Vinton Studios, the Portland-based shop known for varied forms of animation (character, CG, stop motion, cel) as well as live action encompassing commercials and entertainment fare, has added three directors to its advertising division: Courtney Booker, Jeff Drew and Aaron Sorenson.
At press time, multimedia artist Booker was wrapping an animated music video for the group They Might Be Giants. Booker’s paintings have been exhibited at assorted venues, including Philadelphia’s Vox Populi Gallery and San Francisco’s 66 Balmy. She worked in story animation and effects on Pixar’s Finding Nemo and The Incredibles during her two years at that Richmond, Calif.-based animation studio. Courtney’s short film Lesson One won the Audience Award at the New York International Film & TV Festival.
Drew has also been active in the short film discipline. He created the animated short Walk, which did well on the festival circuit, gaining exposure at such events as Sundance and the Independent Film Project West fest in Los Angeles. The short garnered an Audience Award for best animation at the New York International Independent Film & Video Festival. Drew has also done animation and title treatments for two feature films: A Tale of Two Pizzas, which was released last year; and a documentary, Splittin’ The Rock, which is slated for release this month. He also has several spot credits, while also creating in-store pieces for Chicago department store Marshall Field’s. His illustrations have appeared in numerous magazines and he cites his marketing campaign for Target promoting kids’ literacy–which included a series of original art posters–among his favorite projects.
Sorenson made his first professional mark at Wild Brain Studios, San Francisco, breaking in as a layout artist. He eventually became an animator there on various TV projects as well as the direct-to-video release Ferngully 2. Sorenson served as an animator on spots for such clients as Nike, Coca-Cola and KFC. He then transitioned to animation director working on campaigns featuring the likes of The Jolly Green Giant, Bugs Bunny and Cap’n Crunch. Departing Wild Brain in 2003, Sorenson was animation director and designer on a CG feature film, Khan Kluay, produced in Thailand.
Vinton Studios also maintains an office in Los Angeles. The company’s advertising division is under the aegis of president Paul Golden. Over the years, the studio has copped 10 Clios, 11 Emmy Awards and an Oscar. Its spot endeavors include long running campaigns for M&Ms, the NFL on FOX and Arby’s. In the long-form arena, Vinton Studios is producing the feature film Coraline, to be directed by Henry Selick, who joined the company as supervising director last May. Vinton is also co-producing the stop-motion animation feature Corpse Bride, with director Tim Burton and Warner Bros., scheduled for release this year.
Phil Knight, co-founder and chairman of Nike, acquired Vinton Studios in ’03. He serves as Vinton’s chairman of the board.