Hanes’ “The Invention of Comfort” campaign, released in early April.

“Raj’s addition to Nomad is well timed as the industry continues to blend entertainment and advertising, and he brings that in his work,” noted Nomad New York EP Julia Williams.

Nomad partner/director Glenn Martin said of Ramnaugh, “We’ve been following his career for a few years and have witnessed the incredible growth in his talent. Raj’s music video work showcases a unique skill at connecting the visuals with the beats and rhythms of the music tracks. You see this in his commercials as well, which is why his work feels so compelling.”

Ramnauth takes a very collaborative approach to the craft and looks forward to getting involved early in conceptual development. “My style is inspired by books I read on method acting. I immerse myself in the project and get into a flow state while cutting to produce something visceral; something people feel when they watch it.” Ramnauth is also a co-founder of Toronto-based editorial company Nimiopere.

  • Tuesday, Apr. 25, 2023
DJ Perera named chief media officer at the Ad Council
DJ Perera
NEW YORK -- 

DJ Perera has joined the Ad Council as chief media officer. She succeeds Kathy Kayse, who will be retiring on May 12 after leading the media team for five years. Prior to joining the Ad Council, Perera led Boehringer Ingelheim’s U.S. Media Center of Excellence, managing all aspects of direct-to-consumer and health care professionals paid media for the company’s brands.

In her new role, Perera will oversee the Ad Council’s media team and the department’s four Centers of Excellence: Digital Products, Digital Media and Operations, Media Strategy and Engagement and Emerging Media, Technology and Innovation. Perera will continue to evolve the Ad Council’s media model and develop strategic partnerships across the media ecosystem, strategically using both pro bono and paid media elements to enhance the organization’s impact on social issues. This will include identifying engagement strategies in website development, leading the exploration of trends in consumer engagement and driving innovation in emerging media and technology.

“She is an accomplished media executive and an empathetic and passionate marketer,” said Lisa Sherman, president and CEO of the Ad Council. “DJ is well-respected across the marketing and media industries for her in-depth knowledge, collaborative nature, and the innovation she has brought to brands across many sectors. Her leadership will have a meaningful impact on addressing mental health, gun violence and racial justice, along with many other critical social issues facing our country.”

Perera is a digital native who started her career in the late 1990s during the dot-com boom, leading digital initiatives at iXL, Proxicom and Qwest Communications. She then worked at a marketing agency for 10 years where she built and led its digital practice. Perera has also served as head of U.S. integrated media at Beiersdorf where she led the restructure of this group into a Center of Excellence.

“It is not often that you have the opportunity to step into a role that so closely brings together your craft with your purpose. This opportunity to serve as the chief media officer at the Ad Council is exactly that for me,” said Perera. “I’m grateful for the chance to make a lasting impact and to continue the incredible work of Kathy Kayse and her team.”

Perera is active on many industry committees and boards, most recently being appointed as chairperson of the Association of National Advertisers’ Media Committee.

Born in Sri Lanka, she moved to Trinidad as a small child and later settled in New York City where she attended Stuyvesant High School and New York University.

  • Friday, Apr. 21, 2023
Sarah Grieshammer joins Alkemy X as VFX supervisor
Sarah Grieshammer
LOS ANGELES -- 

Entertainment company Alkemy X has continued the expansion of its visual effects division with the hiring of Sarah Grieshammer as VFX supervisor. Her nearly two decades of experience in visual effects span episodic, feature film and commercial projects. Among Grieshammer’s major credits include films like The Amazing Spider-Man, The Hunger Games and Diary of a Wimpy Kid, as well as series including Stranger Things, A Series of Unfortunate Events, Sleepy Hollow and Your Honor

Alkemy X president and CEO Justin Wineburgh said, “Sarah’s profound positivity and enthusiasm for the innovative nature of the creative process is reflected in each and every project she works on.” At Alkemy X, Grieshammer reunites with Mark Miller, executive producer, business development.

Grieshammer shared, “To me, visual effects is a unique opportunity to step back and see how all of the puzzle pieces fit together and how the collaboration of the various disciplines come together to form one cohesive piece. I’m thrilled to be a part of the rapid momentum that the VFX department at Alkemy X has been building over the last couple of years. The team has met me with the utmost enthusiasm and optimism, and I am excited to bring the same to my work with our team and clients.”

Ohio-born Grieshammer followed a lifelong passion for the arts to Los Angeles, studying art and animation at California State University, Los Angeles. Her strong sense for motion, color and composition, alongside an inherent technical prowess, gave her a natural professional start in visual effects. Learning the industry through the lens of a compositor allowed her to gain a holistic understanding of the multitude of roles and departments within visual effects studios, using her artistic and technical skillsets to bring all of the disparate elements together to create the final vision. Already harnessing a comprehensive point of view of the strategic approach to visual effects, stepping up to the role of VFX supervisor was an organic move she embraced as an opportunity to continue pushing the boundaries of what her team could deliver for clients. Working as an on-set supervisor allowed her to further deepen her grasp on the end-to-end process, developing an understanding of how she could best serve the creative vision through visual effects.

In the interest of building a more diverse industry for the future, Grieshammer is passionate about mentoring emerging artists in the VFX industry, lending her expertise to broaden the awareness of the multitude of career path opportunities available. Currently based in New Orleans, she also periodically teaches visual effects at Loyola University New Orleans and continues to refine her love of fine art through oil painting.

