Brand New School has brought Magnus Hierta on board as executive creative director at its Los Angeles studio. Hierta has had a diverse career, from ECD of Hue & Cry, the design and animation studio he founded, to a VP/creative director role at The Martin Agency. He earned his Bachelor of Architecture degree at the Southern California Institute of Architecture (SCI-Arc) and began using animation as a means to relay concepts in his building designs. Hierta then shifted into design and animation, as the industry was beginning to coalesce in his native Los Angeles.
During his tenure at The Martin Agency, he was pivotal in winning and managing the global Oreo account, beginning with the “Wonderfilled” campaign. The need for consistent design-focused content led Hierta to start Hue & Cry in 2014 as an animation division of The Martin Agency, working on Geico and UPS, in addition to Oreo. In 2018 he spun-off Hue & Cry as an independently owned and operated studio, seeing the need for a top-tier design company that would use an amplified understanding of agency-side thinking to make better work for clients. Its efforts garnered international awards, including Cannes Lions, AICP, Effie, One Show, and D&AD.
“I think any creative will tell you that we pour all our love for design and making into what we do,” said Hierta. “Brand New School is the perfect place for me to contribute my varied experience and passion.”
Devin Brook, managing partner of Brand New School, added, “As we continue to develop relationships with both brands and agencies, Magnus represents the unique intersection of those two streams of our business. Having collaborated with Magnus over the years, his thoughtful leadership on both the agency and production sides combined with his acute eye for design add immense value to Brand New School.”
First-Time Feature Directors Make Major Splash At AFI Fest, Generate Oscar Buzz
Two first-time feature directors who are generating Oscar buzz this awards season were front and center this past weekend at AFI Fest in Hollywood. Rachel Morrison, who made history as the first woman nominated for a Best Cinematography Oscar---on the strength of Mudbound in 2018--brought her feature directorial debut, The Fire Inside (Amazon MGM Studios), to the festival on Sunday (10/27), and shared insights into the film during a conversation session immediately following the screening. This came a day after William Goldenberg, an Oscar-winning editor for Argo in 2013, had his initial foray into feature directing, Unstoppable (Amazon MGM Studios), showcased at the AFI proceedings. He too spoke after the screening during a panel discussion. The Fire Inside--which made its world premiere at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival--tells the story of Claressa “T-Rex” Shields (portrayed by Ryan Destiny), a Black boxer from Flint, Mich., who trained to become the first woman in U.S. history to win an Olympic Gold Medal in the sport. She achieved this feat--with the help of coach Jason Crutchfield (Brian Tyree Henry)--only to find that her victory at the Summer Games came with relatively little fanfare and no endorsement deals. So much for the hope that the historic accomplishment would be a ticket out of socioeconomic purgatory for Shields and her family. It seemed like yet another setback in a cycle of adversity throughout Shields’ life but she persevered, going on to win her second Gold Medal at the next Olympics and becoming a champion for gender equality and equitable pay for women in sports. Shields has served as a source of inspiration for woman athletes worldwide--as well as to the community of... Read More