Anwar Khuri has been hired to serve as executive producer of independent agency The Escape Pod and its production arm, Gravity Well Studio. Khuri is responsible for expanding The Escape Pod’s production capabilities and growing the studio to offer clients the full range of production solutions.
Prior to The Escape Pod and Gravity Well, Khuri produced award-winning, national and international multimedia campaigns for notable brands including Burger King, General Motors, SC Johnson, Coors Light, CDW, Kimberly-Clark, Grainger and Dove. He honed his production chops as sr. producer at agencies including Ogilvy & Mather, DraftFCB and McCann Erickson, in addition to founding and serving as executive creative director and production lead for Popskull, a boutique creative agency serving such clients as SkinnyPop and Lyft.
Norm Bilow, managing director of The Escape Pod Group and Gravity Well Studio, said, “In our business, speed to ideas is a competitive advantage. Gravity Well enables us to deliver breakthrough creative ideas and the production prowess to bring them to life at any scale. Anwar’s experience is deep and diverse, ranging from national TV campaigns and experiential activations for Fortune 500 companies to scrappy social content for start-ups, and everything in between. He also ran his own agency, so he knows firsthand how to make ideas happen while stewarding clients’ budgets and the agency’s business goals. With Anwar at the helm, there’s no limit to the range and scale of productions we can provide, both for our full-service clients and studio projects.”
Oscar and Emmy-Winning Composer Kris Bowers Joins Barking Owl For Advertising, Branded Content
Music, audio post and sonic branding house Barking Owl has taken on exclusive representation of Oscar and Emmy-winning composer Kris Bowers for advertising and branded content.
Bowers’ recent film scores include The Wild Robot and Bob Marley: One Love, alongside acclaimed past works such as The Color Purple (2023), King Richard and Green Book. His contributions to television are equally impressive, with scores for hit series like Bridgerton, When They See Us, Dear White People, and his Daytime Emmy Award-winning score for The Snowy Day.
In addition to his work as a composer, Bowers is a visionary director. He recently took home the Academy Award for Best Documentary Short Subject for his directorial work on The Last Repair Shop. The emotionally touching short film spotlights four of the people responsible for repairing the musical instruments used by students in the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD). The Last Repair Shop reflects the positive influence that musical instruments have on the youngsters who play them, and the adults in the LAUSD free repair service who keep them working and in tune.
Barking Owl CEO Kirkland Alexander Lynch said of Bowers, “His artistry, diversity of style and depth of storytelling bring an unparalleled edge to the work we create for global brands. His presence on our roster reflects our continued commitment to pushing the boundaries of sound and music in advertising.”
Johanna Cranitch, creative director, Barking Owl, added, “Kris first caught my attention when he released his record ‘Heroes + Misfits’ where he fused together his jazz sensibility with a deeply ingrained aptitude for melody, so beautifully.... Read More