Word is that a new series of BMW short films is in the works, again with bicoastal Anonymous Content securing feature helmers for the projects, which will run on bmwfilms.com. The initial series of shorts—helmed by Ang Lee, John Frankenheimer, Guy Ritchie, Wong Kar-Wai and Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu—has generated significant traffic on the BMW Web site (SHOOT, 5/11, p. 1). Ad agency is Fallon Minneapolis….Speaking of the BMW films, the first short to hit the Internet earlier this year—the Frankenheimer-directed Ambush—entailed extensive shooting on public roads in California. That production tapped into Film California First, the anti-runaway production program which provides reimbursement for certain filming-related costs. According to the California Film Commission, which administers the program, Film California First reimbursed more than $17,000 to the Ambush project. Film California First recently received a state budget allocation of $10 million for its second year (SHOOT, 8/10, p. 1)….Animation director/designer Denis Morella has officially come aboard San Francisco animation studio Wild Brain. His last roost was the former San Francisco office of New York-headquartered Curious Pictures. Prior to that, he had a long tenure at now defunct (Colossal) Pictures….Crew Cuts, with bases of operation in New York and Santa Monica, has reopened its San Francisco office, securing space in the building that houses post/effects house Radium. Christie Cash, who was named executive producer of Crew Cuts/West, Santa Monica, in June, will also assume executive producer duties at Crew Cuts, San Francisco….Fireworks Motion Media, a Miami-based postproduction/visual effects studio, has been purchased from Steve Minor by company staffers Wally Rodriguez and Anabella Sosa. The firm has been renamed Upstairs, with Rodriguez as director of visual effects, and Sosa acting as director of creative services….Editor Grant MacDowell has joined Venice, Calif.-based Brass Knuckles….
AD&Co. Launches Studio A; Davida Hall To Head New Venture As Sr. Director of Creative Content
Female-founded and led creative marketing agency AD&Co. has opened Studio A. The new venture will serve as AD&Co.’s in-house social brand content division, focused on developing and producing digital programming for advertising, social media, and influencer marketing campaigns designed to reach today’s audiences on the most popular and pivotal platforms. Davida Hall has been named to head Studio A as sr. director of creative content. She shifts over from AD&Co. where she held the same title since December 2023. Hall’s affiliations prior to AD&Co. include PopSugar and Studio71.
Amy Demas, founder and chief creative officer of AD&Co., said, “We understand content is king-—or queen—and that our clients need to engage their customer communities where they live. That inspired the logical expansion of AD&Co with Studio A, which is committed to producing only the most engaging and authentic brand stories.”
Studio A will harness both AD&Co’s and Hall’s deep expertise in the lifestyle sector, as content creators and avid consumers. Specializing in reaching audiences where they spend their time, the studio is immersed in social media, pop culture, and current trends, expertly crafting visuals, language, and storytelling to reinforce client brand identities and cut through the noise.
Studio A debuts with the “This Is Me” campaign for Love + Craft + Beauty, a brand dedicated to embracing and promoting diversity within the beauty space. “This Is Me” highlights Gen Z’s affinity for radical self-expression that allows individuals to tell their own stories, free from labels, using beauty and fashion as tools of authenticity. The campaign showcases models celebrating their unique qualities to present... Read More