Amy Matheu comes aboard as sr. art director
WONGDOODY, the creative agency recently acquired by global consultancy Infosys, has added two creative hires to its staff: Vanessa Witter as creative director and Amy Matheu as sr. art director. Both will report to executive creative director Pam Fujimoto out of the agency’s Los Angeles office.
Witter comes most recently from Campbell Ewald, where she worked on the Kaiser Permanente, Travelocity and Covered California accounts. She will lead creative on agency accounts Hallmark Labs and Cedars-Sinai. Witter created the viral sign for last year’s Women’s March featuring Princess Leia with the copy “we are the resistance.” Inspired by her admiration for the late Carrie Fisher and design icon Barbara Kruger, the image has since been replicated around the world.
Matheu recently spent time at Los Angeles-based Pitch, where she helped rebrand national chain The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf and hot sauce brand Tabañero. Before moving to the West Coast, where she’s worked with FCB West and Innocean, she worked as an art director at Crispin Porter+Bogusky on national brands including Arby’s and A.1. Steak Sauce. At WONGDOODY, she will work across a range of clients such as Hallmark Labs, The CW, and Cedars Sinai.
Both female creatives join the agency months after WONGDOODY launched June Cleaver is Dead, an in-house marketing consultancy dedicated to flipping the script on how brands market to moms.
ECD Fujimoto noted: “Amy and Vanessa are two rising star creatives, with strong attention to craft and a collaborative approach. The ideas they bring to brands are not only creative, but inspiring. We are so thrilled to have them join the team.”
Matheu said, “In my career I’ve learned from many talented creative minds, and I’m thrilled to finally have the opportunity to work under powerful and inspiring female leaders. Gender parity is still hard to find in our industry, but Wongdoody is actively making a difference, both in their offices and in their work. I’m proud to be a part of that.”
Witter added, “I’ve been a fan of WONGDOODY since the beginning of my career in advertising. I remember, as a junior art director, being really inspired by Tracy Wong and the fearlessness and joy he put into the work. The independent spirit, the smart, bold work, and the commitment to people and culture are all things I admire about this agency [in L.A. and Seattle].”
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