The Art Directors Club today announced its class of 2012 for induction into the ADC Hall of Fame: Illustrator Barry Blitt; David Droga, creative chairman, droga5; photographer Mary Ellen Mark; Deborah Sussman, principal and founder, Sussman/Prejza; and winner of the Educator Award, Kevin O’Callaghan, School of Visual Arts (SVA) 3D design chair.
The new group of laureates, representing advertising, design, filmmaking, illustration, photography and education, will be inducted at a creative black-tie benefit gala held for the first time during Advertising Week in New York–on the evening of Friday, October 5.
In celebration of the new inductees–the ADC will be hosting the Festival of Fame, a series of events this fall at their gallery in New York, which will include an exhibition of inductees’ work, designed and curated by the laureates themselves, and a series of speaker events.
Select insights
Hall of Fame Selection Committee members talked about the class of 2012 and the rationale for their inclusion among a group of luminaries that over the years includes the likes of Walt Disney, Annie Liebovitz, Andy Warhol, Lee Clow, Dan Wieden, Jay Chiat and Alex Bogusky.
Committee member and lauded director Bob Giraldi, owner of Giraldi Media and chair of the Live Action Short Film Graduate Department of the School of Visual Arts, said of Droga, “In the long history of ad agency brilliance–successful writers and outrageously distinctive art directors have ruled the land. And now, add the name David Droga to that list as this truly independent and innovative agency thinker takes his place as one of the creative geniuses of the modern marketing world.”
Ivan Chermayeff, founding partner, Chermayeff & Geismar, related, “Consistency counts, making Barry Blitt a master of incisive, penetrating insights into the foibles of the characters of our times. He delivers with clarity in his own original style over and over again. The wonder is how he moves so fast to be so to the point so often.”
Janet Froelich, creative director, Real Simple, and ADC Hall of Fame laureate, said, “Mary Ellen Mark occupies a rare position in the world of photography — one of a handful of photographers equally known for incisive, groundbreaking photojournalism, and iconic, emotionally charged portraiture. She is considered a master of visual storytelling and her richly saturated images have become icons in the history of magazine design.”
Richard Wilde, ADC advisory board member, ADC Hall of Fame laureate and chair, Advertising and Graphic Design Department, School of Visual Arts, shared, “In the history of three-dimensional-design education, Kevin O’Callaghan has taken his vision to unimaginable heights inspiring students to achieve a professional level of excellence far beyond expectations.”
Louise Fili, president, Louise Fili Ltd. and Hall of Fame co-chair, noted, “Deborah Sussman’s induction into the Hall of Fame is long overdue. As one of the original students of the American Bauhaus and a designer at the studio of Charles and Ray Eames, she emerged as a pioneer of modern graphic design, as well as a role model for generations of young women.”
In addition to Giraldi, Chermayeff, Froelich, Wilde and Fili, the 2012 Hall of Fame Selection Committee includes: Anthony P. Rhodes, executive VP, School of Visual Arts, Hall of Fame Co-chair; Gail Anderson, faculty, School of Visual Arts; Doug Jaeger, partner, JaegerSloan Inc., ADC second VP, ADC Advisory Board president; Benjamin Palmer, co-founder and CEO, the barbarian group, ADC Board president; Richard Wilde, Design and Advertising Department, School of Visual Arts; and George Lois, art director, ADC past president.
Next month’s benefit gala will be emceed by Cindy Gallop, with all proceeds feeding the wide range of ADC educational programs.
ADC established the Hall of Fame in 1971 as a cross-disciplinary acknowledgement of the most renowned professionals in visual arts and communications. Past inductees represent a diverse group of luminaries in those fields, for the complete list, click here.
Director Cassandra Brooksbank Joins Monument Content For Spots and Branded Content
Monument Content has signed director Cassandra “Cassie” Brooksbank for U.S. representation spanning commercials and branded content. She brings to her directing and storytelling the experience and skills of a writer, conceptual artist, editor and visual effects artist.
Her body of work as a director includes Pepsi’s “Selfie” featuring Lionel Messi amid a flurry of fans, Barclays madcap women’s Soccer League spot where she collaborated closely with the agency to develop the creative, ultimately winning the Grand Jury Prize at the Sports Industry Awards, and a grass-roots campaign for Fellow Coffee. The latter just didn’t brew buzz; it helped raise $1.2 million on Kickstarter.
Prior to joining Monument Content, Brooksbank had been repped in the U.S. for commercials by production house Hey Wonderful.
On the long-form front, she is repped by CAA for film and television. And on the horizon is her debut feature, My Masterpiece, produced by Sylvester Stallone’s Balboa Productions and backed by Amazon.
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