Integrated production company 1stAveMachine has added director Ben Steiger Levine to its roster. Levine comes over to the New York-based house from bicoastal aWHITELABELproduct; he continues to be handled in Canada by Spy Films, Toronto.
Getting his start in Canada, where he received multiple grants to produce his short films, Levine has since successfully diversified into directing music videos and commercials.
Levine’s films often border on bizarre and beautiful, hinting at themes of humanity and existence through clever re-imagination of the human form. His filmography includes Heavens to Purgatory where deconstructed bodies act as living decoration, and “You Are Never Alone” for the band Socalled where the lead artist’s face is re-appropriated as a film projector.
“Mr. Hurricane,” Levine’s Grammy Award-nominated music video for Beast, helped gain him inclusion into Saatchi & Saatchi New Directors Showcase in 2009. In the clip, a swarm of bees discovers its own fleeting human soul. That ’09 Saatchi Showcase, incidentally, also featured work from 1stAveMachine directors Aaron Duffy and Antonio Balseiro.
“I love to experiment in my work. 1stAveMachine is a great place for me, because they’re always pushing the envelope and doing the most interesting stuff,” said Levine.
Serge Patzak, 1stAveMachine’s co-founder, noted that Levine’s work “translates well across many platforms” spanning traditional and non-traditional media.
Blaise Cepis Signs With Institute For Commercial and Artist Representation
Production company Institute has added director and photographer Blaise Cepis to its roster. Cepis marks Institute’s fourth dual signing to both its commercial directing and photography rosters, alongside Lauren Greenfield, Ray Neutron, and Thandiwe Muriu, cementing Institute’s multi-platform production expertise in delivering creative collaboration for clients.
Cepis is known for creating bright, absurd, subtly opulent, and surreal visuals in his work, which celebrates the exaggerated human condition and the unique traits that make people unforgettable. A graduate of the Parsons School of Design, he built his career as an art director at ad agencies including JWT, Mother, Sid Lee, and Orchard Creative, working on campaigns for brands such as Cadillac, Red Bull, PepsiCo, Absolut, and Smirnoff. He then spent nearly a decade making a name for himself as a freelance director and photographer, blending his advertising experience and background in fine art and design to create wholly original work. As a director/photographer, he has worked with brand clients including Calvin Klein, Adidas, Puma, Velveeta, Bombas, Chevrolet, Remy Martin, Impossible Foods, The New Yorker, NBC, and Vice. Prior to joining Institute, Cepis had been repped by artist management firm agency/production company DMB.
“Institute’s roster is brimming with exceptional, heavy-hitting talent, and I’m honored to join the ranks,” said Cepis. “As a director, being able to rally the team around an idea while earning the trust of our collaborators is my ultimate goal. Having the support of such an amazing team, with all of their experience and presence, feels great. I’m excited to get started.”
“Blaise is deeply, naturally talented,” said Tori Palmatier, managing... Read More