• Thursday, Dec. 8, 2016
CHI & Partners CEO Sarah Golding to become IPA president
Sarah Golding
LONDON -- 

Sarah Golding, CEO and partner of CHI & Partners in the U.K., was nominated by the Institute of Practitioners in Advertising (IPA) Council members as the preferred candidate to succeed Tom Knox as president of the IPA in March 2017. The IPA is a non-profit trade body and professional institute for agencies in the U.K.’s  media and marketing communications industry.
 
Golding will be expected to serve a two-year term which will be first ratified on March 23, 2017 as part of the IPA’s annual general meeting proceedings. Her first public platform will be at the IPA Members’ Lunch in May 2017 where she will outline her two-year manifesto.    

The announcement comes at the end of a formal three-month selection process by the Presidential Nominating Committee which was led by previous IPA president Stephen Woodford.

Woodford said, “My role as Chairman of the Nominating Committee was remarkably straightforward. To identify that certain someone whom the industry wants as their next leader. It was soon obvious that this person was Sarah and we were delighted that she has accepted the position. I have no doubt that she will be a fantastic leader for the IPA as it celebrates its centenary and I am looking forward to working with her in my new role as CEO of the Advertising Association.”
 
Golding related, “‘I am extremely flattered and honored to be chosen as the IPA’s next President, and I look forward to helping the industry flourish in profoundly changing times.”

Prior to her tenure at CHI & Partners, Golding worked at Lowe Howard-Spink following graduation from Cambridge University. Across her career she has worked with blue chip brands including Orange, Reebok, British Gas, Argos and NewsUK. She is married to David Golding, a co-founder of adam&eveDDB, London.

  • Tuesday, Dec. 6, 2016
Adam Svatek joins STITCH as sr. editor
Adam Svatek
SANTA MONICA, Calif. -- 

Editor Adam Svatek, whose work runs a stylistic gamut from comedic to emotional, has joined the roster at STITCH. Prior to signing with STITCH he was at the L.A. office of Beast (and its predecessor company, FilmCore), where he started in 2005.

A graduate of the University of Iowa’s Film & TV program, Svatek has spent over a decade honing his craft and building close creative relationships with both directors and agency creatives. His work on brands like AT&T, Experian, Walmart, Pedigree, ESPN and many others ranges from performance-driven comedy to visual storytelling.

Svatek’s move to STITCH was over a year in the making, the editor explained. “I felt it was the right thing in order for my work to grow,” he says. “I see a lot of potential in small creative boutiques that are really focused on the work, and I’m interested in projects that help make this a better world. The opportunity to do those things and make an impact is very strong at STITCH.”
 
Svatek had worked with STITCH editor Andrew Leggett and producer Liz Katsarelas when they were at Beast, “so I knew this was a place that cared about their people and surrounded them with a great working environment.” After STITCH’s EP, Mila Davis, first reached out, they kept in touch. “Everyone who’s worked with Mila speaks very highly of her,” Svatek said. “So for me, it was an easy decision.”
 
He was also aware of STITCH founding editor Dan Swietlik’s reputation, both for his work on ad assignments as well as on feature documentaries like the groundbreaking “An Inconvenient Truth.” “That film really raised the discussion of climate change to another level,” said Svatek. “It’s an important piece of work for the global society. When it came to Dan, you just kept hearing his name and hearing about his work. Finally getting a chance to meet him was a little awe-inspiring. It’s hard to believe we’re sharing the same space.”
 
Svatek launched his career at DEN.net, the early digital programming network that focused on entertainment primarily for teenagers. While there he taught himself Avid and Final Cut, and it’s where his love of editing first blossomed. “When I realized the true power of visual storytelling, I was hooked,” he recalled. “I was never that interested in writing, but assembling clips and elements together to convey a message was something I found challenging and rewarding.”
 
After a brief stint producing online content he returned to editorial when he joined the L.A. creative boutique Ground Zero as its in-house editor. He next moved to FilmCore, where he was both mentored and inspired by award-winning editors Livio Sanchez and Gordon Carey.
 
