People on the Move

Ymagis Group, the European specialist in digital techologies for the cinema industry, has appointed Rémi Gérard as chief financial officer following the departure of Pierre Flamant.

After two full years as Ymagis Group CFO and nine years at the head of the finance department at its exhibitor services subsidiary dcinex (CinemaNext), Flamant has chosen to pursue other professional opportunities
and will leave the Group at the end of February 2017. Gérard joins Ymagis Group on January 9, ensuring a smooth transition with Flamant.

“I would like to thank Pierre for his unfailing professionalism and strong involvement in the Group’s success over the last two years, during which he made significant contributions to its development and restructuring. I wish him much success in his next endeavour,” said Jean Mizrahi, founder, chairman and CEO of Ymagis Group. “I am also pleased to welcome Rémi to the team. With his wealth of experience as CFO of several corporations, we will continue to pursue a controlled and profitable growth strategy in this rapidly evolving market.”

“I am thrilled to assume the role of CFO for such a fast-growing, innovative and dynamic Group as Ymagis,” said Gérard. “In a changing marketplace, the challenges are ever increasing. I am excited to take on these new
challenges with Jean and the Ymagis Group’s seasoned teams.”

“These past 11 years in the cinema industry have provided me with a rich and unique experience. I am delighted to have been able to contribute to its digital conversion and to have played an active role in its consolidation,” said Flamant. “I wish to thank Jean for the confidence he has shown me since the dcinex merger. We will ensure a smooth transition over the coming weeks and I will meet with our investors at the Oddo Forum early this month before passing the torch to my successor.”

A graduate of France’s ESSEC Business School, Gérard began his career at accounting firm Arthur Andersen in Paris and London before assuming various financial leadership functions. With 20 years’ experience in financial directorship roles for large groups, including Bolloré and LBOed tech companies such as CMO Software and IPANEMA Technologies, he has solid experience in cash flow management as well as guiding change and growth.

Digitally-led creative agency Deep Focus has appointed Duncan Miller to serve as director of business development. Miller will be based in the agency’s San Francisco office and will report directly to Adam Walden, president of Deep Focus SF. Miller will be responsible for leading the charge on the agency’s new business efforts.
 
Miller joins Deep Focus from Jack Morton Worldwide, where he served as the director of business development. Prior to Jack Morton Worldwide, Miller was the business development manager, Sports & Sponsorship Marketing at George P Johnson Experience Marketing, where he worked with brands including Pepsi, Under Armour and Cisco.

Film and commercial directors Miguel Alvarez, Evan Kaufmann, and Jake Eide have joined the roster at Revelator, an Austin-based creative video production company which specializes in storytelling broadcast spots and corporate projects. The three directors will be repped nationally and join a team of creators led by partners Matt Muir and Chris Ohlson. 

Alvarez is a filmmaker and cinematographer with extensive experience in both the film and commercial realm. He has received recognition from the Directors Guild of America (Honorable Mention for Best Latino Student Filmmaker for his short film Kid), Panavision’s Emerging Filmmaker program, and the National Hispanic Foundation for the Arts. His short documentary, The Giant Still Sleeps, recently premiered on PBS.

Kaufmann’s body of work spans narrative films, music videos and broadcast commercials. His work has been featured on MTV, VH1, and Rolling Stone, and his films have screened internationally. 

Eide is a director and graphic designer who specializes in commercials, branded content and narrative films. His most recent short film, Pet World, premiered at LA Shorts Fest, and was programmed at the Burbank International Film Festival, Richmond International Film Festival, and Twin Cities Film Festival. 

Prior to joining Revelator, directors Alvarez, Kaufmann and Eide were freelance directors.

Moira McCarthy has been appointed to the newly created position of director of business development and marketing at The Napoleon Group. The hire continues the studio’s commitment to supporting female leadership: Napoleon recently announced the launch of a joint venture with the woman-owned art production powerhouse Famous Frames, founded by Janine Miller, and promoted longtime senior staffers Annabel Salmon to VP, executive director of operations, and Angela Gianforcaro to head of production.
 
McCarthy joins The Napoleon Group from the New York office of Audio Network, Inc., where she was manager, music licensing. Audio Network is the international production music service that works with brands, agencies, broadcasters and producers around the world. During her tenure there, she was responsible for building and developing client relationships; driving revenue through marketing, partnerships and events; negotiating licensing contracts; music supervision; and supporting the music and A&R teams in their efforts to source and showcase new talent.
 
At Audio Network she played a key role in placing the music for a Volvo social media campaign, “The Greatest Interception,” that won the 2015 Cannes Direct Lions Grand Prix for Volvo and Grey Worldwide. Her roster of agency clients included Droga5, BBDO, Havas, Leo Burnett, McCann, KBS+P, Y&R and McCann. Before joining Audio Network she was director of strategic accounts at TransPerfect, the global communications company that specializes in the transcreation of multi-national ad campaigns for major marketers. In this role she oversaw the New York office’s agency accounts and consulted clients on global sales and marketing strategy. 
 
McCarthy said what attracted her to The Napoleon Group was its ability to provide a broad scope of solutions. “I truly believe in the value of an integrated company that can easily adapt to meet the needs of its clients, and that’s what we’re building at Napoleon. All the elements are here: not just a world-class production facility, but great leaders in each discipline of our business, from pre-visualization to production, post, motion capture, design, audio and now experiential. It’s an amazing opportunity I simply couldn’t pass up.”
 
An Illinois native who grew up in Indiana, McCarthy graduated from the University of San Diego with a BA in French, while pursuing minor studies in English and Business. She put them all to use during her time at TransPerfect, but eventually her work with ad campaigns and agencies proved more alluring than her interest in languages, and she made the move closer to the creative.
 
The Napoleon Group founder and chief creative officer Marty Napoleon said of McCarthy, “She’ll be leading the charge as we create a brand presence designed to drive our sales and marketing efforts across categories and lines of business. We’re expanding into new areas like experiential design, live action production, audio post and music production, and growing our footprint on the West Coast. In the process, we’ve not only re-engineered our offering for existing clients but are generating a recognizable profile with new ones. And raising profiles and capturing share of mind is something Moira is particularly adept at doing.”
 
McCarthy is already on the case, having just orchestrated a festive event in Chicago (in partnership with her former haunt, Audio Network) to celebrate the launch of Napoleon’s new Audio Production and Post Division. It was timed to coincide with the AICP Show’s visit there last month and drew a roster of Chicago-area creatives. As the New Year arrives she’ll be deep into planning Napoleon’s presence at the 2017 Cannes Lions Festival.