• 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.

  • Tuesday, Mar. 21, 2017
Timber adds art director Lorenz, digital effects supervisor Willette
Jeff Willette (l) and Jon Lorenz
SANTA MONICA, Calif. -- 

Art director Jon Lorenz and digital effects supervisor Jeff Willette have joined Timber, the VFX house headed by creative directors/co-founders Jonah Hall and Kevin Lau.

Lorenz is no stranger to Timber, having freelanced on projects with the company for the past year. Over the years he has also worked with such shops as Buck, Royal, Modus Operandi, Big Block, Troika, Mocean, and Oishii Creative. Lorenz has been on staff at Shilo as a designer/compositor, and as art director at King and Country (including a leadership role in the Motel 6 “Metamorphosis”campaign). He has also collaborated directly with clients on projects for H2/History Channel for “Rise Against the Machines/Hangar 1” and Vivint; and on projects for Lime TV via agency Just Knight and with T3 via agency Dark Horse.

Willette joins Timber also having experience at notable studios including Mirada, Method, Asylum, Sony Pictures Imageworks and a52, having started his career at Traveling Pictures Animation in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Notable projects for Willette include: “Fallout 4” opening cinematic for Mirada, the Jameson “Fire” commercial for Method Studios, Terminator Salvation and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button feature films, both for Asylum. Willette’s work has garnered a series of awards and nominations including VES, HPA, Addy and Clio awards. He collaborated on HBO’s Carnivale, which garnered an Emmy Award for Outstanding Main Title Design.

Timber has just completed a film project for The Google.org Impact Challenge, and is in the midst of commercial campaigns for Southwest Airlines, Chipotle and T-Mobile.

  • Monday, Mar. 20, 2017
Watson becomes CEO of Comcast cable 
This undated photo provided by the Comcast Corp. shows Dave Watson. (Comcast Corp. via AP)
NEW YORK (AP) -- 

Comcast's cable unit is switching up its leadership ranks, with longtime executive Dave Watson taking over for Neil Smit as CEO.

Smit will become vice chairman of Comcast Corp. at the start of next month. Comcast said Monday that he will work with Watson on the transition for a few months, and then will work part time for the company.

Watson, who has worked at Comcast for more than 25 years, has been chief operating officer of Comcast's cable unit since 2010.

Besides providing cable service, the Philadelphia-based cable giant also owns the NBCUniversal media conglomerate.

  • Thursday, Mar. 16, 2017
Julia Knight joins Work Editorial
Julia Knight
LONDON -- 

Editor Julia Knight has joined Work Editorial which will handle her across all three of its offices--in London, New York ad Los Angeles. Knights career has been built on storytelling across all genres, honed during stints at Speade, Trim, and Cut + Run.

Knight’s extensive reel has earned recognition from British Arrows, Clios, London International Awards, Creative Circle and APA - for work such as "The $#*! Kids Say" for NSPCC. Other commercial credits include Guinness, Axe, Samsung, BMW and Thomson with directors such as BAFTA award-winning Amanda Boyle, Nabil, Scott Lyon, Georgi Banks-Davies and Jake Nava. Knight  also edited a film by "Project Everyone" for United Nations, a not for profit agency established by Richard Curtis to champion sustainable development and climate change.

Collaborations with some of the music industry’s leading directors include Daniel Wolfe, Tim Pope and Shynola have led to videos for FKA Twigs, James Blake, Beyoncé, Alt-J and Coldplay. Picking up UKMVA and NME Awards, Knight was also involved in “50 Years of British Music Video 1965-2015” – a two year project with a panel of industry creatives to advise on the conservation of selected videos for BFI’s National Film Archive. Her Arctic Monkeys “Arabella” is included for “most ground breaking or influential editing in a UK video during the last 50 years.”

 

 

  • Tuesday, Mar. 14, 2017
Alex Moulton joins Trollbäck+Company as CCO
Alex Moulton
NEW YORK -- 

Creative agency Trollbäck+Company has added Alex Moulton as chief creative officer. Moulton, who joins the agency from VICE Media, is already well underway in continuing the agency’s brand-building through design-driven strategy and mixed media — most recently at the helm of NBC Universo’s brand refresh, as well as show packaging for ESPN’s “The Undefeated In-Depth: Serena with Common.” 

Prior to Trollbäck+Company, as sr. director, Creative & Content at VICE, Moulton notably helped launch digital content channel Live Nation TV (LNTV)--a joint venture for which he led brand creative, content development, production, and partnership initiatives. 

Moulton looks to embrace Trollbäck+Company’s position as a thought leader in the advocacy of design and its profound influence on the world — from entertainment and culture to commerce and policy —  in light of the firm’s recent global initiatives for the United Nations. Earlier this year, he joined fellow Trollbäck+Company Creative Director Rosie Garschina in spearheading an AIGA panel on the evolution of motion media, which he moderated as well. As the media landscape continues to shift, Moulton is intent on leveraging the talent and core values of the agency to curate more such work and conversations that genuinely speak to the cultural, technological and, even, political trends shaping the marketplace of its clients.