Svatek said he’s drawn to a wide range of work. His reel contains some comedy gems, like the non-stop parade of insults two male friends share in the “Smack Talk” series of “Call of Duty” spots for Walmart, or the sad-sack performances of a few wanna-be golf pros in his campaign for Ping. “I like quirky comedy,” he confessed. “The awkward pause or those uncomfortable moments that, when timed right, make you laugh. You can feel it when you’re editing dialogue that seems conversational while hiding the fact that it isn’t. And who doesn’t like making people laugh?”
 
His work in the genre includes a promo for the 2015 Film Independent Spirit Awards that’s a dead-on parody of “Birdman.” Starring Fred Armisen, Kristin Bell, Miles Teller, Adam Scott and Bill Hader, it captures the offbeat pacing and “one-shot” narrative gambit of the Oscar-winning feature perfectly. Another example is the short film he edited for the writer, director and comedian Tyler Spindel. Titled “Love and Germophobia,” it stars TJ Miller as a guy who just can’t seem to find the empathy for his sick girlfriend, who really needs his support.
 
“On the flip side, I’m also attracted to causes that make our world a more livable place, or to the poignant message in a documentary that motivates people to act.” He cites as an example a 2:45 mini-doc he edited for the Coalition for Engaged Education. “It was a passion project directed by Erin Heidenreich that tells the story of a school program in Lennox, California designed to give at-risk kids a chance when they need it the most,” he explained. “My wife is a teacher, so education is very important to us.”
 
Svatek feels projects like these reveal the dual sides of his work as an editor, and he’s looking forward to continuing to develop both at STITCH. Most recently, he collaborated again with Heidenreich on a documentary that premiered in November at the DOC NYC Film Festival. Titled “Rising Sons,” it’s a gripping portrait of a radical new program aimed at ending the rampant rape of women in The Democratic Republic of the Congo. “I’m very, very proud of this film,” Svatek said.

  • Tuesday, Dec. 6, 2016
Drive Thru Editorial's Bob George elected treasurer of AICE
Bob George
NEW YORK -- 

Bob George, a partner in the Minneapolis studio Drive Thru and an accomplished editor and Flame artist, has been elected treasurer of AICE. Currently serving as a member of AICE’s International Board, George was elected to succeed Ken Skaggs, former president and partner of the Dallas postproduction company 3008, who was also president of the Texas Chapter.
 
As treasurer, George will keep tabs on the association’s finances and serve as a member of its Executive Committee, joining International Board president Craig Duncan of Cutters in Chicago, VP LaRue Anderson of Apache Digital in Los Angeles and secretary Kristin Redman of Hudson Edit in Detroit.
 
Skaggs, who was elected treasurer at the Board’s semi-annual meeting in November of 2015, resigned his post after selling his interest in 3008 to his partners. He’s leaving the post industry and is moving into new fields such as real estate investment.
 
“While we’ll miss Ken and his many contributions to AICE, for which we’re deeply grateful, we’re simultaneously delighted to have someone with Bob George’s background taking on a leadership role,” said Duncan. “He not only brings a company owner’s perspective to the Board, but also that of an editor, a director and a visual effects artist. When you combine this with his knowledge of the Minneapolis market, which has long been a beacon of great creative work in our industry, we feel he’s going to make a great contribution not only to our Executive Committee, but to the Association as a whole.”
 
The Board’s Executive Committee is involved in all of the association’s ongoing initiatives in the areas of refining business practices and helping establish industry standards. AICE has advocated strongly over the past several years for fairness and transparency for independent postproduction companies across the advertising content creation process.
 
“I think bringing the artists’ point of view to the Board and the Executive Committee will be an important role for me,” said George. “We’re always trying to find the right balance between the business side views and those of the editor, the colorist, the effects artist and the mixer--they’re the people who are in the rooms, doing the work with clients. So having that background is a big plus, since they have a unique understanding of how new technology and changes in workflow impact what we can deliver.”
 
“Coming from a smaller market like Minneapolis will help as well,” George continued. “Since we often have to compete with bigger companies in larger markets, we tend to be more innovative in finding solutions, and that kind of thinking benefits everyone in our industry. I can share our experiences with my peers on the board, and they can in turn bring them back to the members in their respective chapters. That’s one of the great benefits of AICE membership, being able to tap into that collective knowledge.”
 
A native Californian, George attended Arizona State University, where he studied film and video production. After graduation he got a job at a television station, initially as a cameraman. He began shooting station promos, which expanded into a role as a director/cameraman working on film. From there he launched a full-time directing career and joined Drive Thru, which at the time was strictly a production company. 
 
