The principals of award-winning design and production company Thornberg & Forester (T&F) are very proud to announce the appointment of design industry veteran Frank Pichel to the position of creative director.
"Frank brings expert creative thunder," said T&F co-founder and creative director Justin Meredith. "Our collective vision is to offer creative capabilities that are truly unlimited. We’ve been searching for the right person for three years, and finding Frank, everything has worked out perfectly."
"Beyond stellar conceptual thinking, directing, design and animation skills, Frank has the gift of ‘getting it,’" added T&F co-founder and creative director Scott Matz. "He is a seasoned professional who looks at no two challenges alike; Frank truly understands client interfacing and relationships. In addition to these qualities, Frank has a terrific sense of humor. We are honored add him to our company."
Growing up as a self-proclaimed "Army brat," Frank was born in Germany, and raised in Alaska, Thailand, and then Virginia. After earning acclaim as a bicycle racer, and a BFA in Sculpture from Virginia Commonwealth University, he attended the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, specializing in 3D CG animation, earning his MFA in Art & Technology and advancing his reputation by teaching Columbia College Chicago’s very first classes in HTML and web graphics. From 1996-2000, he served as Animation Department Chair for Colorado Institute of Art Denver while reviewing the animation curricula of educational institutions nationwide as an accreditation specialist. He also spoke during the keynote address for the Flash Forward 2000 Conference.
Addressing the adventures which followed, Frank said, "After school, I taught the technology used in making art for several years, and later I discovered making things was much easier than teaching others how to make things."
During the next 10 years, Frank’s high-profile career exploits took him to Boulder (as interactive department director for Zeitgeist), to LA (as freelance motion creative for Tinygravity), to Seattle and then New York (as creative director for Digital Kitchen), back to LA (as creative director for Superfad) and then back to New York (as creative director for Favorite Color). From May, 2010, to the present, he has been part of the creative management of Brooklyn-based art and design studio flightphase, while serving many top industry shops as a freelance creative through tendorcore, his own company.
Throughout this time, serving clients including ABC, American Airlines, CBS, Discovery, ESPN, FOX, HBO, MTV, Microsoft, Sony, and many others, he has been instrumental in creating hundreds of unique, innovative projects. Among his most recent honors are Gold BDA Awards and Silver Addy, Telly and CTAM Mark Awards.
"Thornberg & Forester has a very pleasant environment and attitude, and I was also drawn into their seamless collaborative process, and their real-world, concrete commitment to the artistic growth of the team," Frank explained. "Having achievable goals, a supportive team, and a sane life are very important to me, and I believe everyone at T&F understands that."
About Thornberg & Forester
At Thornberg & Forester (T&F), we believe that Design is Law(TM). Our smart and stylish original creations span the full spectrum of contemporary marketing communications, leveraging maverick talents in live-action filmmaking, animation and visual effects for ad campaigns, broadcast identity, feature film and television title sequences and promotions, digital media, experiential installations and much more. In addition to our production and design capabilities, T&F is also a resource for strategic, conceptual and creative solutions. Working alongside leading creatives, business executives and artists, T&F’s highly collaborative approaches perfectly balance effectiveness and elegance. What can we do for you? www.thornbergandforester.com
Roger Darnell DWA for Thornberg & Forester Phone: 1.828.264.8898 Contact Roger via email
“Ǝvolution” Comes Full Circle At The Chelsea Film Festival
The Chelsea Film Festival, running from October 16th through October 20th, 2024, at Regal Cinemas here in Union Square, is set to host the East Coast premiere of Ǝvolution, a thought-provoking experimental micro-short film that proves big ideas can come in small packages and in perfect circles.
In just 1 minute 16 seconds, this cinematic gem by Award-Winning Director Romina Schwedler, with original music by Argentine Composer Ignacio Montoya Carlotto, explores a cycle as old as time: life leads to progress, progress leads to destruction, and destruction, well, leads back to life. But is this vicious circle unbreakable? Ǝvolution suggests the answer is yes, unless we decide to open our eyes.
Inspired by the overwhelming number of recent events that threaten human existence, Ǝvolution, possibly the shortest film in this 12th edition of the festival, plays out entirely through the symbolism of circles, cleverly illustrating —in the blink of an eye— the repeating patterns of history, and confronting viewers with the uncomfortable truth that our so-called “progress” may, in fact, be guiding us to our own ruin.Premiering at the Regal 14 Union Square, New York City, on October 18, 2024, at 11 a.m., Romina Schwedler's micro-short, featuring Leah Young with cinematography by Alan J. Carmona, will be sure to spark conversations longer than the film itself! Forcing viewers to reconsider the true meaning of evolution, not just as a biological process, but as a reflection of our collective journey as humans.
With a string of festival appearances across the globe, including CineGlobe at CERN (Switzerland/France), Oscar®... Read More