Sound Lounge, an artist-owned and operated audio postproduction studio in New York City, has brought Dawn Mjoen on board as its casting director. Mjoen’s career spans over two decades in commercial production and casting.
“Dawn is a respected and seasoned casting director,” said Marshall Grupp, COO and partner at Sound Lounge. “For its 25 years in existence, Sound Lounge has always recognized the importance of offering a casting director to all our clients whose only interest is delivering the best talent for television and radio campaigns.”
Mjoen has worked at several boutique and large studios, booking talent on acclaimed projects with AT&T, Mr. Peanut, Starry Lemon Lime and Revlon, among others. Her broad range extends to serving as an adjunct professor at Pace University, where she shared her knowledge of commercial voiceovers and the industry while teaching students the techniques of voice acting, microphone usage, and recording.
Over the past seven years, Mjoen has thrived as an independent contractor under Dawn Mjoen Productions, directing, recording, and booking talent for a multitude of platforms, including commercials, podcasts, video games, and animation.
Mjoen said, “Having spent over two decades immersed in this dynamic industry, I am eager to bring my passion for storytelling and my commitment to excellence to this division. I look forward to collaborating with the incredibly talented team at Sound Lounge and contributing to projects that captivate audiences and leave a lasting impact.”
Mjoen will oversee Sound Lounge’s casting division, with plans to expand into animation, dramas and podcasts. In her inaugural casting assignment at Sound Lounge, she filled several key voiceover parts for “Courage to Act: Rescue in Denmark,” a new exhibition about the extraordinary rescue of Denmark’s Jewish population in 1943, which opened at New York’s Museum of Jewish Heritage–A Living Memorial to the Holocaust.
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