Smoke & Mirrors, the international visual effects and design company, has teamed up with London-based The Assembly Rooms to offer offline editorial to agencies and clients throughout the U.S. Although The Assembly Rooms’ owners and editors Nik Hindson and Sam Rice-Edwards are known in the stateside market, this marks their first official foray outside their U.K. base.
“We’ve been editing projects for select agency clients here in New York for a while now, but this marks the official launch of a world-class offering that should interest our clients across the country,” said Mary Knox, managing director of Smoke & Mirrors.
Founded in 2004, The Assembly Rooms has cut numerous lauded commercials, including Vodafone’s “The Kiss,” edited by Rice-Edwards and directed by Frederic Planchon. “The Kiss” earned multiple awards in 2013, including a Cannes Bronze Lion for editing.
Over the years, Hindson, Rice-Edwards and other editors at The Assembly Rooms have worked on spots for such brands as Guinness, Barclays, HSBC, Coke, Budweiser, Lexus, Canon, British Airways and ESPN.
“We’ve built a reputation for knowledge and creativity in the U.K., and we now feel it’s natural to reach out to the U.S.,” said Hindson. “So much great work has come out of the States over the years, and we’re really looking forward to collaborating with American talent.”
Other London-based editors now available via Smoke & Mirrors in New York include Joe Parsons, David Stevens, Lou MacGregor, Matt Chodan, Simon Hargood, Ruth Hegarty and Kat Janes.
A global company, Smoke & Mirrors also has offices in London, Shanghai and Sao Paolo, in addition to New York. Recent commercial clients in the States include agencies such as Y&R, BBDO, mcgarrybowen and Mother, and brands such as Target, Google, Jaguar, Land Rover, Lord & Taylor and Coke.
The Assembly Rooms will be represented by Smoke & Mirrors reps Robin Stevens and Sarah Jenks in both the East Coast and Midwest regions.
