Digital Domain, known for its breakthrough work in visual effects and immersive experiences, has relaunched its Advertising Experiences group, bringing executive producer Neil Gabriel and principal creative director Marcus Wesson on board to lead the operation.
Gabriel has laid much of the groundwork for the new venture over the past several months. The industry vet had been freelance producing some Digital Domain projects in late 2023 when he saw firsthand the company’s deep talent and resources–which he felt were well suited for and would prove invaluable in the evolving advertising marketplace. Digital Domain has a longstanding commercialmaking pedigree but the studio in recent years had not been as proactive as in the past when it came to pursuing ad industry business, turning its primary focus to features and television. Like Gabriel, Digital Domain president and chief operating officer Lala Gavgavian also saw the company’s untapped potential in commercials, branded entertainment and related experiential fare. She connected with Gabriel and brought him on staff back in March to spearhead the formation of the Advertising Experiences unit.
Gabriel, who most recently served briefly as a cost consultant, is known first and foremost for his extensive experience in leading production teams and establishing in-house studios at ad agencies, including The Collective (a TBWA division), ATTN, and Hawthorne Advertising. He held a leadership role in The Collective’s AT&T national retail marketing account, has a history of launching brands such as Home Advisor and Vari, and has had a major hand in creating campaigns for clients like L’Oreal, McDonald’s, Petco, Google, Airbnb and Dyson. Prior to his agency exploits, Gabriel was a mainstay exec producer during a lengthy tenure at Jay Silverman Productions.
Among the key moves Gabriel made to set the foundation for Digital Domain’s Advertising Experiences group was hiring Wesson who most recently served as chief creative officer at Dailey. His prior agency roosts as a creative included TBWAChiatDay, DDB and 72andSunny. Wesson’s campaigns over the years for brands like Activision, Nissan, Honda, CKE Restaurants and Nestle have earned accolades from competitions and organizations such as The One Show, Clios, Effies, Communication Arts, D&AD, the Beldings, Webbys, American Photo Magazine and TBS’ Funniest Commercials.
Gabriel and Wesson envision Digital Domain’s place in the ad marketplace as that of a content creation company, providing artistry, innovation and tech advances which can be deployed to help generate content that will connect and resonate with prospective consumers. Digital Domain can work directly with brands and/or dovetail with production companies, directors, ad agencies, marketers and others.
In that collaborative vein, Wesson now embarks on a new career chapter which marks his first foray from the agency to the studio side of the business. He sees his role in part as helping to advance the creative behind the work, teaming with agencies, production companies and brands to produce content that’s relevant and engaging. Digital Domain lends a new dimension to that pursuit as Wesson now has knowledge of and access to the studio’s toolbox encompassing digital human creation, proprietary software, VFX wherewithal, a state-of-the-art motion capture stage facility, and other varied technical innovations spurred on by in-house artists and engineers. What was once seemingly impossible is now attainable as Wesson can stretch his creative imagination knowing the capabilities available and being developed at Digital Domain.
Examples of that dynamic over the years at Digital Domain include such groundbreaking work as bringing the late Tupac back in the form of a hologram to perform on the Coachella stage, having Michael Jordan play basketball against himself, and putting Budweiser’s famed Clydesdales on the gridiron. Gabriel and Wesson hope to build on that legacy, taking brand storytelling to new heights–in varied forms, conventional and otherwise, as well as across different platforms.
Both Wesson and Gabriel will report directly to Gavgavian who stated, “Today marks an exciting new chapter for our Advertising Experiences unit as we relaunch under the visionary leadership of our newly appointed executive team. With their wealth of experience and forward-thinking approach, we are not just reviving the business; we are transforming it by combining fresh innovation with our proven legacy. This relaunch isn’t just about returning; it’s about redefining the future, leveraging new insights and strategies to meet the evolving needs of our customers. We are stronger, more agile, and ready to take on tomorrow’s challenges with renewed focus and energy.”
Part of the effort orchestrated by Gabriel has entailed what he calls “lunch and learn” sessions, with Digital Domain hosting a cross-section of the commercialmaking community, including agency creatives and producers, giving them demos of digital human tech, tours of the mo-cap stage, and raising general awareness of what the studio can offer. Wesson added that an open house is planned for the end of the month to showcase many of the tools in the Digital Domain arsenal, helping to reintroduce the company to the advertising industry at large.
Gabriel noted that Digital Domain’s expertise goes beyond technology, taking into account the ethics involved in the use of certain cutting-edge capabilities. He cited as an example virtual human technology, which he said amazes and terrifies him at the same time. Part of Digital Domain’s responsibility includes weighing ethical concerns which make it vital to deal directly with the estates of late historic figures to make sure they are depicted in the proper light ranging from Tupac at Coachella to a more recent virtual reality event featuring the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Gabriel noted that Digital Domain knows that harnessing technology as guided by ethics is essential when depicting legacy talent as well as current performers.
Digital Domain’s visual effects reputation has been built over the past 30 years. Its body of work spans hundreds of feature films and TV episodes (including season 4 of Stranger Things), thousands of advertisements, game cinematics and immersive experiences. The studio has brought its artistry to Best Visual Effects Oscar-winning films such as Titanic, What Dreams May Come and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. Digital Domain has also contributed to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, including record-setting box office performers in the Avengers franchise. Since 2016, the company has charted a pioneering course into the realms of virtual reality technology and artificial intelligence, revolutionizing the creation of emotionally expressive and photorealistic virtual humans in real-time. Digital Domain Holdings Limited is listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. The company has a global presence, with offices in hubs such as Los Angeles, Vancouver, Montreal, Luxembourg, Hyderabad, Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen, and Hong Kong.