“Design is inherently political and, to this end, everything we do is all in service of being able to channel our wide-ranging learnings and translate between creatives and clients to tell stories that authentically move people,” explained Moulton who has long turned to music as one such means of crafting brands that emotionally resonate with people in this way. His breakthroughs in the realm of sonic branding are a welcome addition to Trollbäck+Company’s own legacy of music-driven design, with recent campaigns for House of Marley, Nike, and Spotify.

As executive creative director at advertising agency eyeball, Moulton led high-impact product launches, rebrands, and campaigns for major brands, including Amazon, New York Public Radio, and Wildlife Conservation Society’s New York Aquarium, A&E, CMT, Disney, E!, Nickelodeon, Oxygen, Ovation, and VH1. An early pioneer of audio branding, Moulton founded his own branding agency and record label, Expansion Team, in 2002. As chief creative officer of the company, he crafted the sonic identities of Aetna, Amazon Studios/Originals, Boeing, JetBlue, and Rovi, as well as more than 15 TV networks, including CNN International, Discovery, PBS, Universal, and Comedy Central. 

  • Tuesday, Mar. 14, 2017
Brian Burke joins JAMM as CG supervisor
Brian Burke
SANTA MONICA, Calif. -- 

Visual effects creative studio JAMM has added CG supervisor Brian Burke to its Santa Monica-based roster. 

Burke spent the better part of a decade honing his skills at Method Studios, where he worked across the gamut of CG for commercials and feature films, earning a collection of VES Award nominations and HPA Awards along the way. 
 
A benchmark of Burke’s work is his ability to seamlessly integrate effects across a range of stylistic applications, and he is equally adept at developing fantastical 3-D creatures as he is setting the mood for real world environments. However he pushes the pixels, Burke can always adapt and elevate the work presented to him, be it bringing a dose of wonder to Dante Ariola’s surreal GE commercial “Childlike Imagination”; heightening the sense of adventure in Gary Shore’s epic spot for Game of War; or adding gravitas to Henry Hobson’s “The Hunt Begins” trailer for Halo 5: Guardians.
 
In the features realm, Burke has served both as a lead CG artist and as CG supervisor. Mostly working in effects, look development, lighting, and CG compositing, Burke led the Method LA team to deliver visual effects sequences for Marvel blockbusters including “The Avengers,” “Avengers: Age of Ultron,” and “Iron Man 3.”
 
After leaving his post at Method, Burke spent a year traveling. When he returned from his sojourn, he knew what his next step would be, saying that his “very first call was to Andy Boyd at JAMM.”
 
Burke had worked with VFX supervisor Boyd in the past, having collaborated on high-profile projects including Super Bowl spots for Bridgestone and Kia, and the Sundance-nominated Spike Jonze short film “I’m Here.” In late 2014, Boyd joined forces with VFX supervisor Jake Montgomery and executive producer Asher Edwards to open JAMM.

  • Tuesday, Mar. 14, 2017
VFX artist/designer Scott Stephens joins Flavor Detroit
Scott Stephens
DETROIT -- 

Production studio Flavor has added Scott Stephens to its Detroit staff as sr. VFX artist/designer. Announcement was made by Lori Woods, Flavor’s executive creative director.

Well known for his work with top brands and directors on major commercial campaigns for Blue Cross Blue Shield, Chrysler, Expedia, Food Network, Mazda and Six Flags, to name but a few, Stephens also brings vast experience creating content that maximizes unique environments and screens of all sizes. Recent innovative projects include the Amazon Kindle release in Times Square, the Ford Focus theatrical release for the Electric Music Festival, BCBS media for the Pandora app, Buick’s multi-screen auto show installations, and the Mount St. Helens installation for the National Park Service.

Previously the lead designer at Postique, Stephens was a key part of the postproduction boutique Section 8 as co-founder and lead designer since its launch in 2001.

  • Monday, Mar. 13, 2017
Deluxe's Beast Chicago signs editor Lucy Best Radtke
Lucy Best Radtke
CHICAGO -- 

Deluxe creative editorial company Beast has added editor Lucy Best Radtke to the talent roster of its Chicago facility, which is co-located with local outposts of Deluxe’s Method Studios and Company 3. Radtke has edited commercial campaigns across a range of styles and brands, including Craftsman, Disney, Tampax, Sears, Kmart, Suave, and the Illinois Lottery. A Chicago native, Radtke is a graduate of Wesleyan University’s film program, and previously worked as an assistant editor and editor at Red Car and Optimus.

