• Thursday, Apr. 6, 2017
MPC hires EP Ed Koenig
Ed Koenig
NEW YORK -- 

Ed Koenig has rejoined the global visual effects and postproduction studio MPC as an executive producer. Earlier in his career he was EP, color, in MPC’s Los Angeles office, and was one of the first hires the company made when it opened there in 2008. He brings a broad range of postproduction experience to his new position, where he’s tasked with continuing to grow the studio’s network of official partner facilities and expand its palette of remote services beyond color grading.
 
In addition to  Koenig’s appointment, MPC announced two new additions to its official partner facility roster: 11 Dollar Bill in Chicago and Hero Post in Atlanta. They join CharlieUniformTango in Austin and Dallas, The Work in Detroit and Ditch in Minneapolis as the studio’s list of partner facilities.
 
“Having Ed focused on finding new ways for clients to work with us beyond the confines of our New York and L.A. studio locations represents an incredibly exciting opportunity for MPC,” said Graham Bird, global managing director for MPC Advertising. “Ed’s knowledge of the industry, combined with the technology to remotely connect clients with our creative talent, is incredibly powerful”
 
Koenig’s first tour of duty at MPC lasted six years. During that initial tenure Koenig helped colorist Mark Gethin, now creative director for color in the U.S., set up the studio’s color department. Koenig left in 2014 to join Nice Shoes as an EP. He later was a founding partner and head of new business for Smith Design Office.
 
Koenig’s return to MPC reflects more than just picking up where he left off. “We’re not merely looking to connect with top performers in major markets around the country,” he explained, “but to redefine how these independent companies work with a studio as multifaceted as ours. I’ll also be functioning as a kind of roving advance scout for MPC, finding ways clients anywhere can take full advantage of what we have to offer in a way that works best for them.”
 
Koenig cited as an example the work they’ve done with Ditch since adding that shop to the partner roster last year. MPC has provided several of the boutique’s clients with not only high-end color grading, performed by colorists in both its L.A. and New York offices, but also compositing, finishing, Flame work and a range of other VFX services, all performed by artists based many miles from the Twin Cities. “In these instances, we just point our signal toward Minneapolis and we’re collaborating with Ditch owner and editor Brody Howard and his entire team,” Koenig noted. 
 
“A big part of what I’m doing is bringing wide-ranging projects into MPC through our remote partners,” he continued. “While remote color has become an accepted part of the postproduction mix, our push to expand into a broader roster of visual effects capabilities puts us out in front.”
 
Del Feltz, EP at 11 Dollar Bill, said the studio, which recently opened an office in Boulder, met Koenig through its newly-named Boulder managing director, Lisa Effress, who’d worked with him when she was an executive producer at agency CP+B. “Everyone here is really excited about it, both in the areas of VFX and color,” said Feltz of their new relationship. “To have access to a resource like MPC opens up lots of opportunities for us in Chicago, and brings a lot of experience to our market.”
 
11 Dollar Bill sr. colorist Clark Jackson noted the efficiency this will provide typically time-challenged agency clients: “They can finish off a color session here, check in on their graphics and effects work and handle their edit – all of which is being done at a very high level.”
 
Hero Post partner and EP Molly Baroco in Atlanta also sees the value of offering MPC’s talent to her agency clients. “Having access to their colorists is a great option for our market,” she said, noting that Hero’s relationship with MPC will focus on grading. “They’re super talented, and we and our clients are excited to have this resource available here in Atlanta.”
 
Koenig sees his job as marshalling the studio’s capabilities in ways that make it easier and more efficient for clients to tap into them. To this end, he’s working closely with Meghan Lang, EP color in Los Angeles, and Dani Zeitlin, EP color in New York, as well as with other producers in both offices, to ensure that the studio is assembling the best teams to meet the needs of each project.
 
“A big part of our growth will come from truly working with our remote facilities as partners,” Koenig added. “Between my history with MPC, my work with color grading and effects and my time spent at other studios, I think I can serve as a valuable resource for clients.”

  • Wednesday, Apr. 5, 2017
Jason Rysavy joins Ditch as creative strategist
Jason Rysavy
MINNEAPOLIS -- 

Jason Rysavy, an accomplished veteran of digital design and technology companies, has joined Ditch in the new position of Creative Strategist. His hire was announced by Brody Howard and Eric Brusven, partners in Ditch’s digital division.
 
