Commercial editing house Optimus, Chicago, has brought motion graphics specialist Rick Thompson on board as design director in its graphics department. He formerly served as a senior designer at Digital Kitchen, Chicago.
Thompson’s credits include entertainment projects for such clients as HBO, CBS and Showtime. He earlier spent 10 years as an Inferno artist at Chicago post house Swell, where he completed work for the likes of Budweiser, McDonald’s and adidas.
The hiring of Thompson continues the growth curve at Optimus. His joining comes on the heels of the company adding visual effects director Matt Daly.
On a separate front, Optimus won four Hugo Awards last month on the strength of its OptiTV initiative whereby the shop’s employees were encouraged to create their own original commercials which then ran on Comcast cable outlets in the Chicago market. The creative/morale booster for Optimus staffers yielded quite a body of work as chronicled in SHOOT last June. Among the spots was “Trappings of Leisure,” created and directed by Optimus’ After Effects editor Mark Butchko. The short won the Hugo Audience Award and a gold plaque for special achievement in computer graphics. More than 12,000 people voted for the Audience Choice honor, choosing “Trappings of Leisure” from 27 finalists, most of which were client-driven ad entries from Chicago agencies.
Optimus also copped a gold Hugo plaque for “William Elliott Whitemore” and a silver plaque for Remembering Monticello, also OptiTV creations. All OptiTV spots are available at www.optitv.com.
Director Lucrecia Signs With PRETTYBIRD For Her 1st U.S. Representation
PRETTYBIRD, the production company helmed by Paul Hunter, Kerstin Emhoff, and Ali Brown, has added award-winning filmmaker Lucrecia to its roster for U.S. commercial and music video representation. This marks the director’s first representation in the U.S. market.
Lucrecia has been signed to PRETTYBIRD UK since 2021, soon after winning UKMVA’s Best Pop Newcomer award for her Tarantino-esque music video for rapper/singer-songwriter Ashnikko--which the director pitched, prepped, and shot in only four days. Since joining PRETTYBIRD UK, Lucrecia has quickly made a name for herself. Her striking narratives, combined with a hyper-real aesthetic and iconic world creation, have been the centerpieces of her filmmaking and photography.
Her work has gone viral on more than one occasion. Her commercial for bibigo, “Live Delicious,” was widely admired and even recreated on an episode of Jimmy Kimmel. She has won awards from Kinsale Shark, Creative Circle, and UKMVA, as well as recognition at the Cannes Lions Young Directors Awards and Ciclope Awards.
Candice Dragonas, VP, talent strategy/executive producer PRETTYBIRD US, said of Lucrecia, “She brings a uniquely stylish approach to storytelling with the perfect splash of humor and playfulness. I admire her extreme passion for her craft and the drive to create at the top of her game.”
In addition to Lucrecia’s cinematic visual aesthetic, she routinely engages in another unique form of self-expression: nail art. She has had everything from whipped cream and cherries to chrome flames adorning her nails.
At PRETTYBIRD, Lucrecia joins a roster of filmmakers including Academy Award-winning duo Daniels (Everything Everywhere All At Once), A.V. Rockwell (A Thousand... Read More