• Tuesday, Mar. 7, 2017
VML promotes 3, hires sr. producer
Kelly Durham
KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- 

VML has made three promotions and a new hire in its creative department. 
 
Kelly Durham has been promoted to executive producer of integrated production. Since joining VML in 2015, Durham has played an instrumental role in delivering some of the agency’s best-produced work including for Gatorade. Her role will focus on managing and elevating the broadcast work done by VML Chicago. Durham will report to Tyler Smith, head of production.
 
In addition to Durham’s promotion, Susan Hatten has been hired as a senior producer for the integrated production team, working on Pepsico. Hatten will be producing projects for several brands including Gatorade and Tropicana. She started her career in Kansas City, working for Valentine-Radford before moving to Chicago and later joining Ogilvy & Mather where worked as a senior content producer for the past 11 years. She has been a producer on nearly every national and global account at Ogilvy – producing shoots in more than 22 countries. Susan will relocate back to Kansas City to be based out of VML’s global headquarters. She brings a vast array of production and art buying knowledge to her new role. Hatten will also report to Smith.
 
Derek Clark has been promoted to executive creative director leading Tennessee Department of Tourist Development work and the recently won Electrolux / Frigidaire business. Clark joined VML in 2015 as group creative director of the Gatorade team. Clark has worked on multiple award-winning advertising campaigns including one of the original branded Snapchats with the G Dunk filter takeover during the Super Bowl. The work received five Cannes Lions, including gold, silver, and bronze, across a variety of categories. Clark will report to Debbi Vandeven, global chief creative officer. Prior to VML, Clark worked with several agencies including Leo Burnett, mcGarrybowen, and Cavalry.
 
Rob Romine has been promoted to group director, experience design. He joined VML in 2008 and has lead the experience design for clients such as FordPass, Common Wealth Bank of Australia, Korean Airlines and Electrolux focusing on eCom, user-centered design for mobile, web and retail experiences. Romine reports to Chris Wallen, managing director, experience design.

  • Tuesday, Mar. 7, 2017
Elizabeth V. Moore promoted to editor at Lucky Post
Elizabeth V. Moore
DALLAS -- 

Lucky Post has promoted Elizabeth V. Moore to editor. Moore has been working at Lucky Post since 2012 when she joined the company as an assistant. Working alongside Lucky Post’s senior editors, Moore has honed her talent editing music videos, television promos, short films, and commercials for brands including Charles Schwab, Costa, Jeep, 7-Eleven, and Wolf.

“Elizabeth is a truly creative editor who has developed a stylistic voice that is appreciated by clients who trust her instinct and drive to deliver the best work possible,” commented Lucky Post CEO Tammie Kleinmann. “For us, it wasn’t a matter of if she would become an editor, but when. This is her time.”

Film theory electives in college opened Moore’s eyes to a career in the arts and changed her focus, leading her to earn a degree in Cinema-Television from Southern Methodist University. An opportunity from a professor sent her into working with editor Sai Selvarajan on a documentary film immediately following graduation.

In hindsight, Moore notes, the powerful momentum in pairing sound with image are anchored in her childhood piano lessons which imparted an understanding of rhythm. Everything she has ever enjoyed would inevitably lead to editing: solving puzzles, visual art, and music.

Moore said she thrives on the connection visual storytelling evokes with an audience’s emotional journey: “I try to carry that first experience when I see the footage for the first time through the end of a project. It’s in that moment I am in the same seat as the audience.”

  • Thursday, Mar. 2, 2017
Katy Hornaday upped to ECD at Barkley
Katy Hornaday
KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- 

Five-year veteran creative director Katy Hornaday has been promoted to executive creative director at Kansas City-based agency Barkley. Additionally, Paul Corrigan has been tapped to lead Barkley’s Blacktop design unit. 

In her prior role as creative director, Hornaday led creative work for Hershey, Anheuser-Busch, Cargill, Noodles & Company and Vanity Fair, as well as a number of other brands since joining Barkley in 2012. Her work for Hershey TAKE5 was Barkley’s most-awarded work ever at this year’s Kansas City Addys, including the award of Overall Best In Show. 