Rysavy joins Ditch from Clario, a retail-focused marketing analytics company that provides major retailers with software tools to utilize customer, purchase and marketing data to make better-informed decisions. Prior to that, he was the owner and founder of Catalyst Studios. Launched in 1999, Minneapolis-based Catalyst was one of the Midwest's first user-focused digital design studios creating unique retail experiences, both on and offline, for companies like Target, Kohl’s and Best Buy. Rysavy ran the studio for over 13 years until it was acquired in early 2013.
 
Ditch’s digital division was founded in 2015 when Howard’s post production company acquired a small web design and development boutique. Brusven, the boutique’s lead designer and developer, became Partner and Senior Developer for Ditch’s newly-launched digital and experiential company. It works directly with a wide range of clients and collaborates on projects with agencies such as Latitude, Duffy, Preston Kelly and Olson.
 
Howard and Brusven see an opportunity for Rysavy to make valuable contributions, both to the success of Ditch’s clients and to the growth of the company itself. “We’re building new interactive stories using creative content,” says Howard, “and bringing Jason on board will allow us to provide this service to our clients with a deeper level of problem-solving and insight.”
 
Adds Brusven, “Jason’s enthusiasm, the way he talks about the work and his approach to working with clients make him a perfect fit. He provides the missing piece of the puzzle – the strategic thinker – that will direct and drive our projects going forward. With his experience and our combined capabilities, we’ll discover some innovative ways to explore how storytelling can feed into interactive experiences.”
 
In his role as Creative Strategist for Ditch, Rysavy will also work with Ditch’s clients in its editorial and post production division (www.ditchedit.com). “We’re looking for Jason to bring new ideas to the post production process and a smarter way of thinking about content, particularly in the area of digital media options and solutions that we may not have thought of,” says Howard. “Our goal here is to be able to offer both digital and editorial solutions in tandem, building a holistic storytelling and content creation machine.”
 
Rysavy feels this is a powerful combination: “I’m excited to leverage concepts and content in new digital avenues and channels that haven’t been considered before,” he says.
 
Howard envisions a future where the distinctions between the digital and post production arms of Ditch become harder to pinpoint. His main interest, he notes, is in providing clients with the means of getting things done: “I like to build teams and pull all the resources together, and that’s what we’ve been doing by partnering with the music and post audio studio Grey Ghost Music and offering visual effects and color grading through MPC,” he explains. “Together we have a great offering, and with Jason’s strategic insights and digital expertise, I think that’s going to deepen on its own."

  • Tuesday, Apr. 4, 2017
Kurt Kulas named managing director of Cutters Studios Detroit
Kurt Kulas
DETROIT -- 

The leaders from the RingSide Creative/Cutters Studios creative collective announced that the postproduction activities of RingSide will operate as Cutters Studios Detroit. This development is aimed at serving its clients more efficiently and increasing synergy across its creative services. In conjunction with the debut of Cutters Studios Detroit, its CEO Steve Wild and partner, Chicago based Cutters, Inc. CEO Tim McGuire, also welcomed Kurt Kulas to serve as managing director.

Kulas was most recently the managing partner for international production consultancy Admaniax. His experience includes five years as director of content development for Campbell Ewald, more than 20 years with Doner culminating in the role of director of integrated production, and another four years in a similar leadership capacity with Young & Rubicam. Leading production departments often consisting of more than 60 staff members across multiple agencies, Kulas has produced creative content spanning the full range of brand experiences, on locations from Borneo to Costa Rica, London, New Zealand and beyond. His client credits include 7-Eleven, British Petroleum, Cadillac, Chiquita Bananas, Chrysler, Del Taco, Detroit Zoo, Lowes, Lincoln, Mazda, Pennzoil, PNC Bank, Ralph Lauren and most recently, Experian, OnStar, USAA, and the U.S. Navy.

“Kurt has very often been our client, so naturally, he knows what makes our clients tick, what they need from us, what works and what doesn’t,” McGuire began. “His background as a producer, executive producer and head of production will bring greater insight about our clients’ needs than we have ever had here in the past.”