As Drive Thru expanded its services to include full postproduction, George began to edit his own work, then widened that role to include Flame. As the company grew he joined as a full time partner, leading the post side of the business after separate full-up production and postproduction divisions were created. All told, Drive Thru Productions and Drive Thru Editorial have 20 full-time staffers who work out of a spacious set of offices in downtown Minneapolis. With his partner Mark Setterholm, who runs the production arm, the pair have positioned Drive Thru as a leader in providing agencies and clients in Minneapolis and around the country with one-stop, single-source solutions for creating and distributing advertising content while also maintaining standalone production and postproduction relationships.

  • Thursday, Dec. 1, 2016
Claudio de Souza promoted to VP, will head up GM biz at Isobar US
Claudio de Souza
DETROIT -- 

Claudio de Souza has been promoted to VP at digital marketing agency Isobar US. He will join the management team of the US agency and work to develop global accounts, reporting directly to co-CEOs Geoff Cubitt and Jeff Maling.  VP de Souza previously served as VP of business & operations at Isobar Brazil for the past 15 years. He will lead the Isobar US GM business and sit in the Detroit office. Isobar US GM account director, Ken Zendel, will report into Souza, and will be responsible for day-to-day responsibilities, while Souza will focus on bigger picture initiatives, such as driving digital innovation.
 
An experienced professional with over 20 years of experience in advertising, de Souza was responsible for managing digital advertising for some of the leading brands in a variety of industries such as FCA – Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, P&G, TIM - Telecom Italia Mobile, and Alpargatas. Over the past 15 years he headed successful operations for the agency in the cities of Belo Horizonte and Rio de Janeiro at Isobar Brazil. He also led the management of iconic projects that combined creativity and technology to create unique experiences, such as, FIAT Mio and FIAT Live Store, the only initiative in Latin America to be awarded with the Innovation Cannes Lion.

  • Thursday, Dec. 1, 2016
Yessian Music adds sr. producers on both coasts
Evelyn Brown (l) and Katie Overcash
NEW YORK -- 

Yessian Music has brought on board Evelyn Brown and Katie Overcash as sr. producers in its New York and L.A. offices, respectively. Brown was most recently at Human while Overcash comes over from Elias. Additionally, Yessian promoted Emily Smith from producer to sr. producer in NY earlier this year.

Brown is a native of Austin, a music Mecca that’s shaped her career path. The daughter of a music producer/engineer and a graduate of Berklee College of Music as a songwriting major, she got her introduction to the industry working as a freelance production coordinator at MRM/McCann and music supervisor for Groove Guild. Prior to her stint at Human she was producing for Bang Music + Sound.
 
Smith joined Yessian as a producer in 2014. She’s a magna cum laude graduate of Ohio State University, where she studied biochemistry in addition to music performance. Deciding against medical school, she packed up and moved to New York after college and landed at Storefront Music as a producer before eventually moving over to Yessian. During her time there she’s also taken on the audio postproduction role in addition to her work as a senior music producer.
 
Overcash hails from San Diego, where she attended San Diego State University. Initially working in the finance industry, she migrated north to L.A. and landed at Deutsch, where she worked on the PlayStation account. When an opportunity arose to transition over to the Production Department for the agency’s in-house post facility she grabbed it, eventually leading the studio’s build-out and developing a roster of editors and effects artists to support its work. Since leaving the agency for Elias Arts she’s produced for such brands as Nike, Target, Taco Bell, Toyota, Starbucks and Google.

  • Tuesday, Nov. 29, 2016
Watt White joins MassiveMusic NY as creative director
Watt White
NEW YORK -- 

MassiveMusic has hired Watt White as creative director of its New York office. He will also serve as staff composer as part of his new role.

White’s arrival will see Elijah Torn’s title change to sr. creative director of MassiveMusic NY.

White’s career spans his serving as a composer, singer, songwriter, performer, and producer. Most recently, he was composer and track director at Pirate New York, and creative director at Sticky Audio Labs. Watt has created and performed countless original song-driven campaigns that range in style from orchestral to Broadway, and indie-folk to comedy metal, as well as delivering mnemonics and sonic branding packages.