Previously Hornaday was a sr. copywriter at Crispin, Porter + Bogusky, working on brands such as Old Navy and Baby Carrots, before moving to Mullen in Boston where she held the title of associate creative director for brands like Zappos and JetBlue. 

Hornaday replaces Jason Elm, who is departing Barkley. 

Meanwhile in an effort to build up its portfolio in brand experience and design, long-time Barkley veteran Corrigan has been named executive design director. He will head the Blacktop design unit. As part of the change, Barkley’s experience design team will now report to Corrigan within Blacktop.

Corrigan has been with Barkley since 2004 and prior to this promotion has held the titles of VP/interactive creative director, executive creative director, and design director. He replaces Blacktop founder Shawn Polowniak, who is leaving Barkley.

  • Thursday, Mar. 2, 2017
Andrew Bell named managing director of Brickyard VFX Atlantic; Amy Appleton promoted to EP
Andrew Bell (l) and Amy Appleton
BOSTON -- 

Brickyard VFX has named Andrew Bell as managing director of its Boston studio and promoted Amy Appleton to executive producer. Bell comes to Brickyard from MPC, where he spent more than 15 years growing the studio, most recently as a managing director of MPC Los Angeles. Appleton has been at Brickyard for 10 years, producing hundreds of high-profile projects for clients that include Frito-Lay, Progressive Insurance, Cadillac, Columbia Sportswear and Royal Caribbean.

Bell began his career in 1999 as a PA with MPC in London. He worked his way up through the company, handling production responsibilities for several years before crossing the pond in 2008 to help open the studio’s first expansion facility in Los Angeles as head of production. Bell became the managing director in 2011, a role he held until fall 2016, when he began consulting for Apple.

In addition to the management moves, Brickyard Atlantic has recently upgraded its technology infrastructure and is installing a grand roof deck with views of the downtown Boston skyline.

Brickyard maintains shops in Santa Monica, Calif., and Boston.

  • Thursday, Mar. 2, 2017
Nikki Coloma promoted to GM, sr. director of operations at 2C Creative
Nikki Coloma
MIAMI -- 

2C Creative has promoted Nikki Coloma to the position of general manager, sr. director of operations. The new role expands on Coloma’s expertise, involving her more in the creative agency’s evolving business and its bottom line, while she continues to supervise all phases of production, overseeing client communication and the creation of support production teams for each project.
 
“Nikki has been a tremendous asset to 2C, playing a big part in our success and workflow very early on,” said 2C founder and Chief Creative Officer Chris Sloan. “Her promotion was the obvious best move for us as we continue to grow and evolve.”
 
Coloma joined 2C in 2009 after serving as a production coordinator for Worldwide Productions, where she produced commercials for Nike, Coca-Cola and Gatorade, among others. She had also been an associate producer on A&E’s The First 48 and CMT’s Danger Coast, which was a 2C original series. Coloma graduated from the University of Florida with a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in Economics and Finance and a minor in Entrepreneurship.

  • Wednesday, Mar. 1, 2017
Claudia Foghini promoted to EVP, talent management & production services, at Telemundo
Claudia Foghini
MIAMI -- 

Claudia Foghini has been promoted to executive VP, Talent Management and Production Services at Telemundo Networks and Studios.  She will continue to be based in Miami and report to Luis Silberwasser, president, Telemundo Network and Universo Channel. 

In this new role, Foghini will continue to lead the Production Management and Services Unit, which is responsible for supporting the internal and external scripted and entertainment productions across Telemundo and Universo networks.  In addition, Foghini will now be responsible for the Talent Department, including casting and management of Telemundo’s on-air talent across our multiple properties. Mara Arakelian, sr. VP of Casting & Talent Management, will now report to Foghini, and will be based in Mexico. 

“Claudia has been a very effective and influential member of the management team at the Studios and the Network, partnering with our production, programming, and operations teams to develop and execute our U.S. Hispanic original production strategy with excellence,” said Silberwasser. “Her strong production experience, integrity and established relationships with the talent community will serve our networks well, as she now assumes leadership of the Talent department.” 

