Leading production and post house Optimus today announced the promotions of Mark Butchko to creative director and Jim Moss to effects artist. In their new roles, Butchko will provide creative leadership on all design department projects and Moss will continue to support cross-departmental projects including design, VFX, motion graphics and finishing.
“Mark’s humble professionalism has served as a model for the Optimus community,” said Optimus Executive Creative Director Mike Ciacciarelli. “He has a smart, sharp approach to creativity, an incredible work ethic, a desire to elevate every job beyond the storyboards, and an ability to effortlessly deliver complicated work full of subtlety and nuance. We are thrilled to give this well earned promotion to an artist who is working at the highest level of his craft.”
Butchko has been with Optimus since 2002, when he started there as an intern. Before taking on his role as creative director, Butchko was a senior designer for the production and post house. He has worked with clients including Animal Planet, CDW, Dove Chocolate, Pitchfork Music Festival and Shedd Aquarium. He also works as a type designer, and his work as been seen in movies such as “Ex Machina” (2014) and “The Martian “(2015). Says Mark, “I look forward to taking a more formal leadership role within Optimus Design and fostering an even more creative and productive environment for our talented group of designers. I’m also excited to further expand our client base by uncovering new and interesting avenues outside the traditional realm of broadcast television.”
Jim Moss, who studied digital cinema and animation at DePaul University, started in the post-production world immediately after graduation with an internship at Optimus in late 2010. Mentoring under Noren, he has moved up through the ranks from finish/graphics assistant to associate finish artist. Jim has worked with clients including Ben & Jerry’s, CDW, JCPenney, McDonalds, Nintendo and Suave. Comments Jim, “I have been so fortunate to work with so many talented and fun people at Optimus. I look forward to continuing to work with and learn from such amazing people. My main goal is to make sure we execute every job at the highest level.”
Optimus Effects Director Glen Noren added, “Jim’s flexibility, versatility, talent and eagerness to jump in on any project has earned him the promotion to effects artist. He is a trained animator and master of many different effects and finishing tools. He has become a go-to resource for almost everyone at Optimus, and he's always ready to go the distance to finish the job beautifully and on schedule.”
About Optimus
Optimus is a leading production and post-production house located in Chicago. A true one stop shop, Optimus and its production arm One at Optimus offer a full suite of creative services, including production, editing, color correction, visual effects and design, audio mixing and finishing. For more information, please visit www.optimus.com, http://design.optimus.com and www.oneatoptimus.com. Connect with us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/Optimus161 and www.facebook.com/OneAtOptimus.
