Zulu Alpha Kilo’s Catherine Allen and Ian Simpson have been promoted to creative directors. Both joined Zulu in November 2015 as associate creative directors.
Prior to working at Zulu, they were the team behind Nabob’s Respect the Bean campaign at Ogilvy, and Kokanee’s “The Movie Out Here” at Grip Limited. At Zulu, they’ve been the creative leads on Bell creating work for Bell’s Rio Summer Olympic sponsorship, Fibe TV, Bell mobility, and Fibe Internet. They’ve also created campaigns at Zulu for Mott’s Venom + Vodka, KitchenAid’s Cook for the Cure program, and ParticipACTION’s 150 Play List.
In addition to the promotions on the creative team, Zulu announced two promotions in the account team. Terri Mattucci and David Tremblay have both been promoted to group account directors.
Mattucci joined Zulu from Juniper Park in the fall of 2015. She will continue to lead the Bell and ParticipACTION business in her new role. Meanwhile, Tremblay who joined Zulu in the fall of 2014 from JWT, is currently overseeing the Harley Davidson business.
People on the Move
- Friday, Jun. 16, 2017
- Thursday, Jun. 15, 2017
Ed Cooper has been promoted to editor at The Assembly Rooms. His advancement from assistant comes as part of a whole new look for The Assembly Rooms, which recently moved to a beautiful Georgian townhouse on Frith Street featuring seven suites.
Cooper has attained a huge amount of repeat business and the demand for his time made it a very easy decision for Eve Ashwell (company partner and editor behind Great Ormond Street Hospital’s “Ordinary World” and John Smith’s “Diner”) “Edward has been steadily making the progression from assistant editor to editor over the last year or so. He’s shown real dedication, intuition and creative flair in every project he’s taken on, whilst also being able to put anyone in the suite with him at complete ease with his very calm personality,” said Ashwell.
Sam Rice–Edwards (founding partner and editor behind HP’s “Brothers” and Mumsnet’s “999”), recalled, “When Ed first started assisting me I noticed he had a really good eye for shots, both in terms of aesthetics and narrative. From day one I was confidant he would grow into a great editor.”
When Cooper joined The Assembly Rooms as an assistant in 2011 he quickly became an integral member of the team and tremendously popular amongst the seven editors on its roster, as well as directors from prolific production companies such as Academy and Pulse. Cooper cut his teeth in the world of music videos with a film for Nimmo’s “Unyoung,” Promos for Jake Bugg, Birdy & Donae’O shortly followed. Recent work includes a TV commercial for Rubik’s, content for Beats featuring Rag N’ Bone Man, a promo for BBC Sound of 2017 artist Ray BLK and a much more narrative and story driven video for Jorja Smith’s latest single.
In his new position Cooper will be building on his current working relationships, growing his list of collaborations and expanding into more commercial work. “The culture at The Assembly Rooms is creative and collaborative; everyone has the opportunity to share their ideas and receive feedback, which is invaluable and has consistently strengthened my work,” said Cooper.
- Tuesday, Jun. 13, 2017
Visual studio Alma Mater has added executive producer Ben Apley and director Ronnie Koff to its team. Koff joins a roster that includes creative director/director Brian Mah, who co-founded the company with VFX supervisor James Anderson in 2012. He has already completed a CG-driven commercial campaign for GSD&M, and the main title sequence for the upcoming movie from Columbia Pictures, Rough Night.
The appointments mark a reunion for Apley, Mah, Anderson and Koff, who initially met and worked with each other at Imaginary Forces.
Before joining Alma Mater, Apley spent 11 years leading the creative operations of Imaginary Forces’s Los Angeles office. During his time there, he oversaw a wide range of work, including global commercial campaigns, branding and strategy, feature film and entertainment marketing, original series and branded content. Notable clients include Dolby, Facebook, Google, Marvel, and Amazon, as well as multiple agencies, networks, and studios.
Applying his love of design, typography and visual storytelling, Koff began his career at Imaginary Forces in 2004. Working with clients such as IBM, Yoplait, Oral-B and Tropicana, he developed a sharp eye for animation and design over the years. In 2014, he launched boutique creative studio Shuttlecraft, working with such brands as Olay, Kraft, and Hershey’s.
- Monday, Jun. 12, 2017
Creative production company Derby has brought Eli Ash on board as its newest sr. producer. In this role, Ash will oversee production work for all of Derby’s agency and brand partners.
