By KATHY DESALVO
Editor Hannah Neufeld has joined Wildchild Editorial, New York. Neufeld comes over after five years at New York-based Homestead Editorial, where she cut commercials for such clients as Maxwell House and Dove, both via Ogilvy & Mather, New York; Jockey via Grey Advertising, New York; Gillette via McCann-Erickson, New York; and Oil of Olay for Saatchi & Saatchi, New York.
Her resume also includes "Oo-La-La," a Life Savers spot via Foote, Cone & Belding, New York. The ad, directed by Santiago Suarez of New York-based Santiago, was recognized in the tabletop category at the ’98 Association of Independent Commercial Producers (AICP) Show at New York’s Museum of Modern Art.
Neufeld’s addition comes on the heels of Wildchild’s signing of feature editor David Moritz for commercial representation (SHOOT, 12/10/99, p.8); Moritz’s feature editing credits include Rushmore and Jerry Maguire.
Wildchild owner/editor Yvette Pioeyro has known Neufeld since the late ’80s, when they both attended The Film School at SUNY/Purchase. "I’ve tracked her career because we went to school together, and I’ve always loved her work," said Pioeyro. "I finally got the opportunity to bring her on board."
Neufeld related that she was attracted to Pioeyro’s goals for Wildchild. "The kind of work that [Pioeyro] wants to do is the same kind of work I’m interested in," she said. "I was very excited about working with everybody there, in terms of how they see commercials and what you can do in a commercial. The main reason I was interested in working with her is because she’s also interested in doing other kinds of projects-installations, short films. She’s very supportive of that."
The addition of Moritz and Neufeld comes as the three-year-old Wildchild prepares to move into a new 10,000-square-foot facility, featuring six Avids and an online room with HD finishing capabilities. It is slated to be up and running by the end of February.
Wildchild also has access to Voodoo, the design/graphics company that operates independently but is on the same premises as Wildchild. Voodoo is being launched by director of design/ graphics Steve Marino and designer/artist Jim Forster; it will open officially when Wildchild’s new facility debuts.
The Wildchild editorial roster consists of Neufeld, Moritz, Brendan Sherman and Pioeyro; the company also provides East Coast representation for editor Stewart Shevin of Southfield, Mich.-based Griot Editorial. Pioeyro related that Wildchild would soon announce the hiring of a new editor, who will join the company at the end of March or early April.
Wildchild also plans to build an audio mixing room on an additional 1,000-square-foot space. "We’ll basically be a full-service company," Pioeyro said.
Wildchild is rounded out by executive producer Maria Fugere and head of sales and development Leslie Lyons.
Endeavor Group Sells Professional Bull Riders, On Location and IMG To Parent of WWE and UFC
The parent company of WWE and UFC is buying Professional Bull Riders, On Location, and IMG from Endeavor Group in an all-stock deal valued at $3.25 billion.
The deal is part of Endeavor's efforts to shed some of its assets as it looks to be taken private in a proposed transaction with private equity firm Silver Lake, which was announced in April. Ariel Emanuel, who serves as CEO of Endeavor, is also executive chair and CEO of TKO.
Professional Bull Riders is a bull riding league that has more than 200 annual live events, approximately 1.25 million fans, and reaches more than 285 million households in more than 65 territories. On Location is live event company for more than 1,200 sporting events, such as the Super Bowl, Ryder Cup and NCAA Final Four. IMG is a distributor and producer of sports content, packages and sells media rights and brand partnerships, and provides consulting, digital services and event management to clients such as the National Football League and National Hockey League.
Parent company TKO Group said Thursday that the acquisition from Endeavor Group will complement its existing businesses as well as broaden its reach in the premium sports market.
"PBR, On Location, and IMG are industry-leading assets that meaningfully enhance TKO's portfolio and strengthen our position in premium sports globally," TKO Chief Operating Officer Mark Shapiro said in a statement. "Within TKO, they will help power the growth of our revenue streams and position us to capture even more upside from some of the most attractive parts of our sports ecosystem: media rights, live events, ticket sales, premium experiences, brand partnerships, and site fees."
As part of the deal, Endeavor will receive about 26.14 million common units of TKO... Read More