Pete Olson has been made partner of the Minneapolis-based post company VOLT Studios. Olson has been with VOLT for five years and contributed visual effects and digital artistry to projects of all genres.
Olson began his career in audio before “being lured to a film set” where he fell in love with production, before ultimately making his name in postproduction as a VFX artist. He was encouraged to join VOLT Studios by longtime friend and former colleague Steve Medin who is the company’s partner/creative director.
At VOLT, which provides creative post services including motion graphics, editing and VFX, Olson has lent his signature talent to a wide range of projects from commercials to long format brand films. Among them, the Arby’s 13 Hour Brisket for Fallon, and the DOUBLEURXXX–a dangerously unpredictable child of Subaru of America out of Carmichael Lynch. Starring WRX STI Rally driver and skateboard legend Bucky Lasek, DOUBLEURXXX features a trailer titled “Ride of Her Life” and a 16-minute reality show called The Chosen Ones.
Eleanor Adds Director Candice Vernon To Its Roster For Spots and Branded Content
Director Candice Vernon has joined production house Eleanor for U.S. representation spanning commercials and branded content. She has already wrapped several jobs at Eleanor, which waited to announce her until they had a body of work together.
Via Eleanor, Vernon made history as the first Black director on a Febreze commercial. The “Small Spaces” campaign marks a major departure from Febreze’s typical blue-and-white world. The home of the “Revolving Door” commercial is a beautiful array of bold sunset hues, African prints, and African art.
Vernon said, “I asked myself, what feels right to me? What feels new? I wanted to bring an essence of not just Black Americans but the full diaspora. I wanted to make a statement that we’re not a monolith.”
Following the success of the “Small Spaces” campaign, Febreze brought Vernon back for a comedy-infused trifecta exploring the hilarious situations that call for an air freshening hero.
Febreze Brand VP Angelica Matthews said, “About two years ago, we realized the consumers that were the most loyal to Febreze were the African American consumers. And the more we learned, the more we realized the richness that we were really missing. So we said we have to go beyond just Black casting, we need to get Black directors that truly understand the culture that truly understand how to bring authentic performances out on screen. We really looked around the industry and noticed there’s actually a shortage of African American directors who have experience doing commercials. When we all saw Candice’s reel, we could all tell the passion for the craft, passion for really trying to help us from where we are to where we’re trying to go.”
Vernon brings a unique lens to... Read More