Mike Lobikis has come aboard Tool as head of sales. Lobikis will be tasked with overseeing all U.S. based sales territories, expanding opportunities for the company, and recruiting both live-action and integrated directorial talent. Lobikis will report directly to Oliver Fuselier, managing director, live action/EP, and Dustin Callif, managing partner, digital. Prior to Tool, Lobikis was director of East Coast sales at Über Content, and held sales positions at Spot Welders, GO FILM, Speedshape and Sound Lounge…..
Arsenal FX, a visual effects/postproduction studio specializing in high-end commercial finishing, has appointed Kira Karlstrom as business development executive. Previously, she was a manager in the live events division at Marvel Entertainment. At Arsenal, she will be responsible for procuring new clients and identifying fresh business ventures and opportunities. Karlstrom’s immediate focus will be to strategically strengthen and further position the Arsenal FX brand. This includes leading an effort to integrate the animation discipline in the Arsenal FX Design Department to customize content and messaging through visual storytelling across multiple platforms….
Sophie Gold has joined the recently launched fashion and beauty production company LOOKER as director of business development. Based in the company’s New York office, Gold will be responsible for building the LOOKER sales force, overseeing its move into new markets and fostering deeper relationships with agencies and brands. Gold has also been named to the same position at two of LOOKER’s sister companies: The Station, which offers “all in” postproduction including creative editorial, visual effects and finishing, and The Writers Room, a collection of veteran comedy performers and writers available to collaborate with agencies and brands on advertising and entertainment projects. Gold comes over from the NY office of Engage & Experience, where she was exec producer. Prior to that she was with Quintessentially TV (QTV), an internationally based production and production service shop, where she was managing director/U.S., tasked with launching the company and its roster of European directorial talents in the States….
Sammy Simpson has joined payroll, residuals and production services firm Entertainment Partners as VP of marketing. Simpson is a marketing and digital executive with over 27 years of experience in the entertainment and media industries. He will be based out of EP’s New York office and work on a wide range of company initiatives. Simpson joins EP from the New York Daily News where he served as VP of marketing. He also served as the Director of the Daily News Innovation Lab to identify early-stage companies to work on projects to transform media industry development….
LoopMe, a demand-side platform for full-screen ad formats, has appointed Ilja Goossens as VP of business development. The appointment builds on the momentum LoopMe is gaining in the mobile and video advertising sector following a successful $3 million investment round earlier this year. Goossens will support LoopMe’s vision of owning the mobile space for full-screen ad formats with a strong focus on mobile video advertising. He will be responsible for increasing LoopMe’s expanding publisher base and supporting the Advertising Sales team. Goossens has been a new media entrepreneur for over 10 years. Among other roles, he founded Gamundo and the mobile and browser games company Virtual Fairground. His last eighteen months have been spent building the European presence for Chartboost as their Director of Europe….
ARRI Inc. has named Sebastien Laffoux technical sales manager, camera products, Eastern region for Canada and the U.S. His duties include managing and strengthening sales, along with evaluating market and technology requirements. Based in Toronto, Laffoux will also oversee a team to support product performance in the field, improvement, user requests and assess competitors. He formerly worked as sales manager, camera & digital systems for ARRI Canada Ltd….
First-Time Feature Directors Make Major Splash At AFI Fest, Generate Oscar Buzz
Two first-time feature directors who are generating Oscar buzz this awards season were front and center this past weekend at AFI Fest in Hollywood. Rachel Morrison, who made history as the first woman nominated for a Best Cinematography Oscar---on the strength of Mudbound in 2018--brought her feature directorial debut, The Fire Inside (Amazon MGM Studios), to the festival on Sunday (10/27), and shared insights into the film during a conversation session immediately following the screening. This came a day after William Goldenberg, an Oscar-winning editor for Argo in 2013, had his initial foray into feature directing, Unstoppable (Amazon MGM Studios), showcased at the AFI proceedings. He too spoke after the screening during a panel discussion. The Fire Inside--which made its world premiere at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival--tells the story of Claressa “T-Rex” Shields (portrayed by Ryan Destiny), a Black boxer from Flint, Mich., who trained to become the first woman in U.S. history to win an Olympic Gold Medal in the sport. She achieved this feat--with the help of coach Jason Crutchfield (Brian Tyree Henry)--only to find that her victory at the Summer Games came with relatively little fanfare and no endorsement deals. So much for the hope that the historic accomplishment would be a ticket out of socioeconomic purgatory for Shields and her family. It seemed like yet another setback in a cycle of adversity throughout Shields’ life but she persevered, going on to win her second Gold Medal at the next Olympics and becoming a champion for gender equality and equitable pay for women in sports. Shields has served as a source of inspiration for woman athletes worldwide--as well as to the community of... Read More