HELO, a global production company noted for its multi-platform campaign work for brands such as Coors Light, Amazon, and Nissan, has made three senior hires.
Rena Kayrala joins as VP, global strategy & growth, with a seasoned history of managing business growth at companies such as Unit 9, Buck, and Park Village. Kayrala supported the launch of Vice Media in Spain, before moving to the U.K. where she developed her career as an award-winning executive producer, and business development specialist. Rena will be working with HELO founders Brendan Kiernan and Justin Moore-Lewy across global markets to identify creative opportunities and partnerships for the studio’s growing roster of commercial, film, and experiential marketing directors.
Piper Goodspeed joins as global head of client partnerships & experience. Piper’s career spans leading roles at Condé Nast, WIRED, The New Yorker, and ARS Technica.
Neil Evely joins as global head of innovation, responsible for continuing to build HELO’s moving experience offering for brand and agency clients. Evely will be focused on exploring the best applications of new technologies such as artificial intelligence, allowing HELO’s directors to break new ground on what they can deliver for their creative partners. Evely joins from technology studio Superbright where he was head of business development, prior to which he worked at experience studio Rewind (now Magnopus UK) and The Mill. Evely has been working across new technological innovations such as VR, Software Design, Real-Time CGI, and AI for over a decade.
Moore-Lewy, founder and president of HELO, said, “The last couple of years have presented significant challenges for the experiential and production communities, but we’re now seeing a renewed appetite and enthusiasm for experiences that really bring people together in both the physical and virtual worlds. As we delve into a new realm of opportunities in the branded experience space, I believe we are well armed with a senior team that can help HELO, and our clients, create beautiful things in the coming year.”
HELO’s latest brand work includes the Cannes Lions and Clio-winning “Chillboards” campaign for Coors Light. In summer of 2023, the studio will be launching an auction of 10,000 NFTs to raise money for the citizens of Ukraine affected by the ongoing war.
SCHROM x Yacht Club and Be Electric Studios Launch Electric XR for Virtual Production
SCHROM x Yacht Club, a full-service live-action, tabletop, and postproduction company, has teamed with Be Electric Studios, a soundstage, equipment rental, and virtual production company, to launch Electric XR, a virtual production collective.
Industry veteran Thomas Rossano will lead the new venture, which provides advanced virtual production solutions across multiple facilities. He brings over 25 years of experience in live-action, tabletop, postproduction and talent curation to enhance Electric XR’s offerings as a resource for brands and agencies, as well as other production companies in need of virtual production solutions. Additionally Rossano continues to serve as EP at XR New York (XR-NY), a role he’s held since December 2022. SCHROM x Yacht Club originally established XR-NY to help provide XR services for third-party rentals. While XR-NY will continue to function independently for SCHROM X Yacht Club, it now operates under the Electric XR umbrella.
Rossano’s expertise spans producing live-action commercials, branded content, interactive and experiential content. In addition to leading Electric XR, he holds responsibilities at SCHROM x Yacht Club which include driving business development, collaborating with sales reps and expanding the company’s creative talent network. Rossano’s career includes serving as an exec producer at Hungry Man for about 11 years, right from that company’s inception. He then went on to become a partner at Station Film where he also had a lengthy tenure. Later he was a partner at PRISM. Then after the pandemic hit, he became a freelance EP for nearly two years, looking into opportunities in virtual production, which led him to XR NY and now Electric XR. Over the years, he has produced high-profile... Read More