People on the Move

Production company 1stAveMachine has added director Jonathan Gurvit to its North American roster.

After spending a decade honing his craft on the agency side in the South American market, where he held ECD and head of art roles at shops such as Del Campo Nazca Saatchi & Saatchi and Ogilvy Argentina, Gurvit decided to permanently settle into the director’s chair in 2011. “As a creative, I was really involved on every project with the production houses and directors,” he explained. “In 2010, I shot my first piece, ‘Hair Conditioner,’ for Santander Bank while still being the ECD of Ogilvy Argentina. After winning my first Cannes Lions as a director for that project, I felt in my guts that I really could do it myself.”

Gurvit’s initial Cannes Lion was just one of 18 won by the creative-turned-director, who also earned awards at major shows including D&AD, CLIO, New York Festival and One Show, and worked with brands such as Coca-Cola, Unilever and Procter & Gamble. 

Cutters Studios has added feature film, television and commercial editor Stéphane Pereira to its staff, where he will be represented by the company throughout North America and Asia. The announcement was made by Cutters Los Angeles executive producer Megan Dahlman. According to Dahlman, Pereira began handling projects with Cutters over the past six months, and the success of those collaborations paved the way for the new relationship. Pereira continues to be represented by Melting Pot Agency in Europe.

Pereira is well-known globally for his work with leading directors and agencies in the commercial field, and for his long history of editing feature films, TV programs and shorts for an ever-expanding group of directors. At present, he is completing the forthcoming narrative feature from director Julien Rambaldi, for whom he edited the short “Scotch” (2003) and the feature film “Les meilleurs amis du monde” (2010). Also among Pereira’s feature credits is director Alain Chabat’s “Asterix and Obelix Meet Cleopatra” (2002) starring Gerard Depardieu and Monica Belucci, which was a huge commercial success in Europe.

The son of French sound engineer Gilbert Pereira, Stéphane was born in Paris. He attended film school at Ecole Supérieur de Réalisation Audiovisuelle before spending five years editing documentaries. From there, he began working with such directors as Antoine Bardou-Jacquet, Laurent Chanez, and Reynald Gresset. Among Pereira’s credits are four of the annual Nespresso world campaigns starring George Clooney and directed by Grant Heslov (Academy Award-winning producer for Best Motion Picture in 2013 for “Argo”). In the past year alone, Pereira has cut commercials starring Clooney, Rihanna and Cristiano Ronaldo, to name but a few.

Cross-cultural agency the community, part of SapientNitro, has appointed Juan Cruz Vassallo to serve as associate creative director. Based in Miami, he will report directly to creative director Rodrigo Butori.

Prior to joining the community, Vassallo was an associate creative director at Conill Saatchi & Saatchi and LatinWorks. Before that, he was at Alma where he led the creative team on The Clorox Company, while also supporting creative efforts for McDonald’s and State Farm. A native of Argentina, Vassallo began his career as a jr. copywriter at J. Walter Thompson Argentina and a sr. copywriter at Ponce Buenos Aires. Throughout his career he has worked on brands such as Toyota, Tide, T-Mobile, Chevrolet, Domino’s Pizza, Ford Motor Company, Knorr, Bayer and Nestle, garnering accolades from Cannes, D&AD, Andy, Effie, among others.

“When we look for a great talent, we don’t just look for a great creative, but someone who also understands the importance of culture and identity,” Butori said. “Juan gets the cultural fluidity of today’s consumers, and will help us continue to connect with them, through fun, impactful work.”

Ricardo Diaz has joined the L.A.-based creative shop Omelet as executive digital director. Diaz joins the company from the leadership team at Zambezi, Inc. and more than six years as director of creative technology at TBWA\Chiat\Day Los Angeles. In his new position and as a member of Omelet’s eight-person executive team, Diaz will be critical in helping the company grow and shape its digital discipline while also working closely with the creative and strategy teams to continue to inspire innovative ideas for the digital world.

Bringing more than 20 years of experience to his new position, Diaz has previously spent time with agencies including not only Zambezi, Inc. and TBWA\Chiat\Day, but also The Cannery. He has led digital development and award-winning work for Pepsi, Gatorade, Nissan, the Grammys, and TaylorMade Golf, among other brands.

Omelet solves complex marketing problems for partners, including AT&T, Bravo, Microsoft, Ubisoft, and Walmart. Omelet also maintains divisions--including Omelet Studio, Omelet To Go, and Omelet Brands--to create original brand programming, live interactive experiences, and original owned intellectual property.