People on the Move

Post New York Alliance (PNYA) chair Yana Collins Lehman has been appointed to New York City’s Film and Television Council, which operates under the Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment. Collins Lehman will join other industry professionals, representing labor unions, production companies, soundstages, studios and trade organizations, in promoting economic development programs and policies to support the film and television sector of the city’s economy. She will also serve on the Council’s Workforce Subcommittee, focused on expanding employment opportunities. The appointment was announced by Maria Torres-Springer, Deputy Mayor for Economic and Workforce Development.

Collins Lehman said she will use her new role to advocate for the postproduction industry and build awareness for its contributions to the local economy. “I am delighted to join the Council and pursue initiatives that will benefit postproduction companies and the thousands of professionals who work in our segment of the industry.”

PNYA has been highly successful in supporting the post industry in New York City and statewide. It has been a consistent voice for the inclusion of postproduction and visual effects in the state’s Film and Television Tax Incentive Program. It has also played a lead role in promoting diversity in postproduction.

“The tax incentives have generated a lot of jobs and produced enormous revenue for businesses across the state,” Collins Lehman stated.  “Additionally, through our work with Reel Works, Made in New York’s PA Training Program and Brooklyn Workforce Innovations, we’ve created an employment pipeline for groups that have often lacked access to jobs in our industry.”

Collins Lehman hopes her work with the Film and Television Council will draw attention to postproduction. “Postproduction doesn’t always generate the attention accorded to production, but we provide critical services to films and television shows every day,” she observed. “In part due to tax incentives, postproduction in New York has grown substantially and continues to add to the economic vitality of the city and state.”

The-Artery has brought executive producer Nick Haynes aboard its NYC studio. 

Formerly EP at Carbon NY and at MPC prior to that, Haynes throughout his career has focused on building facilities, growing and managing teams, and producing jobs for world-class brands including Johnson & Johnson, Guinness and Converse. His most notable work includes the Guinness “Basketball” and “Empty Chair” spots for director Noam Murro, Tiffany & Co.’s “Believe in Dreams” for The Hunger Games director Francis Lawrence, the Shadow of War game spot for director Neil Huxley, and most recently a spot for Samsung with director Henry Hobson entitled “Open up Your World.”

The-Artery’s campaign work includes a series of spots for Sodastream featuring Snoop Dogg, multiple recurring holiday campaigns for David Yurman, a brand campaign for Fiverr tallying up well over 1.1 million YouTube views, and multiple projects with longtime automobile partner Mercedes-Benz for Merkley. In addition, the studio most recently partnered with the Alliance of Safe Online Pharmacies to create the Danny Trejo led PSA titled “Bad Meds.”

Since its formation, The-Artery has evolved from a boutique to a comprehensive studio covering production, post, VFX, color, VR, sound design and more across advertising, film, TV, music videos, and gaming. Haynes brings over 20 years of experience to his new role, including his aforementioned work at Carbon as well as being the general manager/EP at Absolute Post, where he supervised sales and helped to grow its New York office. Prior to that, Haynes’ half a decade tenure at The Mill saw him holding a range of production and management positions as well as playing an instrumental role in launching its first U.S. office.

Haynes’ addition will help further balance The-Artery’s process of creating strong commercial work while it continues expanding its horizons further into the feature film space, underscored by its work on the current hit horror film Smile (director Parker Finn) which just surpassed $200 million in global box office.

Haynes has been a longtime admirer of The-Artery, its founder/CCO Vico Sharabini and EP/managing director Deborah Sullivan.

Sullivan said of Haynes, “We’ve been fortunate to have worked together in the past, so we have a good sense of shared work ethic, aspirational creative sensibilities, and a collaborative viewpoint as to the importance of developing and nurturing a strong creative environment. Nick’s background in VFX, design, experience, and tech-driven projects also sits quite comfortably within our current client collaborations, and his expertise across the board is unique in that he’s touched on all these categories and can provide immense insight and leadership to our growing team.”

Editor Kamila Daurenova has joined the roster of Cut+Run. Based in New York, Daurenova is available for Cut+Run collaborations nationally and internationally.

“Kamila has a depth and dimension which shines through her work,” said Lauren Hertzberg, managing partner, Cut+Run NY. “Her editing style is captivating and expressive, and we are so excited to work with her as she continues to create with impact.”

Born and raised in Qazaqstan, Daurenova moved to New York to pursue her passion for film. After studying film at NYU Tisch, she worked as an assistant editor at MTV and Saturday Night Live before being promoted to editor at Forager.  She has since lent her talent to projects for such brands as Levi’s, Nike, Snapchat, Puma, Cricket Wireless, Vans, and Under Armour.  

In addition to brand-supported collaborations, Daurenova has a deep commitment to honoring her culture through alliances and projects with fellow Qazaq artists. “I was drawn to filmmaking because of the power of visual storytelling as a reflection and amplification of culture and the human experience,” she explained.

A sense of community and passion for craft are driving forces behind her decision to join Cut+Run. “Cut+Run has been on my radar for a long time and after meeting everyone it was evident that it was a great fit,” she shared. “They emphasize kindness alongside creativity, give their editors amazing support, and have built a collaborative environment that I am truly happy to join.”

Cut+Run has offices in Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, and Austin, as well as a partnership with editor-led The Quarry for work in the U.K. and Europe. 

Droga5 London, part of Accenture Song, has elevated head of strategy Damien Le Castrec to chief strategy officer. He takes over the role immediately and will report to Droga5 London chief executive Bill Scott, and managing director for Accenture Song in the UK and Ireland.

Le Castrec has been with the agency for five years and has been leading the strategy team since February, following the departure of Dylan Williams. Le Castrec oversaw the strategic leadership on the winning pitches for Paddy Power and the Philips Domestic Appliances global account.

In his two years as head of strategy, he worked on transformative campaigns such as democratising voice tech for Amazon Alexa’s "A Voice is all you need"; and reframing payments from business transactions to business transformations with Barclaycard Payments "The Payment Part is just the start." He also distilled the sustainable credentials of pre-loved clothing for Vestiaire Collective’s "Long Live Fashion." 

Before joining Droga5, Le Castrec spent four years at BBH as strategy director on clients including Audi UK and the global account for Mentos and Chupa Chups. In 2015, he won an APG Planning Award and APG Silver for his work for World Animal Protection's "Before They Book" campaign.