The Mill NY has made a series of new hires: Boo Wong as senior producer of design & content; Danielle Amaral as head of design production; sr. producer Jared Yeater; VFX supervisors Gong Myung Lee and Jeffrey Dates; sr. lighting TD Tom Bardwell; sr. animation TD Jeff Lopez; and art directors Emmett Dzieza and Bowe King.
The additions expand The Mill NY’s resources and expertise in VFX while continuing its diversification into new business offerings.
Wong previously served as head of production/exec producer at Psyop where she EP’d Coca-Cola’s lauded “Happiness Factory,” among other notable projects. Most recently, Amaral was sr. producer at Digital Kitchen, managing agencies and design teams on projects for brands such as Bing.com, Sony Music, and the U.S. Census. Yeater formerly served as head of production at Click 3X. He produced VFX for MTV’s 2009 VMA opening “VMA Side Story,” inspired by West Side Story and featuring Taylor Swift, Katie Perry and Russell Brand. The promo helped MTV director Seyi Peter-Thomas recently earn inclusion into SHOOT‘s 2010 New Directors Showcase.
Prior to joining The Mill, Lee was CG supervisor at Charlex, New York. Dates worked as CG/VFX supervisor for MassMarket, New York. Bardwell had been freelancing as lighting TD/3D artist at several shops, including The Mill. Lopez was most recently on staff at Psyop. Dzieza freelanced at The Mill on two Ford F-150 spots before coming on staff. King had been collaborating on graphics and supplemental design for Iron Man 2 while working with New York-based Perception.
Director Lu Villaca Joins MADRE
Production company MADRE has added Brazilian director Lu Villaça to its talent roster. With degrees in cinema and performance and a master’s in screenwriting, Villaça brings a multifaceted approach to filmmaking. Villaça’s tastes have been shaped by her childhood training in ballet, studying Greek theatre texts, her passion for music, and her contemplative nature. She honed her cinematic skills early on as an AD and creative assistant before becoming a director. Intent on capturing the drama of everyday life as it plays out, Villaça is tuned in to how the bodies in her frame move through their environments and what elements of the story can be extrapolated from these compositions. Her sharp attention to detail in every aspect, from lighting to the final edit, is designed to connect emotionally with her audience. Villaça has been awarded three Cannes Lions for her film “Next Minute Law,” which promoted awareness of a law in Brazil designed to address the rampant epidemic of sexual violence. “Next Minute Law” also garnered Best Direction at El Ojo and the Ciclope Latino Festival, where Villaça also won Best New Talent. Additionally, she has directed assorted commercial campaigns for brands like Johnnie Walker, Huggies Wipes, Nestlé, Amazon, A.C. Camargo Cancer Center, and a spot for Medley featuring Brazilian Olympic gymnast Rebeca Andrade. Prior to joining MADRE, Villaca had been repped by production house LOBO. Recognized in Brazil as a top music video director, Villaca won Best Female Direction for her work on “Nu” by Assucena and “Lovezinho” by Rachel Reis, which also won Best National Music Video at the MVF Awards. Villaça additionally co-directed the documentary Pagliacci, an homage to circus artist Domingos Montagner... Read More