Foghini was appointed sr. VP of Production Strategy, Telemundo Studios in 2013, where she managed our third-party scripted production relationships.   Prior to that, she was the sr. VP of Content for the Telemundo Station Group. Foghini first joined Telemundo in 2000 as a sr. writer for the network’s morning show and progressed through the ranks of producer, line producer and senior producer for various key programs. In 2006, Foghini was promoted to chief of Telemundo’s Mexico Bureau. In 2008, she was named VP of Operations and Broadcast Network News for Telemundo and served as sr. VP of Telemundo News from 2010-2012. 

Foghini began her television broadcasting career in Ecuador as an editor and producer before she relocated to the United States. She holds degrees in law and political science from Universidad Católica in Guayaquil, Ecuador.

  • Wednesday, Mar. 1, 2017
Geoff Bailey joins Alkemy X as creative director
Geoff Bailey
NEW YORK -- 

Creative content company Alkemy X has added creative director Geoff Bailey to its New York office. This move accents a noteworthy stretch of expansion in which Alkemy X almost doubled its staff and opened a new state-of-the-art production and post facility in New York City. The announcement comes on the heels of Alkemy X making headlines as the exclusive visual effects company on M. Night Shyamalan’s original thriller Split, which was the no. 1 film at the U.S. box office for three consecutive weeks. 

The genesis of the creative relationship between Alkemy X and Bailey formed in 2016 when the two collaborated on a 360° experiential film project for EY (formerly known as Ernst & Young) and brand consultancy BrandPie. Bailey served as the creative director on the project, which was commissioned for EY’s Strategic Growth Forum held in Palm Desert, Calif., last November. The experience was a showcase of Alkemy X’s entire arsenal of visual storytelling expertise, including live-action, VFX, animation, design, and editorial.

“After bringing Geoff on board for the EY project, we immediately recognized the potential for him to be a tenured creative leader at Alkemy X,” said Justin B. Wineburgh, president and CEO of Alkemy X. “The timing of this appointment couldn’t be more perfect with so many key growth initiatives coming to fruition this year. Furthermore, Geoff’s multidisciplinary background and branding expertise, coupled with his incredible work ethic and personality, aligns perfectly with the multitude of talent and high-end production resources that allow us to create exceptional work and continue to exceed our clients’ expectations.”

“I enjoy creating at the convergence of many disciplines and look forward to leveraging my branding knowledge to support Alkemy X’s hybrid creation pipeline — from ideation and strategy, to live-action production, design, and VFX,” remarked Bailey. “Together, I believe we can bring a depth of knowledge and creativity into new and unforeseen spaces. Of course, as a creative director, you can have all the great ideas in the world, but they’ll flat-out fail if you don’t have the right people to execute at a high level — and Alkemy X’s talent pool is far-reaching, including some of the best editors and digital effects artists I’ve ever worked with.”

Most recently, Bailey was a creative director at loyalkaspar, where he creatively led the launch campaign for A&E’s Bates Motel, while garnering numerous PromaxBDA Gold Awards and a Sports Emmy for the rebrand of ESPN’s College Football and Longhorn Network. He also served as creative director/designer on the title sequence for the American launch of A&E’s The Returned, and as creative director/director on a series of launch spots for the debut of Vice Media’s TV channel Viceland. Prior to that, Bailey freelanced for several of New York’s top design firms as a director, designer, and animator. His extensive freelance résumé includes work for HBO, Showtime, Hulu, ABC, Cinemax, HP, Jay-Z, U2, Travel Channel, Comedy Central, CourtTV, Fuse, AMC Networks, and Kiehl’s.

Bailey holds an MFA in Film Production from Columbia University. His films have screened at the Palm Springs International ShortFest, Los Angeles International Short Film Fest, Brooklyn International Film Festival, Nashville International Film Festival, BET/HBO Urbanworld Film Festival, Martha’s Vineyard International Film Festival, and numerous others.

“Geoff’s versatility as a visual storyteller is what makes him such a great creative leader, especially as Alkemy X forays into new opportunities in the realm of VR, branded content, gaming, and more,” concluded Nick Litwinko, Alkemy X SVP and New York managing director. “Not only does he demonstrate the rare combination of focus and imagination that’s necessary to bringing larger conceptual visions to life, but also he’s adept at all the necessary details and technique that goes into each phase of the filmmaking process.”

