Copacino+Fujikado has hired Nicole Koestel as its new sr. art director. Koestel, a New York talent with Southern roots, traveled 2,400 miles to join Copacino+Fujikado. Effective immediately, she will report directly to Mike Hayward. Koestel brings a wide range of skills, from broadcast to digital and design, and deep experience in consumer packaged goods. Koestel joins from Publicis North America in New York where she also served as sr. art director.
“To have such a big local impact with brands like the Seattle Aquarium, Seattle Mariners and Seattle Children’s, and to work with international brands like Holland America and Ste. Michelle Wine Estates is a truly unique opportunity here at Copacino+Fujikado,” said Koestel. “What sold me on C+F though, was the family atmosphere. It’s a tight knit, supportive group here.”
Koestel has worked with clients such as Oral-B, Crest, ZzzQuil, Metamucil, Charmin, Nescafe, and Dawn Dish Soap and her work has been recognized by the Addys and One Show.
Lessons From A Theater Near You; What The Box Office Taught Us In 2024
Movie ticket sales took a bit of a hit in 2024. The annual domestic box office is expected to end up at around $8.75 billion, down more than 3% from 2023, according to estimates from Comscore.
It's not as dire as it was in the pandemic years, but it's also not even close to the pre-pandemic norm when the annual box office regularly surpassed $11 billion.
This is the year the business felt the effects of the Hollywood strikes of 2023, the labor standoff that delayed productions and releases and led to a depleted calendar for exhibitors and moviegoers. And yet it's not as bad as it could have been, or at least as bad as analysts projected at the start of the year.
"This has been a really incredible comeback story for the industry," said Paul Dergarabedian, the senior media analyst for Comscore. "Just a couple of months ago it was a question of whether we would even hit $8 billion for the year."
Hollywood continues to learn lessons about what moviegoers really want, what works and what doesn't. Here are the biggest takeaways from 2024.
The strike fallout was real
The Hollywood strikes might have ended in 2023, putting productions back into full swing and sending stars out on the promotional circuit again — but the ripple effect of the work stoppages and contract standoffs showed their real effects on the 2024 release calendar.
The first two quarters were hit hardest, with tentpoles pushed later in the year ("Deadpool & Wolverine," for one) or even into 2025 (like "Mission: Impossible 8"). With no Marvel movie kicking off the summer moviegoing season, the box office was down a devastating 27.5% from 2023 right before "Inside Out 2" opened in June.
"It's an unpredictable business but it... Read More