People on the Move

BREAK+ENTER, a Nice Shoes company, has appointed Camille Geier as executive producer. Geier brings more than 20 years of top-level experience spanning features, episodic television and advertising. She will lead the studio’s creative, production and sales teams, overseeing current operations, directing sales and setting strategic direction.

Geier arrives from five years as executive producer at BOT VFX, where her credits included The Tragedy of Macbeth, Stranger Things, Lovecraft Country, Dexter: New Blood, The Mandalorian, The Watchmen and The Boys.  Previously, she held senior management positions with Click 3X, Curious Pictures, Rodeo FX and Rhino (Gravity).

Geier’s early career experience includes seven years at Industrial Light & Magic. There, she produced visual effects for Gangs of New York, Starship Troopers, Van Helsing and other blockbusters, and worked under such directors as Martin Scorsese, Paul Thomas Anderson, Woody Allen, Paul Verhoeven, Stephen Sommers and Clint Eastwood.

Geier sees her new role as an opportunity to innovate, work with an incredible team and produce groundbreaking visual effects.  “We have a phenomenal core group of artists and plenty of resources to work with in expanding the business.”  Geier added that she was impressed with the studio’s technical infrastructure, which makes novel use of remote and cloud-based technologies. “We have top-notch systems in place and expertise across creative, production and the technology that give us the capabilities of a much larger studio.”

BREAK+ENTER’s recent work includes Servant (Apple TV+), Pennyworth (Epix), The Many Saints of Newark (HBO) and Dexter: New Blood (Showtime). It is currently working on new projects for Netflix and Amazon Studios.

Blue Table Post has added editor Lorenzo Colugnati to its talent roster for exclusive U.S. representation spanning commercials, branded content and music videos. Blue Table becomes his first roost in the American market.

Colugnati is known for contributing to powerful narratives that span many genres, bringing to life the cinematic visions of directors including Casper Balslev, Gabriele Muccino, Igor Borghi, Justin Reardon, Rodrigo Valdes, Reynald Gresset and Xavier Mairesse.

In 2021 Colugnati--who’s based in Milan but works globally--collaborated with Barilla and director Xavier Mairesse editing the brand film The Origin, featuring Claudio Santamaria and Yonv Joseph. The film amassed a staggering 50 million views in just a week and went on to win the Grand Prix at the ADCI Awards. Other noted commercial work includes projects for Fiat, Doritos, Becks, Ferrero, Heinekin and Amaro Montenegro with agencies Oglivy, Publicis, Wunderman Thompson, and more.

“Lorenzo’s body of work is extraordinary and his artistry speaks to his genuine passion for storytelling through editing,” said Blue Table Post founder Oliver Lief. “As important is his warmth and genuine interest in connecting with people--those he works with and audiences who view each project.”

Colugnati said, “From the first time Oliver and I spoke, it was clear that we were both energized by many of the same things - editing, bringing people together in the creative process, and exploring the world through the ideas and a variety of perspectives. He has been very thoughtful in how he has created Blue Table Post. I am excited to be a part of it and to deepen my connection to the U.S. creative community.”

In addition to deep experience in commercials, Lorenzo has a passion for bringing a voice to social issues and the under-represented. His editorial work on the short documentary for the RIT Foundation, Please Arrest Me, earned accolades at Cannes, London International Film Festival, Spikes Asia, D&AD, The One Show and One Screen Short Film Festival. His commitment to cause work also includes global campaigns for the NGOs Emergency and Terre Des Hommes, which won multiple awards at the ADCI 2021 and NYF Advertising Awards.

Colugnati’s passion for editing was ignited by accident, when a summer job as an on-camera talent for a travel series exposed him to what he describes as “writing with images.” This revelatory moment was like a “storm coming through open windows” and changed his life trajectory. It’s a journey that has taken him from his countryside home in Italy to working throughout Europe, the U.S. and Vancouver, Canada where he contributed to episodic television including Dark Matter, Shadow Hunter and Falling Skies, before moving to Milan.

“Thinking about what I do, it really comes down to working hard and bringing enjoyment and ideas into the process,” he reflected. “The opportunities to tell interesting stories--for brands, causes, or for pure entertainment--are endless. It’s what I feel in love with and what continues to provide inspiration every day.”

Creative agency Red Tettemer O’Connell + Partners (RTO+P), based in Philadelphia, has promoted four longtime employees to associate partner. These new roles fall across digital, creative, and business affairs, among other areas of the agency which maintains a client roster that includes Stanley Black & Decker, Dietz & Watson, and Nestlé.

The new associate partners are Adam Leaventon as managing director and head of business affairs, Uri Weingarten as director of digital, Susan Baraczek as director of client services, and Todd Taylor as executive creative director. Leaventon and Weingarten will report to Steve Red, president and co-chief creative officer, Taylor will report to Steve O’Connell, partner and co-chief creative officer, while Baraczek will report to Carla Mote, managing partner, account management.

