Eric McCasline has taken the helm of Final Cut Los Angeles as executive producer. Most recently, McCasline was the EP at design-based collective, Wolf & Crow where he helped to bring in and oversaw projects for Nike, Google, Apple and Jeep.
McCasline honed his postproduction skills at visual effects studio MPC, working in both Los Angeles and London, an experience he cites as informing his understanding of Final Cut which maintains offices in London, NY and L.A.
Prior to post, McCasline was a live action mainstay. Raised in Portland, Ore., from the age of ten, it was only natural that his start in the business was working productions for Adidas and Nike with Wieden + Kennedy. From there he moved to L.A., and spent over a decade on productions with Smuggler, Backyard, MJZ, @radical.media, HSI, Hungry Man, and Tool.
He has now gone full circle with his move to Final Cut. “One of the many reasons I am excited about Final Cut is the opportunity to get reconnected with the narrative filmmaking of advertising. The expert artists, starting with [editor] Rick Russell all the way down, craft pure storytelling in the most compelling and inspirational manner.”
“Final Cut is at a time of great growth, adding more full service creative options,” said Stephanie Apt, president of Final Cut. “With such a multidimensional background, Eric is the perfect leader to both enhance our existing partnerships and maximize our capabilities for continued development.”
Eleanor Adds Director Candice Vernon To Its Roster For Spots and Branded Content
Director Candice Vernon has joined production house Eleanor for U.S. representation spanning commercials and branded content. She has already wrapped several jobs at Eleanor, which waited to announce her until they had a body of work together.
Via Eleanor, Vernon made history as the first Black director on a Febreze commercial. The “Small Spaces” campaign marks a major departure from Febreze’s typical blue-and-white world. The home of the “Revolving Door” commercial is a beautiful array of bold sunset hues, African prints, and African art.
Vernon said, “I asked myself, what feels right to me? What feels new? I wanted to bring an essence of not just Black Americans but the full diaspora. I wanted to make a statement that we’re not a monolith.”
Following the success of the “Small Spaces” campaign, Febreze brought Vernon back for a comedy-infused trifecta exploring the hilarious situations that call for an air freshening hero.
Febreze Brand VP Angelica Matthews said, “About two years ago, we realized the consumers that were the most loyal to Febreze were the African American consumers. And the more we learned, the more we realized the richness that we were really missing. So we said we have to go beyond just Black casting, we need to get Black directors that truly understand the culture that truly understand how to bring authentic performances out on screen. We really looked around the industry and noticed there’s actually a shortage of African American directors who have experience doing commercials. When we all saw Candice’s reel, we could all tell the passion for the craft, passion for really trying to help us from where we are to where we’re trying to go.”
Vernon brings a unique lens to... Read More