Tool has added executive producer Christopher Neff to its digital team. He will help oversee Tool’s digital productions and play a key role in the company’s growth.
Neff joins Tool following his role as Director of Interactive Production at 180LA, bringing a wealth of agency experience and understanding to the production side. At 180LA, Neff most recently spearheaded the interactive component of Pepsi’s soccer-themed project “Now is What You Make It,” which follows YouTube musician Stony as he embarks on a star athlete-studded walk through Rio de Janeiro’s lively streets. Fans can explore alternate story lines, discover additional aspects of the athletes’ involvement, and unlock a series of original interactive moments including one involving U.S. soccer player Clint Dempsey.
Previously, Neff worked on HP’s award-winning interactive YouTube experience “2Days Beat” featuring producer Clams Casino, Sony’s Google Earth-enabled, Facebook-based $1 million digital treasure hunt which earned him a 2012 One Show Interactive Award, and a Facebook monster battle simulator for Sony via 180LA.
Dustin Callif, Tool’s managing partner, digital, described Neff as “an ideal person to help evolve and grow our digital capabilities.”
Tool is looking to build on last year’s success, which included winning an Emmy and receiving 14 Cannes Lions. Tool has recently launched several groundbreaking digital projects, including “Remote Control Tourist” for Tourism Victoria, the “First Love” campaign for PlayStation 4’s Gran Turismo 6, and Nissan’s “Passion Genome.”
SCHROM x Yacht Club and Be Electric Studios Launch Electric XR for Virtual Production
SCHROM x Yacht Club, a full-service live-action, tabletop, and postproduction company, has teamed with Be Electric Studios, a soundstage, equipment rental, and virtual production company, to launch Electric XR, a virtual production collective.
Industry veteran Thomas Rossano will lead the new venture, which provides advanced virtual production solutions across multiple facilities. He brings over 25 years of experience in live-action, tabletop, postproduction and talent curation to enhance Electric XR’s offerings as a resource for brands and agencies, as well as other production companies in need of virtual production solutions. Additionally Rossano continues to serve as EP at XR New York (XR-NY), a role he’s held since December 2022. SCHROM x Yacht Club originally established XR-NY to help provide XR services for third-party rentals. While XR-NY will continue to function independently for SCHROM X Yacht Club, it now operates under the Electric XR umbrella.
Rossano’s expertise spans producing live-action commercials, branded content, interactive and experiential content. In addition to leading Electric XR, he holds responsibilities at SCHROM x Yacht Club which include driving business development, collaborating with sales reps and expanding the company’s creative talent network. Rossano’s career includes serving as an exec producer at Hungry Man for about 11 years, right from that company’s inception. He then went on to become a partner at Station Film where he also had a lengthy tenure. Later he was a partner at PRISM. Then after the pandemic hit, he became a freelance EP for nearly two years, looking into opportunities in virtual production, which led him to XR NY and now Electric XR. Over the years, he has produced high-profile... Read More