  • Wednesday, Apr. 19, 2023
Editor Kevin Zimmerman joins Arcade Edit
Kevin Zimmerman
SANTA MONICA, Calif. -- 

Arcade Edit has brought editor Kevin Zimmerman aboard its roster. Zimmerman is available to edit nationwide while based out of Arcade’s L.A. shop. Zimmerman, known for his focus on bringing narratives to life through humor, has contributed his comedic storytelling to projects for brands including Cottonelle, DoorDash, Microsoft, Miller Lite and Sprite. 

“Having worked with Kevin previously in the postproduction realm, I knew what he was capable of bringing to the table,” noted Arcade EP Crissy DeSimone. “His comedic body of work speaks to a large part of what Arcade is known for and I’m really excited to have the opportunity to collaborate with him again.” 

Zimmerman joins Arcade as a long-time friend and collaborator of DeSimone, previously working together at postproduction house, NO6. With a master’s degree in cinematography, Zimmerman found himself in the right place at the right time for an unexpected career in editing. After working for multiple postproduction companies--most recently at Cartel--Zimmerman had the craft of editing become second nature as he now has taken advantage of the opportunity to rejoin DeSimone at Arcade. 

“As an editor focused on comedy, I was looking for a home that shared similar approaches in that sense of the storytelling space,” shared Zimmerman. “When comparing Arcade’s work to that of my own, there was an effortless synergy that made a lot of sense and it just felt like the perfect fit.”

In collaboration with advertising agency FCB, Zimmerman recently wrapped two campaigns for Cottonelle and Poise, bringing his infectious humor to what most would call, difficult to market products. 

 

  • Tuesday, Apr. 18, 2023
Digital Domain promotes Matt McClurg to head its visualization department
Matt McClurg
LOS ANGELES -- 

Digital Domain has promoted visualization expert and studio veteran Matt McClurg to serve as its new head of visualization. McClurg will oversee the VFX studio’s full range of visualization efforts, including comprehensive previs and post viz work and its virtual production department.
 
For 30 years, Digital Domain has turned out visual effects for award-winning features, episodics and more while earning a reputation as a technological innovator due to its pioneering research into digital and autonomous humans and countless advancements in virtual production and visualization. McClurg will leverage Digital Domain’s advanced tools to offer clients a visual representation of what their final product will look like, giving them a clear path forward.

“Matt has played a pivotal role in propelling Digital Domain’s visualization efforts to unprecedented heights in recent years,” remarked Lala Gavgavian, COO and global president of Digital Domain. 
 
Along with overseeing Digital Domain’s current and upcoming visualization projects, McClurg will help streamline and incorporate new pipelines that take full advantage of the VFX studio’s bespoke toolsets. That includes its proprietary machine learning software and AI-driven creations. McClurg will also continue to lead the development of custom systems and processes created within game engines, designed to give filmmakers new ways to watch and edit effects-heavy scenes remotely from anywhere in the world.
 
McClurg’s resume includes stops at both The Third Floor and 20th Century Fox, and in 2014 he was hired by Pixomondo to help create and run its previs department. In 2019, McClurg joined Digital Domain as previs supervisor, overseeing several major features including Marvel Studios’ Spider-Man: No Way Home, Steven Spielberg’s West Side Story and the Oscar-nominated Free Guy. McClurg was also heavily involved in several episodic previs projects, including HBO’s The Last of Us and Seth MacFarlane’s The Orville.

  • Tuesday, Apr. 18, 2023
Hogarth Worldwide appoints Dave Carey as president of Canada, managing director of growth for North America
Dave Carey
NEW YORK -- 

Hogarth Worldwide, WPP’s specialist global creative content production company, has named Dave Carey as president of Canada, and managing director of growth, North America. 

Carey will oversee operations in Canada and Chicago and will lead the growth strategy for North America. He will report into newly appointed CEO of the Americas, Natasha Cholerton-Brown.

With over 20 years of international marketing experience, Carey joins from OLIVER Canada where he was president. While there, he led full breadth campaigns for companies such as Unilever, Molson Coors, CIBC, adidas, WestJet, 3M, and Manulife, to name a few.   

Prior to OLIVER, Carey was a founding partner of Union Creative in Canada which was part of the MDC network. He also opened the Innocean Canadian office for the Kia business. 

“In a rapidly changing marketing landscape, I couldn’t be more excited to be joining Hogarth, who are in a prime position to lead the charge. Content that connects with people’s needs and desires is in high demand; and Hogarth’s ability to combine creativity with technology to produce content that is culturally relevant puts them in perfect alignment with consumer and client ambitions,” said Carey.

  • Thursday, Apr. 13, 2023
Laundry opens NY office, hires Susie Shuttleworth as EP
Susie Shuttleworth
NEW YORK -- 

Laundry Design, LLC, a production company and animation studio with bases of operation in L.A. and San Francisco, has opened offices in New York City and brought in Susie Shuttleworth as executive producer. Shuttleworth brings to Laundry NY a wealth of experience, recently leading creative shops Alkemy X, LAVA and most recently Sound Lounge.  Shuttleworth will handle all incoming business from the eastern territory in partnership with Andrew Michaeloff and Anya Zander of indie rep firm Hustle.

Born and raised in NY production, Shuttleworth has been a content-focused EP for high profile brands such as Cadillac, Puma, Apple and Disney, as well as networks and agencies.

James Sweigert, CEO/managing director of Laundry, noted that the company has been working in the NY market for many years but decided to set up a studio there to better serve its East Coast clients. He described Shuttleworth as the ideal person to head up the NY shop and “a perfect cultural fit for Laundry.

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