“Across its studios, Cutters offers the ability to encompass a campaign with all the marketing components under one roof,” Kulas said. “That’s something I and many others find very attractive. The fewer production partners clients need to manage their work, the more synergy that work often has.” Asked about the main draw at Cutters Studios, he quickly confirmed, “It’s the talent.”

  • Tuesday, Apr. 4, 2017
Danielle Garonce promoted to sr. producer at Wondros
Danielle Garonce
LOS ANGELES -- 

Wondros, the company founded by Jesse Dylan, has promoted producer Danielle Garonce to sr. producer. 

Garonce has been with the company for five years, earning her promotion as an instrumental producer in developing and executing large-scale campaigns. She has worked with such clients as MD Anderson Cancer Center (“Confronting Cancer”), American Express (“Small Business Saturday”), IBM (“Made With IBM”), TED (various), and Huawei (“Dream It Possible”). Garonce has been responsible for building and sustaining relationships with Wondros’ clients, as well as strategizing with the creative team to translate clients’ visions into accessible and creative materials that tell intimate, relatable human stories. 

Garonce has also worked with individuals and institutions that advance and protect the arts (Frank Gehry, Mario Testino, Benedict Taschen, the Guggenheim Museum), as well as organizations that are making the world a better place (Home Matters, The California Endowment, International Medical Corps).

  • Tuesday, Apr. 4, 2017
Karin Levinson to head The-Artery’s new L.A. office
Karin Levinson
LOS ANGELES -- 

New York City-based company The-Artery is expanding its operations into Los Angeles. Concurrently, the creative studio has named industry veteran Karin Levinson as its head of features and television content. Levinson will helm the new LA office, and will spearhead new business initiatives across film, TV, advertising, VR and AR. 

The-Artery has recently produced visual effects for several feature film and television projects. These include Netflix’s thriller film “The Discovery,” starring Robert Redford, Jason Segal and Rooney Mara; the feature “Norman,” starring Richard Gere; the Netflix series “The Get Down,” and Showtime’s hit series “Billions.” Recently, The Artery has also produced visual effects for advertising campaigns promoting Allegra and IZOD; visual effects featured within the television promotion of the Broadway show “Anastasia;” visual content for the VMA Awards; and creating social content for Pepsi. 

In addition, The-Artery’s recently launched Experiential Division creates transformative and immersive experiences for a diverse range of global brands. To date, these experiences have included projects for Cartier/Fifth Avenue, New York; TOPSHOP, Soho, New York; the Tel Aviv Museum; the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow; Radio City Music Hall’s legendary Rockettes; and the Expo Milan 2015. The-Artery also enjoys a special artistic collaboration with video artist Ronen Sharabani, a 2006 Cannes Gold Lion winner. This collaboration develops and presents innovative and original video content and VR to museums, art galleries, and other special location-based artistic venues around the world.

Prior to joining The-Artery, Levinson served as VP of marketing and content development at Eclipse, an entertainment advertising agency.  She was also the director of marketing and new business development at entertainment advertising agency Ant Farm.  

Earlier, Levinson had been the EVP, features and television, at Artemple–Hollywood, during which time she worked on HBO’s series “Vinyl,” the Warner Bros. film “Entourage,” New Line Cinema’s film “War Dogs,” and Fox Sports Weather-Controlled Digital Billboards Content for FIFA Women’s World Cup as Artemple’s executive producer.  

Levinson also worked for several years at the visual effects house Gravity (formerly RhinoFX) as the company’s EVP, features and television, and executive producer.  While there, she was responsible for procuring VFX work on such feature films as “Crazy, Stupid, Love,” “Tower Heist,” ”The Adjustment Bureau,” “Begin Again,” “Salt,” “The Other Guys,” “Arthur,” “Ghost Town,” “The Reader,” “I Love You Phillip Morris,” and “The Nanny Dairies.”  

Previously, Levinson served as EP and VFX producer at Black Box Digital, which was noted for its groundbreaking design on Steven Spielberg’s “Minority Report” and “A.I.”  While at Black Box Digital, she was also involved with such films as “Mr. & Mrs. Smith,” “Hellboy,” “Domino,” “The Island,” “National Treasure,” “After The Sunset,” and “Bee Season.”  

