• Friday, May. 15, 2015
Kendra Wan joins creative team at enso
Kendra Wan
LOS ANGELES -- 

Kendra Wan has been appointed a senior creative at agency enso. In her new role, Wan will work with enso’s copywriters and designers to develop creative concepts, provide art direction and serve as a liaison between clients and creative teams. She will report directly to Davi Sing, enso’s executive creative director.

Wan graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Architecture from Carnegie Mellon and earned a Master’s degree in Design at the Design Academy Eindhoven in the Netherlands. She started her advertising career at Platform/W+K London, working for brands including Nokia, Fairtrade and Emeco which brought her to W+K Shanghai, where she worked in the creative team on Converse, Levi’s, and Tiffany & Co. Wan also worked within the creative teams for the Beats by Dre accounts as well as completed product design and development for the brand. Three years later, Wan was a creative lead at LOVE where she worked on Nike, Miss Sixty and Johnnie Walker. Wan is also the founder and creative director of her own brand (dra/wn) and founded a fashion line of coats (Prepared & Embraced).

  • Wednesday, May. 13, 2015
Gary Stein, Monique Verrier join Eleven
Gary Stein
SAN FRANCISCO -- 

Ad agency Eleven, Inc. has appointed Gary Stein as group director of marketplace insights, and Monique Verrier as director of creative services.  Both are newly created positions at the shop.

Stein will focus on expanding the agency’s abilities to connect to consumers throughout their journey. His expertise in research and insight, coupled with his ability to map out a client’s business landscape will drive Eleven’s media and communications strategies. He will report to Alison Fowler, Eleven’s chief activation officer. Prior to joining Eleven, he was the  sr. VP of strategy at Sterling Brands and served in strategy and management positions at Isobar and iCrossing.

Verrier will act as an advocate for Eleven’s creative teams, overseeing professional development, leading recruiting and resourcing efforts and providing mentorship for young creative leaders. She will report to Mike McKay, Eleven’s chief creative officer. She brings global experience in making personal and professional connections as the founder and principal of ADEPT Creative Project Management, a training series offering a curriculum for project managers who manage projects and people in creatively-driven environments. She previously managed creative departments at Wieden + Kennedy Amsterdam and Goodby, Silverstein & Partners.

  • Wednesday, May. 13, 2015
Derrick Huang joins Bent Image Lab as exec producer
Derrick Huang
PORTLAND, Ore. -- 

Bent Image Lab has brought Derrick Huang aboard as executive producer. He has relocated from NY to work out of Bent Image Lab‘s Portland, Ore.-headquarters.

Huang has 10-plus years of experience in marketing, media and commercial production. He most recently was head of production at NY-based animation studio and production company Nathan Love where he worked from 2008 through early 2015. As head of production, he scheduled, budgeted, organized and oversaw multiple projects from initial bidding and creative development through final delivery, including ad campaigns and branded content for clients such as Froot Loops, Michelin, McGraw-Hill, Kodak, Chips Ahoy, Mattel, and Nickelodeon.

Huang also played a driving role in strategic direction and operations at the studio, including sales and marketing, talent acquisition, talent management, and systems/process development. Prior to his time at Nathan Love, he worked at the NYC offices of Entertainment Weekly magazine, where he helped launch the company’s first forays into social media and online audience development.

  • Tuesday, May. 12, 2015
Tal Fiala named president of illuminate
Tal Fiala
HOLLYWOOD, Calif. -- 

Celebrating 20 years in digital finishing, restoration and postproduction solutions for the global entertainment industry, illuminate has named media veteran Tal Fiala as its president. The announcement was made by CEO Jim Hardy.

Throughout his career, Fiala has tapped a keen ability to spot trends, expand revenues, motivate teams and cultivate long-lasting client relationships. He has generated new business and improved productivity by collaborating with such major brands as HBO, Amazon, Netflix and Hulu, and with studio and TV network executives. Fiala has also negotiated both budgets and sales contracts for postproduction services with Warner Brothers, Paramount Pictures, Sony Pictures, Disney and DreamWorks.

“As we look ahead [at illuminate],” said Fiala, “we’re focused on expanding our creative services to accommodate an increase in content production across multiple platforms, as well as to maintain our unique ability to help our clients monetize untapped library assets through leading-edge restoration technology.”

Before joining illuminate, Fiala was sr. VP of business development for Modern VideoFilm, where he secured millions of dollars in revenue for the company’s features, television and distribution areas by tapping his extensive relationships with key studio and TV network executives. His ability to implement and direct several profitable initiatives helped expand Modern VideoFilm both domestically and internationally, giving the company footprints in New York City, Santa Monica, New Orleans and China.

As VP of sales for Ascent Media (a Liberty Media company) from 2003 to 2007, Fiala successfully generated new revenues by identifying unique opportunities and clients in adjacent markets. He also increased sales by improving client relations and establishing a solid referral network.

Also a talented finance professional, Fiala served as financial advisor for UBS Paine Webber from 2000 to 2003, during which he managed a portfolio of $10+ million in assets with a yearly increase of 25% and consistently maintained status as top nationally producing broker within his defined peer group. Fiala further boosted company sales by developing and executing special marketing events.

