Chimney, an independent content company specializing in film, television, commercials, and digital media, has opened a state-of-the-art facility in New York City. For over 20 years, the group has been crafting award-winning production and post for some of the world’s most recognized brands, including IKEA, Audi, H&M, Chanel, Nike, Suntrust, HP, UBS, and more. Chimney was also the post partner for the feature films “Chappaquiddick,” “Her,” “Atomic Blonde,” and “Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy.”
The New York opening is a major development in Chimney’s global strategic expansion efforts–now with 14 offices worldwide–following its founding in Stockholm in 1995.
“Launching in New York is a benchmark long in the making, and the ultimate expression of our philosophy of ‘boutique thinking with global power’,” said Henric Larsson, Chimney founder and COO. “Having a meaningful presence in all of the world’s economic centers with diverse cultural perspectives means we can create and execute at the highest level in partnership with our clients.”
The New York opening supports Chimney’s mission to connect its global talent and resources, effectively operating as a 24-hour, full-service content partner to brand, entertainment, and agency clients no matter where they are in the world.
Chimney has signed on several industry vets to spearhead the New York office. Leading the U.S. presence is Marcelo Gandola, CEO North America, who brings extensive strategic operations and management experience for some of the industry’s most well-known companies. Gandola’s former experience includes chief operations officer at Harbor Picture Company; EVP at Hogarth; SVP of creative services at Deluxe Entertainment Services Group; and VP of operations at Company 3.
“Marcelo has a proven track record of building and growing businesses in rapidly evolving and often turbulent industries,” said Larsson. “Possessing an entrepreneurial mindset and strong leadership instinct is necessary to lead our teams. Marcelo has a vision, which is key to establishing, but also growing Chimney in North America.”
Award-winning colorist and director Lez Rudge serves as Chimney’s head of color North America. As a former partner and senior colorist at Nice Shoes in New York, he is highly regarded as a major player in the industry for his artistic talent and proven success collaborating with some of the world’s top agencies, directors, and DPs. He has worked alongside the likes of Spike Lee and Darren Aronofsky, and on major brand campaigns for Maybelline, Revlon, NHL, Jeep, Humira, Spectrum, and Budweiser.
Managing director Ed Rilli will spearhead the day-to-day logistics of the New York office. As the former head of production of Nice Shoes, he has an impressive rolodex, producing major campaigns for such brands as NFL, Ford, Jagermeister, and Chase.
Sam O’Hare, chief creative officer and lead VFX artist, will oversee the entire VFX team. Bringing experience in live-action directing, VFX supervision, still photography, and architecture, O’Hare’s is a sought-after artist for photorealistic CGI production.
In addition, Chimney has brought on cinematographer and colorist Vincent Taylor, who joins from MPC Shanghai, where he worked with brands such as Coca-Cola, Porsche, New Balance, Airbnb, BMW, Nike, and L’Oréal.
The 6,000-square-foot NYC office will feature DaVinci/Resolve color rooms, Autodesk Flame suites and a robust VFX bullpen, multiple edit rooms, a DI theater, and a Dolby Atmos mix stage through a joint venture with Gigantic Studios.
Apple sells $46 billion worth of iPhones over the summer as AI helps end slump
Apple snapped out of a recent iPhone sales slump during its summer quarter, an early sign that its recent efforts to revive demand for its marquee product with an infusion of artificial intelligence are paying off.
Sales of the iPhone totaled $46.22 billion for the July-September period, a 6% increase from the same time last year, according to Apple's fiscal fourth-quarter report released Thursday. That improvement reversed two consecutive year-over-year declines in the iPhone's quarterly sales.
The iPhone boost helped Apple deliver total quarterly revenue and profit that exceeded the analyst projections that sway investors, excluding a one-time charge of $10.2 billion to account for a recent European Union court decision that lumped the Cupertino, California, company with a huge bill for back taxes.
Apple earned $14.74 billion, or 97 cents per share, a 36% decrease from the same time last year. If not for the one-time tax hit, Apple said it would have earned $1.64 per share — topping the $1.60 per share predicted by analysts, according to FactSet Research. Revenue rose 6% from last year to $94.93 billion, about $400 million more than analysts forecast.
But investors evidently were hoping for an even better quarter and appeared disappointed by an Apple forecast that implied its revenue for the October-December quarter covering the holiday shopping season might not grow as robustly as analysts envisioned. Apple's stock price shed about 2% in Thursday's extended trading, leaving the shares hovering around $221 — well below their peak of about $237 reached in mid-October.
The latest quarterly results captured the first few days that consumers were able to buy a new iPhone 16 line-up that included four different models designed... Read More