People on the Move

CP+B has hired KT Thayer as creative director in its Boulder office where he will work on a variety of accounts.

He comes over from ViTRO in San Diego where he spent the past 14 years, most recently as executive creative director. Best known for work on ASICS athletics, Taylor Guitars and Newcastle Brown Ale, Thayer has been recognized by various award shows including Cannes, Communication Arts, The One Show, Kelly Awards and Webby Awards. He has also judged Communication Arts, Kelly Awards and The Show in Minneapolis. While having spent the majority of his career in San Diego, Thayer will be returning to Boulder where he received his undergraduate degree from the University of Colorado, before getting his MS in advertising from Virginia Commonwealth University.
 
“CP+B has always been known for swinging for the fences and right now the agency seems to have a special kind of momentum,” said Thayer. “I’m really excited to be a part of where (chief creative officer) Ralph Watson is taking things creatively in Boulder.”

Continuing in an expansive mode which has seen the launch of new rooftop studio space The Lofts, Grand Central Recording Studios (GCRS) has added sound designer Culum Simpson. He brings to his new roost five years’ experience in audio, working at London studio Jungle on campaigns for the likes of Google, Pepsi, National Autistic Society, PETA and the Royal Navy.

Before moving into sound design, Simpson worked as an actor, played in a band and ran his own rehearsal studios – a range of experiences which he feels has contributed to his skill and creativity in sound design.

Simpson joins GCRS’ stable of sound designers, including Raj Sehgal, Ben Leeves, Munzie Thind, Gary Turnbull, Steve Lane, Tristan Rose, Tom Pugh and Aaron Taffel. 

“I have had my eye on GCRS for a very long time and was absolutely delighted when Carole [GCRS managing director Humphrey] approached me to be part of the team,” said Simpson. “As well as working with this talented group of people, on critically-acclaimed commercials for world-leading brands, I’m excited to be learning what is possible with the top-of-the-range audio equipment that GCRS has invested in.”

GCRS has earned a reputation over the past 22 years as one of the UK’s leading commercial sound studios, providing audio excellence to award-winning spots including Nike’s “Write the Future,” Jaguar’s “Rendezvous” and Heineken’s “Odyssey.”

The new seventh floor studio space The Lofts opened in late 2015 and, in 2016, Studio Five will become one of the first commercial sound studios in London to incorporate cutting-edge audio format Dolby® Atmos™.  

One at Optimus, the production arm of production and post house Optimus, has promoted Jonah Mueller to executive producer and Emma Jubinski to producer. Most recently, Mueller and Jubinski contributed to the growth of the production house as senior producer and associate producer, respectively.

Mueller cut his teeth as an assistant account executive at Laughlin Constable in Chicago. From there, he went to Radar Studios as a PA and worked his way up to producer under a team that included Lisa Masseur who is now ONE at Optimus EP/managing director. He then spent a year freelancing for ONE as a line producer and bidder before being hired full-time last year as a senior producer.  Mueller has worked with brands including Amazon, The Chicago Bulls, Kellogg’s, Kimberly Clark, Lincoln Motor Company, McDonald’s, Motorola, Nintendo, Samsung and SC Johnson. Said Mueller, 

Jubinski most recently was an associate producer at ONE. In 2012, she was hired as an assistant producer at the production house, and she began her career as an intern at Optimus in 2011. Jubinski has worked with a wide array of clients including Craftsman, Joe Boxer, Kellogg’s, Kmart, McDonald’s, Orbit, Pedigree, US Bank and Ziploc. 

Photographer Diana King has joined ContagiousLA (CLA) for representation on fashion lifestyle and advertising projects. Relatively new to the scene, King has garnered attention for a style that is quirky and colorful with a touch of cinematic flair. Recent subjects include actresses Jamie Chung and Natalie Morales, comedian/actress Mindy Kaling and Transparent creator Jill Soloway. That work is complemented by editorial spreads and ad campaigns for Samsung and Wet Seal. King’s first assignment with CLA is the print component for a multi-platform client-direct Alphaeon campaign; CLA’s Andrew Laurich wrote/directed the broadcast work, airing now.   

“Diana’s photographs are a colorful celebration of beauty and diversity, they’re inspiring,” said CLA owner/executive producer Natalie Sakai, who met King almost a decade ago when they were working together at Anonymous Content. “I’ve been fortunate to witness Diana’s photography grow and blossom over the years. In addition, it’s a happy coincidence that she’s in line with the diversification of our roster. She certainly empowers other female artists, as well as myself.”  

Born and bred in the Bay Area, King migrated down to Los Angeles to study film production and cinematography at Chapman University. Upon graduation, she worked in commercial production and assisted commercial director Nicolai Fuglsig. Transitioning to photography, King assisted British fashion photographer Kayt Jones before branching out on her own.

“Growing up in an Asian family, the only goal in life was to go to college, get a good job, and buy a house,” King recalled. “At the same time, I was artistic and not great at math. I couldn’t study art because it was impractical. So I dabbled in art classes and photography on the side. When I worked on my first film shoot, I thought, ‘Hey this is an industry!’” King worked in film production, but “I always had photography in the back of my mind,” she said. “Shooting on film was expensive and the process felt further from creating. Photography removed some of the obstacles--crew, scope--yet allowed me to still reflect my identity.”

King set her sights on assisting internationally renowned photographer Jones. “Somehow, I had the balls to email Kayt and to offer my help for free,” she said. After a period of alternating between the internship and paid PA gigs, King was hired by Jones. Two years later, King was testing with modeling agencies, freelance assisting, doing production work for photo shoots, and eventually submitting to magazines for editorial assignments. 

King’s latest projects include a bridal story for the Summer issue of California Wedding Day and a fashion lifestyle spread in Family Circle. Of her educational and work experiences in photography and film, King concluded, “When you come from filmmaking, you’re story-driven. With fashion and portraits, I see the whole story in that one image.”

King joins an ensemble of talent at CLA which includes writer/directors Laurich, Jeff Jenkins, Ben Ketai and Andrew Renzi.