Tony Ke has joined Tribal Worldwide as group creative director for Experience Design. He will be based in the agency’s New York office. In this new position, Ke will be responsible for work across the shop’s client roster including H&R Block, Pfizer Consumer Healthcare, and Alcon Visioncare while supporting a deeper integration and collaboration between the agency’s strategy, user experience, and visual design practices. Ke joins Tribal from Digitas, where he served as the VP/creative director for Mobile and Experience Design with clients including American Express, eBay, Aetna, Whirlpool, and Taco Bell….LOOK Effects has hired visual effects industry veteran Wendy Lanning as executive visual effects producer in its Vancouver office (LOOK also maintains operations in L.A., NY and Stuttgart, Germany. Lanning will be producing LOOK’s postproduction projects and working to bring on new films and television shows. Her most recent projects include: The Great Gatsby, Out of the Furnace, The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Pt. 1, Immortals, and Sucker Punch. Previously, as one of the original founding partners of Intelligent Creatures in Toronto, she acted as executive producer on over 20 feature films. Her credits include: Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium, Hairspray, The Number 23, The Fountain, Babel, Stranger Than Fiction, Stay, Mr. & Mrs. Smith and The Matador. Other experience includes serving as visual effects production manager on Panic Room and as visual effects producer on the Oscar-winning Chicago….Ryan Spelliscy, formerly co-creative director at Sid Lee Toronto, has been named sr. VP, creative director at JWT Canada‘s Toronto office….
Gene Hackman Died Of Heart Disease; Hantavirus Claimed His Wife’s Life About One Week Prior
Actor Gene Hackman died of heart disease a full week after his wife died from hantavirus in their New Mexico hillside home, likely unaware that she was dead because he was in the advanced stages of Alzheimer's disease, authorities revealed Friday. Both deaths were ruled to be from natural causes, chief medical examiner Dr. Heather Jarrell said alongside state fire and health officials at a news conference. "Mr. Hackman showed evidence of advanced Alzheimer's disease," Jarrell said. "He was in a very poor state of health. He had significant heart disease, and I think ultimately that's what resulted in his death." Authorities didn't suspect foul play after the bodies of Hackman, 95, and Betsy Arakawa, 65, were discovered Feb 26. Immediate tests for carbon monoxide poisoning were negative. Investigators found that the last known communication and activity from Arakawa was Feb. 11 when she visited a pharmacy, pet store and grocery before returning to their gated neighborhood that afternoon, Santa Fe County Sheriff Adan Mendoza said Friday. Hackman's pacemaker last showed signs of activity a week later and that he had an abnormal heart rhythm Feb. 18, the day he likely died, Jarrell said. Although there was no reliable way to determine the date and time when both died, all signs point to their deaths coming a week apart, Jarrell said. "It's quite possible he was not aware she was deceased," Jarrell said. Dr. Michael Baden, a former New York City medical examiner, said he believes Hackman was severely impaired due to Alzheimer's disease and unable to deal with his wife's death in the last week of his life. "You are talking about very severe Alzheimer's disease that normal people would be in a nursing home or have a nurse, but she was taking care... Read More