Los Angeles-based Ruffian has opened an animation division in collaboration with Blinkink in London. The move brings a wealth of animated talent stateside in a roster including Greg Barth, Layzell Bros., Elliot Dear, Joseph Mann, Chris Bristow, Nicos Livesey, and Becky & Joe. The Layzell Bros. join after collecting the coveted Film Grand Prix Award from Cannes Lions 2016 for Harvey Nichols’ “Shoplifters” via Adam & Eve/DDB. “Shoplifters” features CCTV footage of criminals stealing from Harvey Nichols stores, their faces replaced with animated cartoon-villain caricatures, sly work that also collected D&AD Yellow Pencil, and Gold Pencil at The One Show–and earned the Layzell Bros. a slot in Saatchi & Saatchi’s New Directors Showcase. The animation division launch comes on the heels of Ruffian’s first campaign work stateside directed by Tim Bullock for Charter Spectrum, through Saatchi & Saatchi, New York. Ruffian is represented by Bueno on the West Coast, RepresentationCo on the East Coast, and Dawn Rao in the Midwest….
Fresh off his second Cannes Young Director Award win, Amos LeBlanc has signed with The Sweet Shop for international representation. Originally from Toronto, LeBlanc first started making skate films at a very young age. His eye for action quickly led to more varied projects and by the time he was 18 he was working as a professional cinematographer shooting music videos for a long list of mainstream Canadian artists. During this time, LeBlanc enrolled at Sheridan College for Media Arts where he took his many years of experience behind the camera and became a full time director. His work spans such brands as American Express, The Creator Class, Saks Fifth Avenue, and Budweiser. He has helped artists like Autoérotique, Thugli, and Keys N Krates make the move from indie darlings to popular favorites thanks to their collaborations on viral music videos that have earned millions of views each….