  • Monday, May. 11, 2015
Framestore hires Eileen Cooney as head of campaigns
Eileen Cooney
NEW YORK -- 

Oscar-winning visual effects and creative content studio Framestore has hired Eileen Cooney as head of campaigns, a newly created role for the company. Drawing on her expertise building 360-degree activations, Cooney at Framestore will be immersed in brand campaigns from briefing to completion, building close partnerships with clients. Cooney will be based in New York and report directly to Jon Collins, president of Integrated Advertising, Worldwide.

Cooney’s appointment comes at a time of rapid growth and evolution of Framestore’s capabilities. These include the development of a creative consulting offering for select clients and the establishment of a VR Studio last year that’s spawned pioneering projects for brands and Hollywood across Oculus Rift, Google Cardboard and Samsung Gear VR.

Prior to Framestore, Cooney worked as a campaign director for Mission Media in the U.K., running creative direction, brand strategy and business partnerships for all campaigns. Cooney started her advertising career in New York, working as a project manager for the Rock n’ Roll Circus at Lincoln Center. Cooney then worked for Translation LLC as the director of special projects, and freelanced for Gravity Road.

  • Monday, May. 11, 2015
Tomás Duhalde, Guilherme Nóbrega and Frederico Nicolás Díaz Join The Community
(L-r) Guilherme Nóbrega, Tomás Duhalde and Frederico Nicolás Díaz on the rooftop of the community’s Miami office
MIAMI -- 

Cross-cultural agency the community, part of SapientNitro, has added Tomás Duhalde, Guilherme Nóbrega and Frederico Nicolás Díaz to its creative team. The new hires come as the agency continues its investment in talent to support its new business growth, which includes recently being named digital agency of record for Beam Suntory’s tequila portfolio.

Duhalde and Nóbrega both join the community as sr. art directors, while Díaz joins as a sr. copywriter. Reporting directly to co-founder and chief creative officer Joaquín Mollá, the trio will work on a variety of the Miami-based agency’s largest clients, including Corona and Modelo. They share 17 Cannes Lions awards between them, as well as various other recognitions from organizations such as the One Club, Clios, Effies and D&AD.

Prior to joining the community, Duhalde was an art director at Ogilvy & Mather Buenos Aires. He also worked as an art director at Grey Buenos Aires. Throughout his career Duhalde has worked for brands such as P&G, Schnieder, Huggies, and Playboy.

Most recently, Nóbrega was an art director at Ogilvy & Mather, with stints in both of its London and São Paulo offices. He also held roles at Widen + Kennedy London, DM9DDB and AlmapBBDO. Nóbrega has developed award-winning work for local and global brands like Coca-Cola, Unilever, Apple, Burger King, Dove, Huggies and Motorola.

Díaz started his career at Grey Buenos Aires and then moved to Don and Ogilvy & Mather, also in Buenos Aires. Throughout his career, he has worked for national and international brands like Reebok, Schneider, Huggies, AMIA, Fibertel and Cablevision.

  • Thursday, May. 7, 2015
Mill+ adds EP Lindsay Bodanza in L.A.
Lindsay Bodanza
LOS ANGELES -- 

Lindsay Bodanza has joined design and animation studio Mill+ in Los Angeles as executive producer.

Bodanza will be working alongside fellow EP Reno Robertson at Mill+ which has to its credit the iconic Google Play work and the recent Audi “Birth” spot

Prior to joining Mill+, Bodanza was an executive producer at Gentleman Scholar and LOGAN where she worked on high-profile campaigns such as “Solar Eclipse” for Lexus, “Misfit Right In” for The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas, and the viral Gymkhana series by Ben Conrad.

  • Wednesday, May. 6, 2015
Dirk Greene joins Significant Others as creative director
Dirk Greene
NEW YORK -- 

Final Cut has expanded its postproduction arm, Significant Others, with the hiring of creative director Dirk Greene. He will oversee Significant Others’ development into a full service visual effects boutique.

Greene’s career spans seven years at Absolute as creative director, and well over a decade as sr. Flame artist/VFX supervisor at The Mill. British-born Greene joined The Mill London in its early years, and was a contributing force in the facility’s growth to prominence. As a principal creative, working on numerous high profile commercials and music videos, Greene along with a small team of Mill UK employees, led the company’s first global expansion, with the launch of The Mill New York.

In 2008, after 12 years at The Mill, Greene once again embarked on the challenge of building a brand stateside, joining Absolute as creative director and developing the New York office from one room into a fully operating visual effects and CG facility.

Greene created the visual effects for acclaimed spots for Levi’s, Nike, Adidas, Sony, BMW and Guinness, plus numerous Super Bowl hits for Fed Ex, Snickers, Verizon, Budweiser and the NFL. He has continued on this path with his first project for Significant Others, an upcoming Samsung spot directed by design master, GMUNK (Bradley G Munkowitz), of Tron and Oblivion effects fame. Greene has won a number of awards including Clios for the groundbreaking AT&T Olympic “The New Possible” campaign and The White Stripes’ “The Hardest Button to Button,” for which he was also nominated for an MTV Video Music Award for Best Visual Effects.

