Tom Rossano and Elliot Blanchard have teamed to launch PRISM, a Brooklyn-based production company and creative studio. For its first project, the new venture created the holiday window “Peace Love Joy + Analog” for the Barneys flagship in downtown Manhattan. Mashing up traditional animation, throwback CG and vintage analog effects, PRISM crafted a visual hybrid that brought the windows alive with bold, graphic splendor.
Rossano had been executive producer at Hungry Man from its beginning and then a partner at Station Film. He has produced commercials for a variety of brands including Febreze, Burger King, BMW, Mercedes, Optimum Xfinity, Kayak, ESPN SportsCenter, Progressive and Budweiser.
Blanchard is a director who’s built his career on a foundation of animation and code. Blanchard established Invisible Light Network, an integrated creative studio where he has worked with clients including MTV, IBM, UNICEF, Vitamin Water, GE, Target, Sony, Lexus, AmEx, Pepsi, CoverGirl and Google.
Whether Blanchard is working within two or three dimensions, he morphs the role of passive viewer into active participant. This includes turning the human voice into wearable art for an event at Oracle; creating his app “VR Loops,” which allows users to make their own virtual reality worlds that can be shared via animated GIF; and creating an immersive 360 visual experience for HP, which brought thousands of Panorama Music Festival-goers on a journey through time and space in a 69-foot dome.
Rossano and Blanchard have assembled a collective of PRISM directors, artists, producers, animators, and designers, with expertise in traditional commercial/branded content, emerging technologies, VR, and live interactive experiences and installations.
The firm’s name PRISM is a nod to the diverse mix of artistic perspectives represented on the roster, which includes Blanchard, Alex Vivian, Corey Eisenstein, Darius Clark Monroe, Elise Tyler, and Julian Ungano.
“I’ve always wanted to bring live action into the mix, so meeting Tom was serendipitous,” said Blanchard. “He was coming at it from a mirror image, looking for a partner with his level of experience, but in the world of emerging technologies. We both found the missing puzzle piece.”
Rossano added, “Even with all the cutting-edge ways we have to engage consumers in this new attention landscape, at the end of the day it still comes down to story, talent and execution. A good story needs a good storyteller and no matter what type of technology comes along, this will never change. Each one of our directors has a fresh point of view and the passion to boldly go forward in pursuit of that original vision. We are inspired by them daily.”