  • Wednesday, Mar. 1, 2017
Quietman hires Sophie Gold as EP/partner
Sophie Gold
NEW YORK -- 

Sophie Gold has joined Quietman as executive producer and partner. She brings with her directors Brendan Beachman, Justin Coit and visual storyteller Gerald McMorrow.

A native of London, Gold has experience leading teams across multiple territories, with a track record for elevating businesses on both coasts. Most recently, Gold was EP/director of business development at Moondog where she helped to build its production arm and to establish its creative division.

Quietman EP/partner Carey Gattyan said, “With the current climate of our industry, everybody has to throw their hat into the ring and be aggressive and strong. I am consistently impressed by Sophie’s incredible work ethic and how she puts her own brand out there. I know Sophie’s strength in marketing and branding will raise Quietman’s profile even further.”

Gold related, “I so admire the vision that Carey Gattyan and [Quietman founder/creative director] Johnnie Semerad have for the company, which comes to life in the high caliber of production work and polish that they always deliver.”

Founded in 1996 as a high-end VFX company, Quietman has evolved into a creatively integrated shop that covers the gamut of production and postproduction services. With the same core group of creative and production executives overseeing all disciplines, the Quietman team is able to craft content at all stages: from concept and design, high-end production, to editorial and finishing.

Recently Quietman tackled the rebranding of Pepsi Zero Sugar for broadcast and social platforms, producing the spots from start to finish. Quietman also handled the VFX and 3D animation leading up to Lady Gaga’s Super Bowl performance sponsored by Pepsi, along with creating new social content for Lays and handling the entirety of Matcha Love’s first-ever campaign. Meanwhile Gold recently produced several commercials for Nissan’s partnership with the Star Wars franchise in support of the film Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.

  • Tuesday, Feb. 28, 2017
Zambezi hires Gavin Lester as its 1st chief creative officer
Gavin Lester
LOS ANGELES -- 

Independent creative agency Zambezi has brought Gavin Lester on board as its first chief creative officer. He also has been named an equity partner in the agency. His career has spanned 20 years and two continents, having worked in London, New York, San Francisco and Los Angeles, for agencies such as 180LA, Goodby, Silverstein & Partners, BBH London and NYC. Over the years he has had a hand in high-profile campaigns for Sprint, Levi’s, Lexus, Sony, Netflix and Google, among others.  He has won assorted awards including Cannes Gold Lions, Andys, Addys, D&AD and Clios.
 
Lester comes to Zambezi following a long spell of freelance work at 72andSunny and previously was EVP, executive creative director at Deutsch L.A. where he led creative for Sprint.
 
Lester’s hire is a reflection of Zambezi’s rapid expansion following a streak of new business wins over the past two years, including Cox Communications, Hubert’s, Stance and Las Vegas Sands Corp. Recently, Lester worked with the Zambezi team in a freelance capacity on the agency’s “Come As You Are” campaign for Las Vegas Sands Corp’s Venetian Resort. He will take charge of a growing creative department that counts two other recent hires, creative director Dan Maxwell and associate creative director Annie Johnston, as well as key internal promotions--Ben George and Nick Rodgers to creative directors and Chris Rutkowski to associate creative director.

  • Thursday, Feb. 23, 2017
Ben Hibon named head creative director at Luma
Ben Hibon
SANTA MONICA, Calif. -- 

Creative studio Luma, known for its visual effects work, has hired Ben Hibon to serve as head creative director.
 
A career as an artist and animation director has taken Hibon from television commercials to branded content to video game creation for clients like Disney, Microsoft, Sony, and Riot Games. He has lent his design skills to feature films such as Snow White and the Huntsman and The Last Witch Hunter. Most notably he was at the helm of the Academy Award-nominated The Tale of Three Brothers animated sequence from Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1.
 
VFX house Luma is expanding into the realm of original content. Luma’s Santa Monica and Melbourne studios will continue their exclusive service model while developing partnerships that enable the company to be active in creative as well. Hibon will be working with the heads of Luma’s animated and live action content, and new content and media arms, helping to shape and guide the new branches toward varied forms of storytelling.
 
Founded by Payam Shohadai, Luma Pictures debuted in 2002 with visual effects for Charlie’s Angels and has gone on to contribute visual effects for such films as Deadpool, Captain America: Civil War, and Doctor Strange. 

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