“Lucy is an incredibly skilled editor and also has a wonderful energy and confidence that sets her apart; it’s something you can’t teach,” commented Peter Hullinger, managing director at Beast Chicago. “With all of the Deluxe resources behind the scenes, we still run a boutique experience for clients, and so it’s important to curate our roster based both on talent and cultural fit. Lucy is a joy to work with and she does a great job of running the room during a session – peers and clients alike all have great things to say about her.”

“Lucy can run the gamut from comedic to dramatic to documentary style, and in any style she really excels at telling authentic stories and capturing those relatable moments,” added Beast editor Angelo Valencia. “She’s a great fit for our roster.”

Radtke shared, “My philosophy has always been ‘editing is play’; it’s that fun challenge of getting any kind of footage and rearranging and discovering how it works best.” 

  • Thursday, Mar. 9, 2017
Marcus Fischer named CEO of Carmichael Lynch
Marcus Fischer
MINNEAPOLIS -- 

Carmichael Lynch has announced that president Marcus Fischer will be named the agency’s fourth CEO in its 55-year history. 
 
“Marcus has been pivotal in building the momentum and success of Carmichael Lynch in recent years. He has proven his ability to successfully manage the business, while simultaneously inspiring the people around him,” said current CEO Mike Lescarbeau, who will move to the role of executive chairman. “In the last few years, Marcus has built a leadership team that is committed to collaboration and interdependence across disciplines to build a unique and unrivaled offering of advertising and PR under one roof, and I’m excited for the future of the agency under his leadership.”
 
Fischer rejoined Carmichael Lynch as president in 2013, and the agency has had four years of consecutive, double-digit revenue growth since, with more than 16 percent growth in 2016 alone. This growth is due to the strength and organic growth of many long-term partnerships coupled with new business wins – U.S. Bank, Arla Foods and Truvía, among others. Simultaneously, the agency’s head count has grown by 43 percent while maintaining a culture of inclusivity that has resulted in enviable employee retention numbers, illustrated by the agency’s 2016 turnover rate of less than 10 percent (the 4A’s estimates average agency turnover rate at 30 percent).  
 
“I’m honored to lead Carmichael Lynch and continue the energy we’ve built over the last few years,” said Fischer. “I am thankful for the team that has made this agency what it is today – a people-centric organization focused on business, culture and great creative work. We’ve made collaboration and integration pivotal to our offering. This unique approach is how brands can transcend the rational and become emotionally meaningful and become part of, and shape, culture.” 
 
This evolution has been demonstrated by changes in the agency’s leadership team, including the promotion of Julie Batliner, president of the agency’s PR firm, Carmichael Lynch Relate, and Marty Senn, chief creative officer, to managing partners in 2016.
 
Prior to rejoining Carmichael Lynch, Fischer spent four years at the helm of digital firm Space150, where he helped dramatically grow the agency. He’s also spent time at One and All, Fallon, and a previous stint at Carmichael Lynch.
 
Over his career, Fischer has helped shape the strategy and award-winning work for such brands as Subaru, U.S. Bank, Harley-Davidson, BMW, Target, Porsche, Buffalo Wild Wings, Dairy Queen, Starbucks, Nordstrom and Purina Dog Chow. 
 
Fischer regularly speaks at industry events, including most recently the ANA Brand Master Conference in a session about Carmichael Lynch’s work and sustained success with long-time client, Subaru. He’s also taught at both the MiamiAdSchool and BrainCo.
 
Outside the agency’s walls, Fischer is an avid fly fisherman and has served on the board of the Epilepsy Foundation of Minnesota for the last five years. He lives in a suburb of Minneapolis, with his wife and three sons.

  • Wednesday, Mar. 8, 2017
Leah Hattendorf promoted to SVP, director of strategy at The Escape Pod
Leah Hattendorf
CHICAGO -- 

Independent agency The Escape Pod has promoted Leah Hattendorf to SVP, director of strategy. In her new role, Hattendorf will continue to lead The Escape Pod’s Research and Strategy group, in addition to spearheading new business efforts and building out additional revenue streams for the agency.

During her time at The Escape Pod, Hattendorf has guided brand and communications strategy for Mondelez, Toys“R”Us, KIND, EGO and Southeastern Grocers. She played an integral role in defining the Toys“R”Us brand promise that championed the importance of play. She was also responsible for positioning and launching EGO as a technology brand in the crowded lawn care category. Most recently she assisted Southeastern Grocers in positioning a new grocery store brand, Fresco y Mas, focused on meeting the needs of the Hispanic community.

Prior to joining The Escape Pod, Hattendorf worked at several agencies including JWT New York, FCB and DDB, on such clients as Kimberly Clark, Kraft, Cars.com and State Farm.

Launched in 2006, The Escape Pod is a Chicago-based creative shop headed by co-founders Norm Bilow, managing director, and Vinny Warren, executive creative director.

MySHOOT Company Profiles