White said of MassiveMusic, “As a long-time contributor to its projects as a composer and a vocalist, I’m very excited to join the MassiveMusic family in more of a hands-on capacity as a creative director and add to the high creative standards that it’s renowned for.”

Keith Haluska, managing director of MassiveMusic NY, said of White, “He’s an incredibly versatile musician who is going to strengthen our New York office as we look to build upon our successes this year, most recently the trio of London International Awards (LIA) wins.”

Commercially, White’s voiceover work has been featured in national campaigns for Goldfish, Subway, and Canon. In the TV realm, White composes music for Discovery Channel’s shows Moonshiners, Live Free or Die and Great Human Race, as well as National Geographic’s Dirty Rotten Survival.
 
A talented vocalist who has performed at different locales, White has also toured with Megadeth, Lamb of God, and Deftones as an artist in his own right. As a songwriter, he has collaborated with Amalie Bruun (of Myrkur), MC Lars, and Lulu Gainsbourg. White is musical director for Tony Award winner, Lena Hall (of Hedwig & The Angry Inch), and performs regularly with her at New York’s legendary Cafe Carlyle. 
 
The versatile musician’s uniquely comedic heavy-metal puppet videos have become a viral hit and attracted the attention of Funny or Die.

  • Monday, Nov. 28, 2016
HOUND adds execs Joby Barnhart, Jamie Miller
LOS ANGELES -- 

Exec producers Joby Barnhardt and Jamie Miller have joined HOUND, the shop launched back in March by EPs Missy Galanida and Isaac Rice. 

Barnhart and Miller have spent their careers producing work for top-level clients. They first crossed paths at Smuggler and Villains before moving on to launch Savant Film in 2005. After five years together, they closed Savant for separate pursuits. Barnhart joined Rabbit Content while Miller went on to helm various production houses including Paranoid and Ninja.

HOUND’s directorial roster includes Cameron Duddy, Diane Martel, James Brown, Christopher Sims, and Isaac Rentz. 

HOUND’s credits include music videos for such artists as Selena Gomez, Jennifer Lopez, Drake, Bruno Mars, and Chainsmokers. The content house has also turned out brand messaging for clients including Samsung, VH1, Beats, AT&T, and JCPenney.

  • Wednesday, Nov. 23, 2016
Bartolucci, Smit promoted to creative directors at 180 Amsterdam
Hannah Smit (l) and Tony Bartolucci
AMSTERDAM -- 

Tony Bartolucci and Hannah Smit have been both been promoted to creative director at 180 Amsterdam, forming a new creative partnership to lead the Benetton and ASICS accounts.  
 
Bartolucci joined 180 Amsterdam in 2013, and has since been involved with a number of high profile campaigns on global accounts such as ASICS and PlayStation. His unique approach to conceptualizing inspired design creative has produced highly lauded work, including ASICS’ "One With The City" campaign.  Prior to moving across the Atlantic, Bartolucci worked as an associate creative director at DDB, where he turned out notable work for the New York Lottery.
 
Smit’s promotion comes just nine months after joining 180 Amsterdam, where she has played a pivotal role in the rebranding of Benetton, spearheading the integrated "Clothes for Humans" campaign which included film, print and in-store assets, product design, website redesign, a new voice and an in-store overhaul. She previously worked in Australia and Canada. In the latter market, Smit served as associate creative director at John St in Toronto where she worked on brands including President’s Choice, ING Bank, Shoppers Drug Mart and Winners (TJX).

Al Moseley, president and chief creative officer, 180 Amsterdam, commented: “Between Tony’s skill for sophisticated design and Hannah’s pragmatic conceptualization there is a really potent mix of skills and experience, so we look forward to seeing their combined force on future projects.”

  • Wednesday, Nov. 23, 2016
Rooster adds sr. editor Michelle Czukar
Michelle Czukar
TORONTO -- 

Michelle Czukar has joined Toronto-based Rooster Post Production as sr. editor. She has cut spots for Canadian brands such as HBC, Bell, SickKids and Air Canada. 

Czukar was recognized by the One Show in the craft editing category for her editorial contribution to SickKids’ “Better Tomorrows” for JWT Toronto, directed by Mark Zibert. Her international awards also include a Gold Lion for agency Zig and Unilever brand Vim for “Prison Visitor.” 

