Michael Epstein has joined Carat USA as chief strategy officer, a newly created role at the agency. He comes over from Mindshare in New York, where he was most recently president of strategic resources and client services, and was responsible for overseeing all digital media services for North America, new business, multicultural and promotions, and key client relationships. At Mindshare, Epstein also served as client leader, Team Unilever North America, where he was the driving force behind the agency’s collaboration with Unilever, heading up the development of the overall strategic vision for the account. In this role, he helped to build several of the brand’s campaigns including the “Journeys to Comfort” effort for Dove Men+Care, the “Pleasure Personified” campaign for Magnum ice cream and the “Cleans Your Balls” campaign for Axe…..VFX house Method Studios, a Deluxe Entertainment Services Group company, has named Chris Webb executive producer of Method Chicago. Webb will work closely with creative director Gil Baron in the continued expansion of the Chicago office, which opened its doors in July 2012. Over the last 13 years, Webb has worked as an agency producer in both NY and L.A. for such shops such as Crispin Porter + Bogusky, Goodby, Silverstein & Partners and Cramer-Krasselt….Audio and video production facility Ron Rose Milagro has launched a creative editorial division with new hires Dan Succarde, Drew Podgorski and John Mercado. Succarde comes from Start Editorial where he spent the last five years as an editor. Podgorski sports an agency background while Mercado has been moving up the ranks in his first year at Ron Rose Milagro after having been an assistant editor at Postique….BRW USA, L.A. has added industry vet Peter Trucco as executive producer….Bicoastal/Munich-based A๏ฟฝro Film has added exec producer Unique Hammond to its L.A. office. She previously wrapped a long tenure at HUM Music….
Director AG Rojas Joins Imperial Woodpecker
Imperial Woodpecker has added director AG Rojas to its roster for U.S. representation.
A filmmaker whose work spans commercials, music videos and film installations, Rojas--back in 2017 when he was at Park Pictures, his roost prior to Imperial Woodpecker--earned a DGA Award nomination on the strength of two spot entries: S7 Airlinesโ โThe Best Planetโ for Wieden+Kennedy Amsterdam, and Samsungโs โThe Snailโ out of Leo Burnett USA.
Rojas throughout his career has additionally directed projects for artists such as Gil Scott-Heron, Earl Sweatshirt, Bon Iver, Florence + The Machine, Run the Jewels, and Kamasi Washington. His long partnership with Washington includes Truth, a film installation featured in the 2017 Whitney Biennial. And Rojasโ music videos have been recognized with assorted major industry awards.
Beyond all this, his film installations, including Godchild (2020), commissioned by the Smithsonian Institution, highlight his interest in storytelling through different formats. His latest work, Pare de Sufrir (2024), a silent featurette on love and grief, premiered at venues such as Metrograph NYC, ICA London, and Now Instant Image Hall in Los Angeles.
Raised in L.A. by a Costa Rican painter and a Colombian poet, Rojas grew up immersed in an environment shaped by art and storytelling. At 17, he enrolled in the prestigious ArtCenter College of Design in Pasadena and discovered a passion for filmmaking. Rojas currently lives in L.A. and continues to channel his expression across a variety of mediums, creating work rooted in thoughtful ideas and meaningful social impact.
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