Stephanie Apt, president of Final Cut/Significant Others, said that the hiring of Greene “is just the beginning of our continued effort to offer more complex solutions to clients with a full team of talent.”

“Launching with the support of such a renowned brand, we can continue to maintain the Final Cut aesthetic while building our own unique place in the industry,” related Greene. “We want to produce the best-looking work, with great people, in a truly collaborative way.”

Final Cut is a creative editorial and post company collaborating on commercials, feature films and music videos with offices in London, New York and Los Angeles.

  • Wednesday, May. 6, 2015
Re-recording mixer Kevin O’Connell returns to Sony Pictures
Kevin O'Connell
CULVER CITY, Calif. -- 

Veteran re-recording mixer Kevin O’Connell has returned to Sony Pictures Post Production Services. A 20-time Academy Award-nominee, O’Connell has already completed four projects at Sony--The Boy Next Door, Self/less, No Good Deed and Pitch Perfect 2. He was previously on staff at the studio from 1993 to 2008 with credits including Pearl Harbor, Spider-Man, Spider-Man 2, Memoirs of a Geisha, and Transformers, all of which led to Oscar nominations for sound.

O’Connell is currently working on the upcoming feature Goosebumps for director Rob Letterman.

“Kevin is a master of the craft of movie sound,” said Tom McCarthy, EVP, Sony Pictures Post Production Services. “He has contributed his talents to scores of great films and worked alongside many of today’s finest filmmakers.”

O’Connell has spent the past five years freelancing as well as holding a position at Todd AO, where he worked as a mixer and held an executive position.

O’Connell began his career in 1978 as a sound technician at The Samuel Goldwyn Studios working on films such as The Empire Strikes Back, and Raiders of The Lost Ark. He earned his first credit as re-recording mixer a few years later on Dead Men Don’t Wear Plaid and garnered his first Academy Award nomination in 1983 for Terms of Endearment. He has also been nominated for 10 Cinema Audio Society Awards and a BAFTA Award. He won an Emmy Award in 1989 for Lonesome Dove.

Even after mixing nearly 200 films, O’Connell’s enthusiasm for cinema sound remains undimmed. “I love to be part of the creative process,” he said. “Every movie is different, every director, every crew is different. I learn something new on each film, I meet new people and form new relationships. It’s a very exciting job.”

  • Wednesday, May. 6, 2015
Editor Josiah Spencer joins Wildchild
Josiah Spencer
NEW YORK -- 

Editor Josiah Spencer has come aboard the roster of Wildchild in New York. His credits span fashion spots and music videos, capturing the beat of Beyoncé’s “Drunk in Love” and J. Lo’s “Booty” with Iggy Azalea while helping explain ‘Melo’s love affair with IWC timepieces.

Spencer, who had most recently been freelancing, is a multi-faceted artist and musician whose work encompasses not just creative editorial but also directing, photography, effects and design. At Wildchild he’ll partner with top agencies and brands for assignments in such high-gloss categories as fashion, beauty, apparel and luxury.

A native Texan who graduated from UT in Austin, Spencer grew up in the film and ad business; his father runs one of the biggest production companies in Austin and his sister is an agency producer there. Spencer teamed with them on the feature film he co-directed and edited, “Return to the Hiding Place,” working from a script his father wrote. The film, which stars another sister, the actress Rachel Spencer Hewitt, is an historical drama set against the backdrop of World War II. It’s screened at numerous festivals around the country, winning Best Feature and Best Directing honors at the Bel-Air Film Festival.

Spencer began his career in Los Angeles, working as an assistant to several feature film editors, which helped inform his approach to narrative and long-form editorial work.  Since moving to New York several years ago he’s edited for a number of top editorial houses, initially assisting before stepping up to editing himself.

Spencer’s first major project for Wildchild is a fashion and beauty spot for Avon from Badger & Winters. Directed by Tim Richardson, the visually driven ad depicts a glamorous model sporting wings of glimmering black feathers.

“I’ve been fortunate to collaborate with some great filmmakers, photographers and editors, and that’s given me great exposure to a wide range of style and techniques,” Spencer said. He’s drawn to the fashion and beauty space, and notes the connection between this highly-demanding category and his music video credits.  He’s edited ad content for brands such as Coach and St. John, as well as for Taylor Swift’s fragrance line, while his music videos for artists such as Beyoncé and J. Lo are the result of his collaboration with the director Hype Williams. He also partnered with director Francesco Carrozzini, a European fashion photographer and filmmaker, on the “New York City” video for Lenny Kravitz.

Earlier in his career Spencer worked on a number of Wildchild projects, so when company editor and founder Yvette Piñeyro reached out about joining the roster he was eager to sign on. “I’ve had the chance to work closely with some really great people here, and the environment is inspiring,” he commented. “I love the style and genres they specialize in and their creative approach. The place has the vibe of an artists’ collective--there’s lots of sharing and collaboration. It feels like the future of our industry, where art and advertising are continually merging and overlapping.”

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