Mark Block, who had edited through Crew Cuts, New York, since 1989, has signed with Boomtown, New York.
Block’s most recent work through Crew Cuts, which also maintains shops in San Francisco and Santa Monica, was the summer campaign for Larami’s Super Soaker water guns via DDB Worldwide, New York The campaign consisted of six :30s and six :15s. Block also edited "The Chase" for Hasbro Interactive via Griffin Bacal, New York, which promotes the release of the CD-ROM video game "Pac-Man Adventures in Time." In the animated :30, Pac-Man is pursued through a maze-like Egyptian tomb by a quartet of ghosts. Cornered, Pac-Man leaps through the computer screen as the ghosts follow him into the "real world." The ghosts are thwarted when Pac-Man swallows a "magic power pill" and chases them back into the computer.
Prior to joining Crew Cuts, Block spent 11 years at Editing Concepts, New York, which he joined as a messenger in ’78, after graduating with a MFA majoring in film, from Columbia University, New York. In ’79 he became an assistant, first to Dominick Cervone and then to owner Arthur Williams. In ’80, Block was promoted to editor, a position he held for the next nine years.
Last year, Boomtown president Steve Kraftsow—who also started out at Editing Concepts and was a co-founder of Crew Cuts—contacted Block about the possibility of his old friend and colleague joining Boomtown. The call came during a three-month span when Block had received similar queries from several other shops interested in bringing him on board.
"I was happy with Crew Cuts and had no intention of leaving but because I’ve known Steve for twenty years and we were very friendly I wanted to catch up with him for old times sake," recalled Block. "We had a few meetings and I started to get excited about the possibility of joining Boomtown. Steve is very positive, enthusiastic and energetic about Boomtown and sold me on the idea."
Good Fit
Several other factors swayed Block’s decision. One was that Lenny Smalheiser, another veteran editor, had joined Boomtown last August and had glowing reports about his new roost. Another was that Boomtown had an independent sales rep for the East Coast and Midwest in Laura Zinn of Zinndependent.
"I have known Mark personally and professionally and thought his character, editorial style and all that he embodies would fit in nicely with us," said Kraftsow, who founded Boomtown six years ago.
He added that Block is already deeply integrated into the company despite only joining a month ago. "Part of the reason I wanted to work with Mark was because I valued his opinion so much—he’s got a broad view of the industry, he’s a big picture guy and yet is capable of incredible detail. That is a rare set of qualities and he has proven that over at least twenty years, which is a pretty good track record," concluded Kraftsow.
Other editors at Boomtown are Ryan McFaul, assistant editors Oliver Suh and Amy Selwocki and Smoke editor Swanand Kotjare.