Earlier in her career as an independent producer, Levinson produced the HBO feature documentary “Let Me In - I Hear Laughter” (A Salute to the Friars Club). After getting her start as an apprentice film editor on New Line Cinema’s “The Mask,” Levinson also worked at both Amblin Entertainment and DreamWorks SKG for several years.

  • Monday, Apr. 3, 2017
Annette Sally named EVP, exec director of account management at 22squared
Annette Sally
ATLANTA -- 

Independent agency 22squared has expanded its leadership team with the hiring of Annette Sally in the new role of executive VP and executive director of account management, overseeing all clients for the agency’s Atlanta and Tampa offices. Sally led the multi-award winning Always #LikeAGirl campaign and ran operations in six regions worldwide, while serving as the EVP/global business leader of the Fem Care portfolio for Procter & Gamble at Leo Burnett in Chicago. The #LikeAGirl initiative swept the awards circuit, winning an Emmy, Global Gold Effie, Black Pencil, Grand Clio, Titanium Lion, Glass Lion and the Grand Prix at Cannes.
 
Sally will be based in the Atlanta office and will report directly to chief client officer Brandon Murphy. Murphy stated, “Bringing a leader of Annette’s caliber to 22squared is a big step for our agency. We have ambitious goals and plans for our future and she will be critical in helping us achieve them. Her experience in leading brands to and through game-changing ideas will help 22squared make a bigger impact. Her global perspective and business acumen will elevate our leadership team. Most of all, we are excited to bring a person of her character and drive to our team to help us push our change agenda. “

Sally’s experience includes global account and managing director positions at leading worldwide agencies including Grey Global, FCB and Arnold Worldwide, in New York. Her client experience also includes top brands: Unilever, P&G, Energizer Personal Care and Diageo. 

  • Friday, Mar. 31, 2017
Oculus co-founder Palmer Luckey leaves Facebook 
In this June 11, 2015 file photo, Oculus founder Palmer Luckey holds up the new Oculus Rift virtual reality headset for photographers following a news conference in San Francisco. Luckey is leaving the company. Facebook did not give a reason for Luckey’s departure. His last day is Friday, March 31, 2017. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg)
NEW YORK (AP) -- 

Palmer Luckey, the co-founder of Facebook's Oculus virtual-reality business, is leaving the company.

Facebook didn't give a reason for Luckey's departure. His last day is Friday.

Luckey, who is 24, is leaving Facebook in the heels of controversies. Earlier this year, a federal jury found that Oculus, Luckey and co-founder Brendan Iribe violating the intellectual property rights of video-game maker ZeniMax Media. The jury awarded $500 million in damages, including $50 million from Luckey.

Luckey was also criticized for a donation of $10,000 to a pro-Donald Trump group called Nimble America, which created offensive memes online during the 2016 election season.

Facebook bought Oculus in 2014 for $2 billion. Oculus makes the stand-alone Rift virtual-reality headset along with the Gear VR headset for Samsung.

  • Monday, Mar. 27, 2017
Nice Shoes signs beauty artist Aurélien Teurlai
Aurélien Teurlai
NEW YORK -- 

Production and post studio Nice Shoes has signed lead beauty artist Aurélien Teurlai for exclusive representation in North America. Teurlai, based out of Paris, France, has collaborated with directors including Bruno Aveillan, Mert and Marcus, as well as Jean-Baptiste Mondino on a series of spots for Dior starring Jennifer Lawrence, Charlize Theron, and Natalie Portman. 

Teurlai’s skills also extend to visual effects and compositing, contributing to pieces for luxury brands such as Peugeot, Cartier, BMW, and Lexus. Teurlai, who joins a Nice Shoes’ roster of beauty artists and colorists, has spent most of his career freelancing, and recently joined the Visual Effects Society.

  • Monday, Mar. 27, 2017
Drew Hankins promoted to editor at Nutmeg
Drew Hankins (photo by Eljay Aguillo)
NEW YORK -- 

Nutmeg, a creative marketing and content-development resource, has promoted Drew Hankins to editor, continuing the company’s policy of nurturing talent, providing opportunity and promoting from within.

