Director Brennan Stasiewicz of bicoastal production company Honor Society embarks on a stylish joyride in Stockholm, cruising amid picturesque city views in this brand film for the premium Swedish bicycle maker BIKEID, created direct to client. Going for a sophisticated “car ad for bikes,” Stasiewicz fuses cinematic visuals and sweeping landscapes with vignettes of three urban dwellers reliving epic rides through the city streets. The spot embodies the clear style of the bikes, driving home the idea that joy is found both through design and by never putting “your feet on the ground.” Stasiewicz funneled his creative chops into the piece by not only directing the spot, but also serving as the writer.
Havas Group Launches China Desk
The Havas Group announced the launch of Havas China Desk, an initiative aimed at supporting all aspects of China-related business for the group’s clients. The desk will also allow all of Havas Group’s agencies to strengthen their service offering, notably for Chinese groups looking to expand first in Europe and then worldwide but also for international brands aspiring to succeed in the Chinese market.
China Desk has already supported more than 20 clients and China-Europe projects across the group, including Beijing Capital Group, HNA and Alibaba Cloud’s debut in Mobile World Congress this year.
The new entity is Paris-based and led by Wanchen Chung, appointed head of China Desk. She joined Havas Group in 2013 as an international consultant. Composed of consultants with multicultural backgrounds, Havas China Desk works hand in hand with the group’s agencies across the globe, notably Havas China.
People On The Move…
Santa Monica-based VFX studio JAMM has hired animation vet and longtime collaborator Steward Burris as animation supervisor. Burris has been working with JAMM in a freelance capacity since its inception four years ago, and this position makes the partnership official. Burris has been animating and supervising on feature films, television, commercials, games, and VR since graduating Vancouver Film School over two decades ago. He's worked on everything from The X-Files and Breaking Bad to The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Harry Potter and the famous dancing KIA hamsters. Burris specializes in character performance and photo-real creature work. Examples of Burris’ skill for injecting warmth and personality into animated creations can be seen in the KIA Hamster spots, and in the awkward interactions between robots and humans in the Kohler “Never Too Next” commercial….Translation has appointed Kenneth Pang as the business lead for existing and new business on the West Coast for accounts including Alaska Airlines. Pang is based out of the agency’s San Francisco office. Pang was previously principal of his own consulting firm, Sec 127, where he worked with clients including Microsoft, Gatorade and Nestle. As VP of client leadership at HelloWorld, Inc., Pang worked with clients such as Starbucks and Intuit. Pang, who previously worked with Translation from 2007-2011, also consults with numerous startups at various growth stages and has co-founded multiple startups….