Ash most recently hails from Complex Media where she was supervising producer, overseeing all daily production and operations of the company’s original content, and owned-and-operated content channels. Over the course of her career, she has straddled both the broadcast television and commercial worlds, having produced content for networks such as NBC, ABC, A&E, BBC, MTV, The Travel Channel, The Food Network, Discovery Science, PBS, Sesame Workshop and Viacom. In advertising, Ash has produced a number of commercial and branded content pieces for Warner Brothers Records, Nike, GM, BMW, The Nobel Peace Prize, OXFAM Crisis Action, GQ, Vogue, Complex and Vice Media, among others. Outside of Derby, Ash continues to flex her production skills, producing music videos, documentaries and short films with friends and colleagues in her spare time.
Derby represents a diverse roster of directorial talent, including The Bozzwicks, Catherine Orchard, John Poliquin, Josh Hayward, Lucas Borras, Nickolas Duarte and most recently, Roberto Serrini who earned a slot in this year’s SHOOT New Directors Showcase.
- Tuesday, Jun. 6, 2017
Visual effects, integrated production and postproduction studio Smoke & Mirrors has hired VFX supervisor Aleksandar Djordjevic as head of 2D and creative director, based out of the company’s recently opened Amsterdam studio. He comes over from MPC New York.
Working closely with Smoke & Mirrors’ joint global managing directors, Gary Szabo and Danny Whybrow, Djordjevic will drive the creative output at Smoke & Mirrors Amsterdam, which includes visual effects for major brands like Heineken, Toyota and Coca-Cola.
Djordjevic’s wealth of experience has seen him lead on hundreds of projects for clients such as BBDO, McCann, Ogilvy, Saatchi & Saatchi and Leo Burnett. His VFX work and supervision also spans dozens of Hollywood features such as The Wolf of Wall Street, The Proposal, Men In Black 3 and G.I. Joe: Retaliation.
- Tuesday, Jun. 6, 2017
Framestore’s New York office has hired CG supervisor Gabriel Portnof.
A born and bred New Yorker, Portnof returns to his roots after 15 years with DreamWorks, based in Los Angeles. During his tenure at DreamWorks, he supervised films such as Turbo, Madagascar 3, Kung Fu Panda 3, Penguins of Madagascar, and most recently Boss Baby.
Portnof’s diverse experience also includes time at Blue Sky Studio where he worked on Horton Hears a Who and previsualized all of the lighting for Ice Age 3. While at Blur Studio, in Venice, Calif., Portnof created high-end video game cinematics. In the commercial world, he was also a part of the original award-winning CG team at R/GA.
Portnof’s film work has been nominated for several Oscars and has won an Annie Award. He is a frequent speaker at industry events including SVA, NAB Show and Creativa Fest.
- Monday, Jun. 5, 2017
The Mill has added Kennedy Davey to its production team. She joins as a sr. producer for Mill+, The Mill’s content creation arm that focuses on concept-to-delivery creative partnerships.
With an extensive background in both live action and on the agency side, Davey will use her understanding of clients to help address industry challenges and partner with agencies, production companies and brands to produce the best creative outcome. She will also be focusing her efforts on new areas and applications of emerging technology.
Previously a producer at Anomaly, Davey joins The Mill with a wealth of experience working with brands such as Converse, Dick’s Sporting Goods, Budweiser, Kohl’s and Panera Bread.
Prior to Anomaly, Davey held roles in production with Twentieth Century Fox, Chris Columbus, and Red Hour Films with Ben Stiller, in addition to producing for NBC during the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympic Games.
Davey said, “As the industry continues to evolve and the landscape becomes more and more ripe with emerging tech, I’m incredibly excited to be joining a team that is a pioneering force in storytelling. The Mill is renowned and respected for creating high-quality visuals and, as a fan of the company’s previous work, I’m especially enthusiastic about being part of future projects. There’s no better place to leap into the world of high end VFX, direction and immersive content creation.”
Zu Al Kadiri, Mill+ executive producer, added, “Kennedy is an incredibly strong addition to our team, and her extensive industry knowledge garnered through working both the production and agency side equips her perfectly to help develop our Mill+ offering and collaborate with clients here in New York.”
- Thursday, Jun. 1, 2017
Bicoastal editorial company Arcade has brought editor Graham Chisholm aboard its roster for global representation. This marks the first time he has been repped in the U.S.; he had been previously been handled in Canada by Married to Giants through which he won an AICE Award last year in the Best of Toronto category for Sport Chek’s “All Sweat is Equal” out of agency Sid Lee.
