Director Matt Aselton, executive producer Marc Marrie and managing director Mal Ward have teamed to launch Arts & Sciences, a bicoastal production house. The trio comes over from Epoch Films and each will serve as a managing partner of Arts & Sciences, working out of its West Hollywood, Calif. office.
Aselton joined Epoch’s directorial roster in 2004, helming assorted commercials, and writing and directing his first feature film, Gigantic, which debuted at the Toronto Film Festival in ’08. Ward had been Epoch’s head of sales since ’02, and Marrie produced noted spots with Epoch for 11 years.
Aselton, Marrie and Ward’s new venture can access the back room operations (to reduce overhead) as well as the feature film division of Epoch Films, which is supportive of Arts & Sciences’ endeavors. Already Arts & Sciences has turned out several jobs and added to its directorial lineup. On the latter score, the company signed independent feature director Azazel Jacobs whose credits include Momma’s Man and The GoodTimesKid. Jacobs’ most recent feature, Terri, premiered at Sundance and will be released theatrically next month.
As for the alluded to projects produced by Arts & Sciences, thus far they include the Carl’s Jr. launch campaign for david&goliath, ESPN for Wieden+Kennedy, New York, and a package of three Jet Blue commercials for Mullen, Boston. All the work was directed by Aselton. Among the JetBlue fare was “Middle Seat,” a :30 which earned SHOOT Top Spot distinction (SHOOT, 5/6) and featured fast talker John Moschitta who’s famed in the ad biz for his 1981 Federal Express commercial “Fast Paced World,” directed by the legendary Joe Sedelmaier.
Furthermore at press time, Arts & Sciences was in production on a new launch for Toyota via Saatchi & Saatchi LA, also being helmed by Aselton.
Arts & Sciences will be represented by Representation Co’s Tara Averill and John Robertson on the East Coast, and Dexter Randazzo and Irma Rodriguez on the West Coast. Marguerite Juliusson will handle sales in the Midwest.
AD&Co. Launches Studio A; Davida Hall To Head New Venture As Sr. Director of Creative Content
Female-founded and led creative marketing agency AD&Co. has opened Studio A. The new venture will serve as AD&Co.’s in-house social brand content division, focused on developing and producing digital programming for advertising, social media, and influencer marketing campaigns designed to reach today’s audiences on the most popular and pivotal platforms. Davida Hall has been named to head Studio A as sr. director of creative content. She shifts over from AD&Co. where she held the same title since December 2023. Hall’s affiliations prior to AD&Co. include PopSugar and Studio71.
Amy Demas, founder and chief creative officer of AD&Co., said, “We understand content is king-—or queen—and that our clients need to engage their customer communities where they live. That inspired the logical expansion of AD&Co with Studio A, which is committed to producing only the most engaging and authentic brand stories.”
Studio A will harness both AD&Co’s and Hall’s deep expertise in the lifestyle sector, as content creators and avid consumers. Specializing in reaching audiences where they spend their time, the studio is immersed in social media, pop culture, and current trends, expertly crafting visuals, language, and storytelling to reinforce client brand identities and cut through the noise.
Studio A debuts with the “This Is Me” campaign for Love + Craft + Beauty, a brand dedicated to embracing and promoting diversity within the beauty space. “This Is Me” highlights Gen Z’s affinity for radical self-expression that allows individuals to tell their own stories, free from labels, using beauty and fashion as tools of authenticity. The campaign showcases models celebrating their unique qualities to present... Read More