“We’re proud to announce a new level of partnership at RTO+P.” Red said. “Susan, Adam, Todd and Uri have been partners in spirit for a long time, continually using their talent and gumption to help push the agency forward, so we’re stoked to have them riding alongside us as official partners now.”

Once a lawyer at a global firm before leading the lifestyle business for PUMA, Leaventon during his tenure with RTO+P has overseen the strategy team and has developed work for the likes of Dockers, Under Armour, Dietz & Watson, Halo Top, and Stanley Black & Decker’s portfolio of brands.

Weingarten co-founded one of Europe’s first mobile-focused agencies in 2001 in London, working with Vodafone, T-Mobile, AT&T, and media companies Warner and Sony, before making the jump to RTO+P in 2011 Heading up the agency’s digital strategy practice for several years now, he has worked with the likes of Planet Fitness, Keurig, and Kellogg’s during his RTO+P stay.

Baraczek started her career at Ogilvy, where she led the Motorola team before managing the international Samsung team at Leo Burnett. At RTO+P, she has emerged as the agency’s most seasoned account manager over the last 15 years, leading businesses including Stanley Black & Decker, California Association of REALTORS, and FOX Networks.

Lastly, as one of RTO+P’s most tenured creatives, Taylor currently manages the agency’s creative teams alongside Red and O’Connell to ensure the agency delivers on-point, category-defining work, partnering with iconic and up-and-coming brands including Dietz & Watson, Nesquik, and William Grant & Sons’ portfolio brands.

“These promotions will impact every area of our business--from creative to account management to staff training--for the better,” said Mote.

“Relentless reinvention has always driven this agency forward,” added O’Connell. “This symbolic new beginning represents an opportunity to evolve again, never settle, to always figure out the next best step – and that’s exciting.”

New York Festivals® TV & Film Awards will honor Sean McManus, chairman of CBS Sports, with the 12th annual New York Festivals® Lifetime Achievement Award.

The award recognizes prominent industry leaders, innovators, and driving forces in the broadcast industry whose accomplishments have advanced their field and made a lasting impression on the industry.

“I am honored and humbled to receive the New York Festivals Lifetime Achievement Award, which is a tribute to the outstanding women and men with whom I’ve worked alongside my entire career,” said McManus.  “I have been fortunate to have some of the greatest mentors in sports television history and I owe a huge debt of gratitude to them all.  It all goes back to the enormous influence my father had on my personal and professional life. Without the guidance from him and my mom and finally the constant support and love from my wife Tracy and my children, Maggie and Jackson, I would never have been in a position to receive this incredible honor.”

McManus is in the midst of an extraordinary four-decade career as a television sports executive. McManus, who was named chairman, CBS Sports, in February 2011, oversees all sports properties across CBS Sports operations and also serves as executive producer of The NFL ON CBS. Serving concurrently as president, CBS News and Sports for more than five years prior to being named chairman, McManus was named president, CBS Sports, in November 1996 and, CBS News, in October 2005 and is only the second person at any network to hold both division titles simultaneously. (Roone Arledge held both at ABC from 1977-86.)

Throughout his career at CBS Sports, McManus has actively negotiated broadcast rights deals for major sports, including the NFL, the Masters, the NCAA Men’s Division I Basketball Championship, the PGA Tour, UEFA Champions League soccer, PGA of America, Southeastern Conference (SEC) football and college basketball.

As president of CBS Sports, McManus led the CBS Corporation’s efforts in returning the NFL to CBS, acquiring broadcast rights to the National Football League in January 1998. The network has retained NFL rights ever since. The ultimate dealmaker, he in 1999 led CBS to sign an unprecedented landmark agreement with the NCAA, which extended the exclusive over-the-air broadcast rights and also covered rights to the internet, marketing and corporate sponsorship, merchandising, licensing, cable television, radio, satellite, digital, and home video for the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship until 2014. The 11-year pact was the most comprehensive sports agreement in history. In April 2010, he negotiated a landmark deal, partnering with Turner Broadcasting, to extend the rights to the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship through 2024. The $10.8 billion deal is the most extensive and far-reaching network-cable sports deal ever created. And in April 2016, McManus, in partnership with Turner Broadcasting, negotiated with the NCAA an eight-year extension of its multimedia rights agreement for the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship through 2032.

As president of CBS News, McManus restructured and re-tooled the division--both in front of and behind the camera--and aggressively worked to build a strong corps of reporters as well as develop the next generation of CBS News correspondents.

McManus also serves as executive producer for the acclaimed show Inside The NFL, which moved to Paramount+ this year after 13 years on Showtime.

McManus is an 18-time Emmy Award-winner. In 2016, he was inducted into the Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame. In 2015, he was honored with the Legacy Award at the Cynopsis Sports Media Awards. He annually appears on the Sports Business Journal’s most influential in Sports list. And in 2010, McManus was inducted into the Broadcasting & Cable Hall of Fame.

The 2022 New York Festivals Storyteller’s Gala will be a virtual event taking place on April 26th in association with the annual NAB Show.