As SHOOT went to press, New York-headquartered, publicly held Paradise Music & Entertainment announced that its bicoastal Shelter Films subsidiary has ceased all operations. The Paradise release read that discussions are underway with Shelter Films’ president Steve Shore to resolve outstanding issues in his employment agreement. According to Paradise, contributing to the decision to shut down Shelter was the weakness of the advertising market compounded by the effects of recent events on that market. As reported in this week’s lead story, Paradise’s other commercial production house, Straw Dogs, has also closed, with former Straw Dogs’ president Craig Rodgers filing a demand for arbitration that alleges improprieties on the part of Paradise….Ron Ames and Rob Le-gato have come aboard Santa Monica-based Steam as creative directors. Both are available to direct via Steam. Ames was most recently represented as a spot helmer via now defunct Crash Films. Legato is a noted visual effects supervisor spanning features and TV….Animation director Chris Prynoski has joined Hollywood-based Class-Key Chew-Po Commercials, a division of animation studio Klasky Csupo. He is perhaps best known as the creator and executive producer of the cable TV series MTV Downtown…. Lance Paull and David Corr have been named co-presidents/ executive creative directors of Publicis, New York. Paul last served as creative director/partner at Berlin Cameron & Partners, New York, and Corr was a group creative director at TBWA/Chiat/Day, New York…..John Lovelace has joined New York-headquartered design shop So! Animation as partner/executive producer/director of new business development….Sarah Mahoney has been named executive producer of West Los Angeles-based visual effects house Zero Mass, a newly formed division of edit house TNT Media Services. Mahoney and visual effects supervisor Mark Kolpack head Zero Mass….Greg Stacy has joined Belief, a Santa Monica-based broadcast design and production studio, as its executive producer. He formerly served as senior producer for the weekly TV series Hot Rod Magazine TV, which airs on the Speedvision Network. Belief is headed by president/founder/executive creative director Mike Goedecke. Managing director/partner Steve Kazanjian recently exited Belief to pursue other, more interactive-centric opportunities….
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