Hankins began his career as a production assistant and has served as assistant editor at Nutmeg since 2011. In that role, he supported producers, cut spots and prepared files for various platforms—TV, web, social media and apps—for clients such as Animal Planet, A&E, Cartoon Network, Comedy Central, Discovery, Disney, ESPN, HBO, Nickelodeon, Syfy and Verizon. Recent projects have increasingly showcased his editorial talents, including several music-video-style remixes for infectious songs from “SpongeBob SquarePants” as well as the mini-documentary spoof of VH1’s “Behind the Music,” “How Luna Became the Loudest Loud,” all of which were instant viral hits.

The road to editing started when Hankins was a kid. Fascinated by Discovery’s behind-the-scenes special effects series “Movie Magic,” he soon came to realize exactly who, in a movie’s long list of credits, was responsible for making the magic happen.

“An editor is one of the last people to touch a film and, ultimately, the person who brings the film to life,” he said. “I’ve been exposed to many amazing movies over the years but the one that made the biggest impression was ‘Goodfellas.’ It’s so well crafted; it’s perfect. It made me say, ‘That’s what I want to do!’” So much so that he paraphrases a legendary line to make his point. “To me, being an editor was better than being President.”

Besides mobsters, another big-screen bad guy made an impression—or, more accurately, his less-is-more screen time made an impression.

“On ‘Jaws,’ editor Verna Fields was tasked with creating a suspenseful movie with very little usable footage of the malfunctioning mechanical antagonist. She managed to turn that into a plus, creating chills with only glimpses of a fin or ripples in the water. She went on to win the Oscar for Film Editing. As Spielberg famously observed, ‘Had the shark been working, perhaps the film would have made half the money and been half as scary.’”

What gives Hankins a feeling of accomplishment? “Seeing something I cut, out in the wild. Just knowing that others are seeing it makes me feel good. My very first project for broadcast was a five-second bumper and I remember making sure I was home to watch when it aired. A friend even recorded it on his DVR."

  • Friday, Mar. 24, 2017
MPC New York adds Vadim Turchin as CG supervisor
Vadim Turchin
NEW YORK -- 

MPC has added Vadim Turchin to its growing roster as CG supervisor in the company’s New York studio.
 
Under Vicky Osborn, head of 3D, Turchin will be a senior member of the CG team, working with its producers on bids, with clients on set and leading teams of artists in the studio. Turchin has worked at a number of highly respected agencies, studios and networks during his career. He’s worked on an independent basis for the digital ad agency R/GA and the cable network USA Networks, as well as for the VFX studios Click 3X and The Molecule. He also held staff positions at Curious Pictures, where he was creative director and head of CG and animation, and Brand New School, where he was VFX and CG director.
 
A native of Ukraine, he graduated from Vancouver Film School where he studied character animation after first earning a Bachelor’s degree in Chemistry and Philosophy from the University of Rochester. He spent the next several years honing his craft in film and TV. He contributed to such series as “The Affair,” “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt” and “Elementary.”
 
His most memorable experience, he noted, was on the show “HAPPYish” on Showtime, a dark comedy about an advertising creative going through a career crisis. “In a rare occurrence, I was given a main credit on a show,” he said. “It was a very humbling experience.”
 
His ad credits include effects and CG on spots for such brands as BOSE, Samsung and Hershey’s, created by such agencies as BBDO, Mother, R/GA and The Barbarian Group.
 
As CG supervisor, Turchin looks forward to bringing his passion for teaching to MPC as a mentor to the junior creative crew. “The desire by students to learn is infectious, causing me to get continuously excited about what we do in the animation and VFX industry,” he commented. He speaks from hands-on experience, having taught in the Computer Arts program as New York’s School of Visual Arts, as well as at the online VFX school TDU.
 
“What attracted me the most to MPC is the culture of uncompromising desire to produce the most amazing work, supported by a team-centric group of people,” Turchin adds. “I’m looking forward to solving new creative problems for clients while helping a new generation of artists grow into great members of the MPC family along with me.”
 
MPC maintains facilities in London, Vancouver, Los Angeles, New York, Bangalore, Montreal, Amsterdam, Shanghai and Paris.

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