Eight VFX, the New York and Los Angeles-based visual effects, design and production studio, has named Abbe Daniel as the new executive producer for its New York office. In addition, the studio has named Carolyn Hill and Amanda Rosenberg of Carolyn Reps to handle sales on the East Coast. The appointments were announced by Eight VFX’s partners, creative director Jean-Marc Demmer and managing director Baptiste Andrieux.
Daniel joins Eight VFX from Leroy & Clarkson, the brand design and identity boutique in New York. She’s held key positions at production companies and agencies, specializing in the production of digital ad campaigns, visual effects work and experiential installations. Prior to Leroy & Clarkson, she was an EP at the experiential studio Fake Love, and has held EP/MD or sr. producer posts at such studios as Digital Kitchen, Curious Pictures, Click 3X and R/GA.
In her new position Daniel will play several key roles in the New York office; in addition to acting as both EP and general manager, she’ll oversee sales and marketing and is in the process of recruiting and hiring an experienced creative team, with plans to add additional VFX supervisors, CG supervisors, 2D and 3D lead compositors, designers and other key contributors.
Currently Eight handles a range of work, including commercials for such brands as Target, Pandora, Puma, Ram Trucks, New York Lottery, Call of Duty, Honda and Perrier. The studio has partnered with such directors as Craig Gillespie, Michel Gondry, Noam Murro, Tom Kuntz, and Michael Gracey.
The studio also has extensive feature credits, and provided VFX for the soon-to-be-released “I, Tonya,” directed by Gillespie. Eight’s New York office was the sole effects studio on this picture, completing over 200 shots delivered in under four months. They’ve also worked on films like “Beasts of No Nation” for Cary Fukunaga, “Knight & Day” for James Mangold, “Mother” for Darren Aronofsky, “Hostage” for Florent Emilio Siri and Gillespie’s 2014 sports drama, “Million Dollar Arm.”
Eight VFX has branched into episodic television as well, working on the hit Netflix series “Stranger Things 2” and “The Orville,” the sci-fi comedy from “Family Guy” creator Seth MacFarlane. For the latter, the studio turned around over 120 shots in under four weeks. “They tapped into our strengths for large digital matte paintings, set extensions and photoreal CG,” Daniel said about their work.
The main focus of growing Eight VFX’s presence in New York, Daniel added, will be to continue to build on their current relations, both with directors and production houses, as well as with agencies and brands. “We’re also expanding our design and development and mixed media services for all of our clients across the board,’ she noted. “Our goal is to help clients achieve their visions and meet their objectives, so all touchpoints across all platforms will be important.”
Said Shira Boardman, EP in Eight’s L.A. office, “I’m excited to have a true partner in Abbe. She’s tuned in to the details of how to bring the right elements together to support and improve a job, and she’s a great problem-solver with so many creative resources to tap. I’m confident we’ll be able to build a bigger and better Eight, together.”
Naming Carolyn Reps to handle sales reunites Daniel with Carolyn Hill, who repped Curious Pictures when Daniel was a senior producer at that storied animation and mixed media studio.
Director Kacper Larski Joins RSA Films For Spot Representation
RSA Films has added director Kacper Larski to its roster for commercial representation in the U.S. Larski is known for his work in automotive and sport, and a style of filmmaking which features epic visuals and gripping montage, often combining the real and surreal. Among his most recent commercial films are Garmin’s “Fenix 8” (direct to brand), U.S. Army Reserve’s “Helper” (DDB Chicago) and Bushmills Whiskey’s “Follow No One” (Mekanism). He’s also directed campaigns for Hyundai, Jeep, GMC, Subaru, VW, Mazda and Chevrolet.
Larski’s distinctive aesthetic emerged in one of his first projects, Land Rover’s “68 Years Later,” which won a Cannes Young Directors Award in 2016. Two years later, he directed the “Greatness is Rare” campaign for BBDO Toronto and the Canadian Paralympic Committee which won Cannes Lion Gold. Prior to joining RSA, Larski had most recently been repped in the U.S. market by production house Eleanor.
“The camera and film for me have always been about the ability to live 1,000 lives,” Larski said. “Stylistically, I want to transport viewers in whatever stories I’m telling--a super athlete’s runner’s high, a skier’s dream powder, a giant’s tale, even driving in space.”
“Kacper is one of the most exciting filmmakers I’ve seen over the last several years,” said Luke Ricci, president, RSA Films US. “Whether it’s a character, an emotion, an environment, car or other product, he has a special and distinctive way of capturing and articulating the world around him in all his work. He is a fantastic addition to our RSA family.”
“Joining RSA is a dream come true,” Larski said. “The roster includes some of the best filmmakers in the world, with founder Ridley Scott... Read More