This year, Czukar moved into the world of 360-degree filmmaking as the editor on director Drew Lightfoot’s Horizon, an immersive film that will travel Canada as part of the country’s 150th anniversary celebrations.

Czukar joins Rooster following a successful long-time partnership at Toronto editorial shop Panic & Bob. She began her career editing music videos has collaborated with renowned director Floria Sigismondi on a wide range of projects, from videos for Marilyn Manson, Tricky, The Cure and the legendary David Bowie to the short film Pneuma.

Other directors Czukar regularly collaborates with include Adhoc Content’s Chris Sargent, Skin and Bones’ director Zibert and Soft Citizen’s The Perlorian Brothers.

  • Monday, Nov. 21, 2016
Lawrence Cumbo joins Pixeldust as SVP of development & content
Lawrence Cumbo
BETHESDA, Maryland -- 

Producer Lawrence Cumbo has joined Pixeldust Studios, a multi Emmy Award-winning, digital animation and broadcast production studio headed by president and creative director Ricardo Andrade. Cumbo becomes sr. VP of development and content as part of an initiative to expand the company’s entertainment division.

Cumbo brings to Pixeldust an active development slate comprised of over 30 projects. Over the past 25 years, Andrade and Cumbo have forged a close friendship, which began when they first worked together producing indie films, live events and studio based programming. Pixeldust’s goal is to produce original TV series and specials for broadcast, SVOD’s, and sponsored content, as well as continue creating original VR-360 and AR content, and live stream programming.  
 
Cumbo brings a decade of experience as an EP and showrunner to Pixeldust, which enjoys a rich history of producing short form content and award winning animation and motion graphics for high profile broadcast, cable and streaming television properties airing around the world. 
 
In addition to its established position as an animation and production studio for hire by top broadcast and cable TV networks, educational institutions, and charitable foundations, Pixeldust’s entertainment division has successfully developed and produced three streaming TV series for client CuriosityStream. Launched in 2015 by Discovery founder John Hendricks as a non-fiction SVOD service, CuriosityStream is the world’s first, ad-free, on-demand subscription streaming service for nonfiction programming. Pixeldust’s work for CuriousityStream to date has included providing live action footage, high-end animation, and all production content for that SVOD’s new series “Ancient Earth,” for the series “A Curious World,” now in its third season, and for the first season of the series “The Bronze Age.”
 
Cumbo is a multi-award winning EP. He has delivered over 200 hours of programming for Smithsonian Channel, National Geographic Channel, Animal Planet, Discovery, TLC, A&E. and BIO Channel, and recently joined forces with Smithsonian Channel to create “Rocking the Opera House: Dr. John,” a new music series. Cumbo has also served as an EP for overseas concerns like Tiger Aspect Productions and Natural History New Zealand.  Some of the titles Cumbo has overseen during his career include, “I Survived,” “Orangutan Island,” “Jurassic CSI,” “Celebrating the American Woman,” “Dark Days in Monkey City,” “Ms. Adventure,” “Rookies,” “Expedition Antarctica” and “Tornado Chasers.” 
 
In 2000, Cumbo started his network television career at National Geographic Television and Film, and by 2005, had been appointed sr. producer with National Geographic Specials and Events Production. His films for National Geographic have taken him many places around the world, including war-torn Afghanistan, the rim of an active volcano in Guatemala, inside a tornado in Texas, and the world’s largest prison in India. He hiked with two eye surgeons from Maoist Rebel controlled territory in Nepal to the Himalayan Kingdom of Mustang in the Tibetan Plateau for his award-winning film, “Miracle Doctors.” 
 
In 2004, Cumbo joined National Geographic Channel. There, he served as EP and oversaw over 60 hours of original programming, including such hits as “Inside the Mafia,” “In the Womb,” “Dark Side of Chimps” and “Megastructures.” 
 
In 2002, Cumbo filmed, wrote, and produced “Search for the Afghan Girl,” the headline-making story of Afghan refugee Sharbat Gula, whose photograph first appeared on the cover of the National Geographic magazine in 1985. The film received a worldwide simulcast in over 120 countries, garnering over 150 million viewers during the premiere. The film was nominated for a 2003 Emmy Award and has won several additional industry honors. Earlier in his career, Cumbo produced independent documentaries for Cumbo Media. 

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