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.
Stars Among Those Who Lost Their Homes In L.A. Area Fires; Jamie Lee Curtis Pledges $1M To Relief Effort
Fires burning in and around Los Angeles have claimed the homes of numerous celebrities, including Billy Crystal, Jeff Bridges, and R&B star Jhené Aiko, and led to sweeping disruptions of entertainment events. Three awards ceremonies planned for this weekend have been postponed. Next week's Oscar nominations have been delayed. And tens of thousands of Angelenos are displaced and awaiting word Thursday on whether their homes survived the flames — some of them the city's most famous denizens. Thousands of structures have been destroyed but damage assessments are just beginning. More than 180,000 people are also under evacuation orders in the metropolitan area, from the Pacific Coast inland to Pasadena, a number that continues to shift as new fires erupt. Late Wednesday, a fire in the Hollywood Hills was scorching the hills near the famed Hollywood Bowl and Dolby Theatre, which is the home of the Academy Awards. That fire had been largely contained without damage to Hollywood landmarks. Here are how the fires are impacting celebrities and the Los Angeles entertainment industry: Stars whose homes have burned in the fires Celebrities like Crystal and his wife, Janice, were sharing memories of the homes they lost. The Crystals lost the home in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood that they lived in for 45 years. "Janice and I lived in our home since 1979. We raised our children and grandchildren here. Every inch of our house was filled with love. Beautiful memories that can't be taken away. We are heartbroken of course but with the love of our children and friends we will get through this," the Crystals wrote in the statement. After her learning her Pacific Palisades home was lost in the fires, Melissa Rivers says she was... Read More