“Graham’s ability to tell stories that draw in the viewer is amazing,” assessed Damian Stevens, Arcade’s managing director. “His use of music, sound and overall editing style is very unique.”
Chisholm’s career began in Montreal, Canada, where he worked for three years before moving to Toronto to continue perfecting his craft. For over a decade, Chisholm nurtured strong relationships with assorted advertising agencies and brands, including Gatorade, Land Rover, Budweiser, Ford, Chevrolet and The Toronto Raptors. He works closely with clients to create meaningful and effective campaigns, earning him several awards for his work including multiple Cannes Lions, Best in Show at the AICE Awards, Bessie’s, and the ADCC’s. Chisholm has become best known for his ability to tell compelling and persuasive stories, regardless of the brand or medium he’s working with.
“Graham’s influence and dedication on a project extends beyond the edit and into the finishing of the film,” noted Michael Lawrence, director of a Powerade spot that Chisholm edited. “In our case, he is involved in everything, a true collaborator on an intellectual level, as well as a gifted craftsman. Graham has earned my trust and heartfelt praise through our time working together and becoming friends along the way. I couldn’t recommend him more.”
Chisholm is in the midst of working on a new project at Arcade for Adidas via ad agency 72andSunny. He earlier completed his first project for Arcade, a short film about “LA2024,” also via 72andSunny, promoting Los Angeles’ bid for the 2024 Olympic Games. The Arcade team is riding yet another wave of momentum this year, having just completed a music video for Kendrick Lamar entitled “Humble” and commercial campaigns for Chipotle, Southwest Airlines, Bud Light, AT&T, Ikea, Sonos, Northrop Grumman and more.
Arcade’s talent lineup includes Chisholm, Dave Anderson, Kim Bica, Kyle Brown, Jeff Ferruzzo, Will Hasell, Geoff Hounsell, Sean Lagrange, Paul Martinez, Nick Rondeau, Greg Scruton, and Brad Waskewich.
- Thursday, Jun. 1, 2017
LOGAN, a bicoastal content-creation studio, has appointed Paul Abatemarco as executive producer in Los Angeles, adding two decades of production expertise and close work with the world’s largest brands.
Prior to LOGAN, Abatemarco oversaw sales and operations for Brand New School’s West Coast studio, helping guide the company to record growth during that time. Abatemarco also helped lead MPC launch MPC Creative in the United States and has served as executive producer at Stardust. Most recently, Abatemarco was managing director at Los York.
Abatemarco’s experience includes campaigns with brands such as Nike, Google, Target, Adidas, Honda, Ford and Toyota. The commercial and advertising veteran also served on the management side at studios such as Digital Domain and Radium, and was director of operations at postproduction operation R!OT.
LOGAN, along with its roster of directors at Logan & Sons, has worked on recent brand campaigns for Apple, Nike, BMW, Clinique and Cisco, among others. The company’s latest entertainment marketing campaigns include Netflix’s Santa Clarita Diet and the Clio award-winning work for 20th Century Fox’s blockbuster X-Men: Apocalypse.
- Wednesday, May. 31, 2017
Laughlin Constable has hired Vanessa Watts as its executive VP of media in charge of developing and executing media strategy to define the future direction of client business.
“Vanessa has a wealth of experience delivering full media service to clients and pushing them to do innovative work,” said Mat Lignel, CEO and president of Laughlin Constable, which is based in Milwaukee and Chicago. “Vanessa brings a deep grasp of the media landscape and collaboration to this newly created Media EVP role.”
Watts joins Laughlin from HavasMedia in Chicago, where she led the agency’s new business efforts and worked on Sears Holdings, Reynolds Consumer Products and Valspar Corporation. Her 20 years of experience include stints in Australia, long tenures at prestigious global networks such as BBDO, DDB and Havas, and a portfolio of clients ranging from challenger brands to large national brands.
Laughlin Constable has long offered media planning and buying as part of the services it offers clients, unlike many other independent agencies, because it allows the agency to deliver the right ideas in the right context to consumers.
As EVP of media, Watts will lead a team of media planners and ensure all initiatives are closely tied to clients’ business needs and strategic drivers. “Laughlin Constable is a combination of great talent and culture,” Watts said. “LC was one of the first independent agencies to launch its own trading desk, signaling to me that this was a team committed to delivering strong, creative and spot-on solutions to its clients.”