INSTITUTE, the commercial production company founded by Lauren Greenfield, has expanded its leadership team with the addition of Sean Lyness as executive producer. Lyness previously worked with INSTITUTE as a freelance line producer on notable projects including Greenfield’s recent WhatsApp campaign “A New Era of Privacy,” Pamela Adlon’s Thinx campaign “How a New Generation Thinx,” and Karyn Kusama’s “Your Voice” PSA for Planned Parenthood.
Lyness brings a versatile, energetic attitude to any project, with extensive producing experience across documentaries, commercials, and branded content. He worked as a field producer on the Academy Award-nominated feature documentaries Life, Animated and Abacus: Small Enough to Jail, and has collaborated with brands ranging from Nike and Adidas to Intel and Bose. Following INSTITUTE’s recent brand evolution and tighter integration with its sister companies, Lyness will also work closely with INSTITUTE’s documentary division Girl Culture Studios, which produces film and episodic content. Originally from New York City, he is now based in Los Angeles.
“Sean’s background across advertising, documentary, stills, and entertainment really complements the INSTITUTE approach of telling authentic stories and straddling artistic mediums,” said Tori Palmatier, managing director at INSTITUTE. “Sean played a key role in several of our biggest projects of 2022–including the first-ever commercial shoots for both Pamela and Karyn–so we know and admire his inventive and creative approach to producing every project, and we’re excited to make it official!”
“The world of advertising is influenced so much by culture, often originating from underrepresented communities, but it’s still rare for those communities to have a seat at the table. I deeply believe in the INSTITUTE mission of uplifting underrepresented voices in advertising and actually doing the work of breaking that cycle,” added Lyness. “I’ve had so many positive experiences working with INSTITUTE as a freelancer, when they offered me the EP position it was a no-brainer to come in-house.”
INSTITUTE is repped by Pop Arts on the West Coast, Samuel Guthrey in the Midwest, and Champion on the East Coast.
