People on the Move

Deluxe Entertainment Services Group (Deluxe) announced that Skip Kimball has joined color grading and post house EFILM as sr. colorist. Kimball brings to the company more than 30 years of experience spanning features, television, music videos, and commercials. He recently finished work on seasons 1 and 2 of the Duffer Brothers’ Stranger Things on Netflix for executive producer Shawn Levy, and is currently on Deadpool 2 for Twentieth Century Fox and director David Leitch. Other recent feature credits for Kimball include Downsizing and Nebraska for Alexander Payne; Logan for Twentieth Century Fox and James Mangold; and the Terminator 2 re-master for James Cameron and Lightstorm.

William Sherak, president of Deluxe Post Production, described Kimball as “an immensely talented artist that top directors, DP’s and producers have come to rely on for his expertise in making their projects look amazing. He’s a perfect fit for our client-first culture.”

Kimball credits Sherak with drawing him to EFILM.  The two previously worked together on the re-issue of Titanic in 3D, which Stereo D converted for James Cameron. “William shared his vision for the Deluxe post operations which have worked on some of the top films and shows in the world, and it was an opportunity I couldn’t pass up.”

Kimball joins EFILM from Technicolor, where he spent nearly six years as sr. colorist. His previous experience also includes over 15 years at Modern VideoFilm where he worked on dozens of projects including Gone Baby Gone, Tropic Thunder, and James Cameron’s 3D epic Avatar; and Anderson Video where he began his career and first learned his craft on 35mm film.

Kimball joins a deep bench of colorists at EFILM that includes Natasha Leonnet, Mitch Paulson, Tom Reiser, Jason Hanel, Kevin O’Connor, Steve Delman, Adrian DeLude, Ben Estrada, and Matt Wallach.

Production and post house Optimus is bringing aboard editor/partner Angelo Valencia, editor Matt Glover, VFX supervisor Ryan Wood, sr. producer Joanna Woods and assistant editor Emily Hayes. This quintet most recently worked together at the Chicago office of Beast/Company 3/Method Studios, and is slated to officially start at Optimus on April 16.

Valencia has spent the last 20 years helping create award-winning content for screens of all sizes. He has edited commercials, short films, documentaries, music videos, and feature films. His client partners include BMW, Capital One, Southwest Airlines and Walgreens.  

Glover, with 10 years experience, has cut two Emmy Award-winning films, including “Chicago: The Most American City,” a short film for NATO, and “Emergence,” a film about dance. He’s cut work for Apple, Maui Jim, Nintendo, SC Johnson and Walmart, among others. A Detroit Native, Glover has called Chicago home for the past 15 years. 

Wood creates high-end visual effects, including compositing, finishing, CGI/3D animation and on-set VFX supervision. Wood has helped deliver original, award-winning feature film and commercial content for a wide variety of clients including the Super Bowl Pacman commercial for Bud Light, the VFX for the commercial release of Nintendo’s last Star Fox game, and the finish and compositing for the award-winning “Dad and Andy” for Whirlpool. 

Sr. producer Woods brings eight years experience overseeing all aspects of the post process. She has post-produced campaigns for brands including Allstate, Coors Light, Hallmark, Kellogg’s and Walmart, as well as Pearl Jam’s documentary film, “Let’s Play Two.”

Hayes brings six years experience as an editorial assistant, both at premiere post houses and as a freelancer. Winner of Camp Kuleshov Tent City 2014, she has assisted for brands such as Always, Capital One, McDonald’s, Miller Lite and Reebok. Hayes is passionate about documentary content and has collaborated on biographical shorts for athletes including Josh Gordon, Mike Marjama, Justin Pugh and JJ Redick. She has also cut music videos and social content for artists including Neko Case.

Optimus president Tom Duff said, “Angelo is one of the world’s elite editors, but what really sets him apart is his sincerity as a human being, and his loyalty and commitment to his people. We look forward to having him and his core team of Matt, Joanna, Emily, and Ryan join our Optimus family.” 

