March 25, 2012
Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg and Media & Entertainment commissioner Katherine Oliver joined Steiner Studios chairman Douglas C. Steiner to open five new soundstages at Steiner Studios in the Brooklyn Navy Yard. The new stages, totaling 45,000 square feet, will provide new and expanded opportunities for New Yorkers who work in the film, television and commercial production industry. The Mayor also launched initiatives designed to support and grow the industry, including new grants for training programs that prepare New Yorkers for careers in production and digital fields; a new entertainment component to the City’s mini-MBA partnership with NYU’s Stern School of Business; and a request for proposals for a "Made in NY" Media Center, which would provide media companies with affordable work space and other services….Clay Mills has been promoted to managing director of Wieden+Kennedy Amsterdam, succeeding Lee Newman, who’s leaving the agency. Mills will partner with executive creative directors Mark Bernath and Eric Quennoy to lead the office. Mills joined W+K Amsterdam in February 2010 as group account director on Heineken Global and head of business development….
March 22, 2007
Director Thom Higgins has joined Reactor Films. Higgins comes over to Reactor from Green Dot Films. Earlier in his career, Higgins was partnered with director Leslie Dektor in Dektor Higgins & Associates. During his nine-year tenure there, Higgins was nominated for the DGA Award as best commercial director of 1997….Director/cinematographer Robert Leacock, whose experience includes commercials and documentaries, has come aboard New York-based Identity. He was formerly affiliated with Maysles Films, NY, where he directed spots via its Maysles Shorts division for such clients as Nike, Pfizer and Kimberly Clark, as well as a segment of the Vote for Change Concert on the Sundance Channel. Prior to his couple of years at Maysles–which reunited him with famed documentarian Albert Maysles–Leacock had a long tenure with @radical.media….Academy Award-winning VFX veteran Jim Rygiel has come aboard Millennium Pictures for exclusive U.S. spot representation as a director. Rygiel’s work on The Lord of the Rings trilogy was honored with Best Visual Effects Oscars in 2002, ‘03 and ‘04. The effects house on the three films was WETA Digital in New Zealand….
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