Editor Craig Lewandowski has joined Utopic as a partner. He comes over after a long tenure at Optimus. The move reunites him with Utopic partners Jan Maitland and Tim Kloehn; they were all at one time editors at the now defunct Edit Sweet, a company eventually acquired by and merged into Optimus in 2001.
Lewandowski has edited commercials for national brands such as Michelob Ultra, Gatorade, Boeing, and Coors Light. He’s an award-winning editor having received recognition as the AICE “Best of Chicago” on two separate occasions. He currently serves on both the international and local AICE boards. Outside of advertising, Lewandowski recently edited the romantic comedy Adventures in the Sin Bin. The feature, shot on 35mm film, premiered at the Seattle International Film Festival in 2012 where it took home the Future Wave Audience Award, and went on to play in select theaters.”
Utopic is a full-service shop offering an ensemble of artists, editors, designers and directors whose work spans content production, postproduction, motion design and assorted other disciplines.
“I see this opportunity with Utopic as a way to be part of something that’s independent and homegrown, where together with my partners we can build a presence to rival out-of-town competitors,” said Lewandowski. “The industry changes at a fast pace, and we’re shaped to be nimble and to respond to those changes as it evolves.”
Maitland, Utopic president/editor, related, “Working with Craig again is, in so many ways, like going home. There’s an inherent comfort and trust that comes from a relationship as deep as ours, but also he comes into Utopic with a burst of energy and a vision for the future that has invigorated everyone here. We’re thrilled to have him and I can’t wait to see what the future has in store for us.”
