Optimus has promoted Mike (Chick) Ciacciarelli to executive creative director, where he will guide the company’s creative efforts for both client work and internal branding and marketing. Donnie Bauer, formerly design director at Optimus, will move into Ciacciarelli’s former creative director role, overseeing Optimus’ team of designers.
“The promotions of Chick and Donnie reflect our commitment to offering integrated production services–from production to editing to design–to meet all of our client needs,” said Tom Duff, Optimus’ president. “As executive creative director, Chick will bring to the entire company the holistic approach to creative direction that he has honed during his years leading the design group. And Donnie is a natural leader who consistently sets the example of how to execute flawless work and be a selfless collaborator.”
Ciacciarelli has been with Optimus for 13 years, during which he led the design group to become a best-in-class organization, working with a wide array of clients such as Nutrilite, Craftsman, The Chicago Museum of Science & Industry, Budweiser and Supercuts.
“We’ve seen outstanding growth in the Optimus design group in terms of both clients and the breadth and quality of work we do, and we have some of the most talented artists in the industry working here,” commented Ciacciarelli. “I’m looking forward to bringing what we’ve learned in design to the whole organization as we look to continue Optimus’ strong momentum in reaching clients and winning work. We can truly meet any client need–for clients such as Illinois Lottery and Ford Trucks, we can speak to our expertise as a full-service collective of services in production, post and design. For clients such as Craftsman or Amway, we can provide a la carte specialized design attention and focus.”
Bauer came to Optimus almost five years ago as a senior designer, after which he made the move to design director, doing a range of work from broadcast design for clients such as Pitchfork on its new Pitchfork Weekly YouTube channel to more traditional work for clients such as Suave and Aveeno. “As Chick moves to an expanded role at Optimus, I’m looking forward to leading projects and winning pitches as creative director,” said Bauer. “I’ve worked closely with Chick over the last few years and am ready to make the jump to lead the charge on the design group.”
The Optimus design group includes nine award-winning directors, animators, artists and designers who are focused on collaborating with clients to interpret their communication into leading edge animations, films, graphics and titles.
Curatorial Committee Is Set For The 2025 AICP Show
The AICP has unveiled the full roster for the Curatorial Committee for the 2025 AICP Show: The Art & Technique of the Commercial. The committee, representing a lineup of experts from a cross-section of the industry, will gather this spring under the leadership of AICP Show chairperson Patrick Milling-Smith, co-founder and CEO of SMUGGLER.
The entry deadline for the full suite of AICP Awards--which includes The AICP Show, the AICP Next Awards and the AICP Post Awards--is Wednesday, Feb. 26. Full entry details can be found here. The results of each show will debut during AICP Week in New York this June, and be featured at a gala celebration at The Museum of Modern Art.
The AICP Show Curatorial Committee is the final stage of a bifurcated judging system that begins with a series of panels with experts in various fields from around the globe, nominated by their peers, who judge work across their respective categories. The Committee then serves as the final arbiter of the awards, confirming eligibility and appropriateness to category, as well as selecting the Best of Show--the winners in the Advertising Excellence/Campaign and Advertising Excellence categories.
In assembling the Committee, Milling-Smith said he was seeking a wide range of viewpoints and influences, representing just about every facet of branded film and commercial creation and production matrix. “We strove to assemble a complementary and aspirational range of voices and experiences,” he commented. “This Curatorial Committee is an inspiring blend of creative and executional excellence. I want it to be a rewarding and invigorating experience for all in the room, and best of class in terms of the caliber of people reviewing the... Read More