Director Ben Hibon has signed on with Psyop Film and Television and will be joining their Vancouver office as the company continues to expand its efforts in the world of feature film and television visual effects, visual development, and creative direction.
Hibon is a celebrated artist and animation director, having designed and directed the lauded Academy Award-nominated The Tale of Three Brothers animated sequence from Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1. Throughout his career, Hibon has worked as a creative collaborator with a number of notable Hollywood directors, including the dynamic visual storytellers Zack Snyder and Tarsem Singh. Hibon has also recently contributed his skills as a designer to both Rupert Sanders’ Snow White and the Huntsman and Breck Eisner’s The Last Witch Hunter.
In addition to directing short films, Hibon has lent his talents to TV commercials, branded content, and video game projects for clients including Disney, Warner Bros, Universal Pictures, Microsoft, Sony, Activision, Riot Games, and Electronic Arts.
“After spending years competing with him for jobs in the commercial space and admiring his work on film projects, we’re excited to be joining forces to bring our combined strengths to bear on a number of design oriented short and long-form projects,” said Kymber Lim, managing director of Psyop Film and Television which maintains facilities in L.A. and Vancouver.
Eleanor Adds Director Candice Vernon To Its Roster For Spots and Branded Content
Director Candice Vernon has joined production house Eleanor for U.S. representation spanning commercials and branded content. She has already wrapped several jobs at Eleanor, which waited to announce her until they had a body of work together.
Via Eleanor, Vernon made history as the first Black director on a Febreze commercial. The “Small Spaces” campaign marks a major departure from Febreze’s typical blue-and-white world. The home of the “Revolving Door” commercial is a beautiful array of bold sunset hues, African prints, and African art.
Vernon said, “I asked myself, what feels right to me? What feels new? I wanted to bring an essence of not just Black Americans but the full diaspora. I wanted to make a statement that we’re not a monolith.”
Following the success of the “Small Spaces” campaign, Febreze brought Vernon back for a comedy-infused trifecta exploring the hilarious situations that call for an air freshening hero.
Febreze Brand VP Angelica Matthews said, “About two years ago, we realized the consumers that were the most loyal to Febreze were the African American consumers. And the more we learned, the more we realized the richness that we were really missing. So we said we have to go beyond just Black casting, we need to get Black directors that truly understand the culture that truly understand how to bring authentic performances out on screen. We really looked around the industry and noticed there’s actually a shortage of African American directors who have experience doing commercials. When we all saw Candice’s reel, we could all tell the passion for the craft, passion for really trying to help us from where we are to where we’re trying to go.”
Vernon brings a unique lens to... Read More