BeachHouse Films, a Santa Monica-based house under the aegis of executive producers Dave and Patti Coulter, has signed director Noel Castley-Wright for spot representation in the U.S. Prior to branching out into directing commercials four years ago, Castley-Wright was best known as a leading visual effects artisan, primarily on the strength of his work at Company 3, Santa Monica.
During his Company 3 tenure, Castley-Wright was visual effects supervisor/artist on assorted notable commercials, including Nike’s “The Morning After” directed by Spike Jonze of now defunct Satellite (he is now with bicoastal/international MJZ) for Wieden+Kennedy, Portland, Ore., and Apple’s “Think Different” directed by Jennifer Golub of TBWA/Chiat/Day, San Francisco. Both spots won the coveted primetime commercial Emmy Award; “The Morning After” also copped a Gold Lion at the Cannes International Advertising Festival.
After departing Company 3, Castley-Wright set up his own visual effects boutique, Platypus, in 2002. That venture was on the Company 3 premises. During his year at Platypus he not only contributed effects to varied jobs, but also started to direct with a couple of spec projects.
In ’03, Castley-Wright moved his family back to Australia, where he opened his own production house, Oxygen Pictures, through which he helmed visual effects/live-action spots. At Oxygen, with offices in Sydney and Perth, Castley-Wright also diversified into people and dialogue-driven commercials. Though he and his family recently came back to live in Southern California, Castley-Wright will continue to be repped Down Under via Oxygen. His latest assignment at Oxygen was a three-spot package for Ikea.
Castley-Wright comes aboard a BeachHouse directorial roster that includes Larry Carroll, Jeff Gordon, Brandon Kraines, Domenic Mastrippolito, Des Mullan and director/DP Gordon Willis Jr.
By Robert Goldrich
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