Designer Max France has joined UTÖKA’s roster of artists. France joins the Atlanta-based studio’s growing team of collaborative talent, expanding its capabilities as a one-stop creative house specializing in meeting the needs of brands across multiple platforms.

Prior to joining UTÖKA, France honed his skills during stints as a designer at the Atlanta division of Iris Worldwide, and as a graphic designer and screen printer at Red Weir Athletic Supplier. 

France interned as a graphic designer at Columbia College while earning his B.F.A. in Graphics Design with a minor in painting. After graduating in 2013, he continued his training at The Creative Circus where he studied design and art direction. 

A fine artist, skilled at motion graphics, as well as logo, print and packaging design, Max France explores a mix of techniques and technologies, seeking out fresh, engaging ways to communicate a brand’s message with compelling visual stories.

“UTÖKA is always looking for talent that is experienced in working across a variety of genres and adept at a mix of programs. We were very impressed with Max’s range of skills as a designer, illustrator and motion graphics designer, as well as his commitment to growing as an artist,” said UTÖKA CCO Ed Dye.  “His interest in expanding into 3D, one of UTÖKA’s core capabilities, and ability to traverse mediums and creative disciplines, makes him a perfect fit with our vision.”

“I really enjoy being part of a collaborative team. UTÖKA provides me with an opportunity to work with a wide range of multi-disciplined talent - from creative directors, animators, FX artists, and photographers to editors, directors, and producers,” said France. “They’re a great group of artists with a shared creative energy that inspires me to push boundaries.”

While still a young designer, France’s talents received numerous accolades. His packaging design for Yellow Leaf Granola was a Top Ten Finalist at last year’s 48 Hour Repack Design Awards, an invitation-only, package design competition created to spotlight the artistry of tomorrow’s most talented design professional. The digital covers France designed for a trio of books by Jack Kerouac earned him the Silver Award at the Creative Circus Student Show.

“We’re all about applying our collective artistry and creative sensibilities to designing brand messages that elevate this visual landscape - while maximizing the impact of a brand’s visual identity,” said Julie Kutler, UTÖKA’s group creative director.  “Max shares this passion. He’s an emerging talent with a fresh aesthetic and the creative agility needed to strengthen the connection between the visual elements of a brand’s message and today’s consumers.”

UTÖKA is a hybrid creative agency blending strategic design and end-to-end production services. 

DDB San Francisco, part of Omnicom Group Inc. (NYSE: OMC), has hired Whitney Ball as a VP and head of talent. She brings more than 20 years of executive human resources experience to DDB San Francisco and is a key addition to the agency’s leadership team. In her new role, Ball will be responsible for leading the agency’s strategic human resources and recruitment efforts, talent operations, and culture development. Ball will report to DDB San Francisco chief operations officer Valerie Bengoa.

For the last nine years Ball has been a human resources consultant, helping companies in a broad range of sectors design and to implement people strategies, solutions, and programs that align with each unique organization’s business needs. She has worked with a number of different Bay Area agencies varying in size and specialty, including Camp+King, BOCA Communications, Jack Morton, and Voice Box Creative.

In addition to being a consultant, Ball was VP, human resources, at EVB, where she was responsible for building and designing the HR infrastructure for the agency. Prior to that, Ball spent 12 years at Young & Rubicam (Y&R). She began in Y&R’s New York office and was later tapped to oversee HR at Y&R’s San Francisco office. After two years, Ball’s role expanded, and she became the HR leader and business partner responsible for HR services for Y&R San Francisco, Wunderman, and Mediaedge:CIA.

Ball’s hire follows DDB San Francisco’s announcement that Ben Wolan has joined the agency as executive creative director. Additionally, the San Francisco office has expanded client relationships with Symantec to include both the LifeLock and Norton consumer businesses, and recently won a new project for Energy Upgrade California, the multimillion-dollar statewide initiative.