Industrial Color, a 25-year-old creative studio known for its high-end fashion and beauty postproduction work, has added editor Bruce Ashley and executive producer Gary Giambalvo. The moves, according to COO Mathieu Champigny, represent a strategic step in the company’s overall growth strategy targeting advertising and branded content production.
Hailing originally from Australia, Ashley has built a reputation as an editor thanks to his expert eye for the visual arts, perhaps best evidenced by his substantial fashion and beauty work for brands such as Tiffany, Avon, DKNY, Raw Spirit and Clinique. Work for other brands like Coca-Cola, Guinness, NBA, Facebook and Red Bull reflect Ashley’s expertise in emotional storytelling. Ashley has also cut groundbreaking music videos for such artists as Madonna, Bruce Springsteen, INXS, Santana and most famously Pearl Jam’s “Jeremy,” which won the MTV Video Music Award for ‘Video of the Year’ in 1993. His long-form work includes the 2015 feature documentary “Hitting The Apex,” directed by Mark Neale and produced/narrated by Brad Pitt; as well as concert films for U2 and David Bowie.
Ashley’s early editing career was spent at New York post houses Mad River Post and 89 Greene Street, as well as at television networks in Australia and London. In 2011, following four years at the post house Company X, Ashley co-founded the hybrid post boutique Goodpenny NY.
As Industrial Color’s sr. editor, Ashley noted that while the company is known throughout the fashion and beauty world, there is less of an appreciation of the company’s capabilities and talent in the advertising/branded content community, which he says offers a great opportunity to showcase his talent. “The chance to help brand this company in the mind’s of agency creatives and producers was hugely appealing to me,” Ashley said, “It’s always exciting when you have a stake in the company’s growth, and for many in the advertising world, this place is new. When they see what we’re capable of, and our amazing Tribeca office, they will be impressed.”
Meanwhile Giambalvo serves as EP/director of integrated production. A veteran production executive whose résumé includes the STUDIO, Curious Pictures, as well as being a longtime committee member of the AICP Digital Board of Directors, Giambalvo noted he was at a point in his career where he was ready for a new challenge and the chance to work on larger scale projects.
“I was looking for a place that had all the tools and talents in place, but that needed someone that could take those pieces, better integrate them and bring it to the next level,” Giambalvo said. “Industrial Color has all that and much more, and the cultural fit was obvious. The fact is we have a robust team of talented editors, animators and visual effects artists, and now with an editor like Bruce on board, we’re in a great position to compete in this highly competitive commercial postproduction world.”
Giambalvo added that Industrial Color is looking to grow further with the addition of several new producers and graphic designers the company will announce in the near future.
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.”
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