Boston-Based Animation/Effects Studio Establishes West Coast Presence.
By SARAH WOODWARD
Boston-based Olive Jar Studios, the animation and special effects house owned by president Larry Pensack and creative director Fred Macdonald, is expanding its operation with the addition of a Los Angeles facility. Roughly 5,000 square feet, the new facility features administration and production space as well as a stage. It will be fully operational on November 1.
According to Olive Jar executive producer Matthew Charde, the expansion comes at a time when the studio is experiencing growth on several fronts, including the long-format and theme-park markets. Olive Jar is known for its mixed-media animation projects and relies on various techniques, including stop-motion, CG, cel, cut-out, pixilation and drawn animation as well as live action and special effects.
This past spring the company produced a multi-spot campaign for the Massachusetts Department of Health’s Tobacco Control Program via Boston-based Arnold Communications (SHOOT, 5/7, p. 7). That assignment involved the enhancement of stock footage by way of various computer and manual techniques. Other recent projects include ads for Citibank via Young & Rubicam, New York; Arizona Jeans out of DDB Dallas; and Pillsbury via Leo Burnett Co., Chicago.
Outside the commercial arena, the shop recently began production on its latest theme park project, which Charde was not at liberty to discuss publicly. Previously, Olive Jar produced animation for two attractions at Universal Studios Islands of Adventure in Orlando, Fla.: Dr. Doom’s Fear Fall and the Incredible Hulk Roller Coaster. Olive Jar has also produced several original "visual treatments"—short films which are being shopped around as possible television or feature film vehicles.
Charde said it made sense for Olive Jar to establish a Los Angeles presence for several reasons. Most of the company’s long-format and theme park clients are based on the West Coast, and those projects tend to be lengthy. The executive producer also pointed out that having a Los Angeles address opens the door to new markets in terms of potential clients as well as available talent. Lastly, he said, "Having a presence and being able to work in the Los Angeles market is very energizing. We’re still headquartered in Boston and are a self-contained production facility here, and that’s great. But sometimes you need to get out and be in the middle of it."
Charde will run the Los Angeles operation from the company’s Boston headquarters. At this juncture, the executive producer described the West Coast office as "project based" and said that he and Macdonald will be "shuttling back and forth" between coasts. None of the company’s key Boston-based staffers—head of production Faye Cogen and associate creative directors Rich Ferguson-Hull and Bryan Papciak—are relocating to the West Coast. However, Mark Rhodes, Olive Jar’s executive producer of longform and theme park projects, is currently based in Los Angeles in order to oversee the aforementioned theme park assignment. Rhodes, who joined the company back in March, was formerly a media producer for Universal Studios Islands of Adventure. He will now head up the day-to-day operations in Southern California, where Charde has hired several technical and support staffers.
Olive Jar owns six 35mm cameras and two motion-control rigs which Charde said are fully transportable. The Los Angeles office has been outfitted with standard lighting and grip equipment as well as basic props and rigging tools. "It is suitable for the types of productions that we do," Charde said, "which is mostly miniatures, stop-motion and effects related work." In the coming months, he added, "we will respond accordingly" to staff, production space and/or equipment needs as they arise.
Olive Jar is represented by an art.fx contingent of New York-based Claire•Alden on the East Coast; Chicago-based Monaghan + Halpine in the Midwest; and San Francisco based @Vandamme on the West Coast.
Jury Presidents Named For The One Show 2025
The One Club for Creativity has announced the global creatives from around the world who will serve as jury presidents for The One Show 2025.
These creatives will lead judging for each discipline, and have a vote on the work.
Confirmed One Show 2025 Jury presidents, by discipline, are as follows:
--Brand-Side/In-House: David Lee, CCO, Squarespace, New York
--Branded Entertainment: Malcolm Poynton, Global CCO, Cheil Worldwide, London
--Creative Use of Data, Creative Use of Technology: Nancy Crimi-Lamanna, CCO, FCB Canada, Toronto
--Cultural Driver: Bianca Guimaraes, partner, ECD, Mischief, New York
--Design: Liza Enebeis, creative director, partner, Studio Dumbar/DEPTยฎ, Rotterdam
--Direct Marketing: Vicki Maguire, CCO, Havas London
--Film & Video: Javier Campopiano, global CCO, McCann Worldgroup & McCann Global, Madrid
--Gaming: Taj Reid, global chief experience officer, US CCO, Edelman, New York
--Integrated, Experiential & Immersive: Chris Beresford-Hill, worldwide CCO, BBDO New York
--Fusion Pencil: Walter T. Geer III, CCO, Innovation North America, VML, New York
--Green Pencil: Barbara Humphries, ECD, The Monkeys, Sydney
--Health & Wellness, Pharma: Wendy Lund, chief client officer, WPP, New York
--IP & Product Design: Ronald Ng, global CCO, MRM, New York
--Moving Image Craft & Production: Irene Kugelmann, chief creative officer, DDB Group of Companies Germany, Berlin
--Music & Sound Craft: Joel Simon, CCO, JSM Music, New York
--Out of Home, Print & Promotional: Kainaz Karmakar, CCO, Ogilvy India, Mumbai
--Public Relations: Patricia รvila, regional director for Latin America, รgora, Sรฃo Paulo
--Radio... Read More