Click 3X continues its aggressive push into live action with the addition of Belinda Mayne as Click 3X Live's senior live-action producer. With expertise running the production gamut from design and branding to VFX, 3D, illustration and titles, Mayne brings a unique understanding of where her live-action work fits into Click 3X's robust production pipeline.

"I'm really excited that Belinda is here," noted Click 3X Live EP Mary Crosse. "Click 3X Live is a division that's growing rapidly. Belinda is a versatile talent with broad production experience ranging from live action commercials, longer form content and post production including animation and breakthrough VFX. She is able to overcome production challenges and find creative solutions at all budget levels."

Dark Light Pictures has appointed Gabriel Mena to the newly-created post of Director of Development. Mena, who has a background in film and TV development, will lead a new effort to grow Dark Light’s roster of directors, with an emphasis on building a cadre of young filmmakers. Mena will also direct a marketing effort in support of the new talent.
According to Dark Light Pictures executive producer Vince Arcaro, the company is seeking to diversify and leverage the strong reputation it enjoys for identifying quality talent. “We are very proud of the directors we have, but like any successful company we want to continue to grow and reinvent ourselves, especially in this ever evolving media landscape,” he observed.

Santa Monica, Calif., August 27, 2012 – RPA, the largest advertising agency headquartered in Los Angeles, and the third-largest independent agency in the country, announces the promotion of J Barbush, previously VP, Associate Creative Director, to the position of VP, Creative Social Media Director, reporting to Joe Baratelli, EVP, Chief Creative Officer. This is the first time RPA has designated “social media” in a creative title.

MPC is making a splash this summer with two industry-leading hires, VFX supervisor Evan Schoonmaker and lead animator Grae Revell. Both talents will operate out of MPC's New York studio.

"Evan and Grae perfectly complement our existing team while adding their own unique skillsets," noted MPC NY MD Justin Lane. "Evan, whose strength is in visual effects, is an expert in `the big project' and will seamlessly take to our tradition of crafting big, beautiful composites on high-end spot work. Grae is a great collaborator who can make literally anything come to life, from dinosaurs to warriors, and we look forward to challenging him to produce his best work yet."

Young colorist brings experience with Baselight grading system and a credit list that includes Bridgestone, Southwest Airlines, and McDonald’s.

NASHVILLE— In the first step in a new effort to grow and expand services, Filmworkers, Nashville, has added Jimmy Cadenas as Senior Colorist. Cadenas spent the past seven years at Filmworkers’ facilities in Chicago and Dallas where he learned his craft from some of the industry’s top colorists, and worked on projects ranging from national television commercials to music videos and feature films.

Hollywood Center Studios’ Virtual Stage provided the shooting location for an on-air promotional campaign for JFL XXX — The Ultimate Nasty Show, a live comedy special broadcast this month on The Movie Network in Canada. The stage’s proprietary virtual set technology offered the producers an efficient and cost effective means for completing the project by allowing them to create two sets, literally at the touch of a button.

Advertising competition and New Directors Showcase slated for September 11 in tandem with LA Shorts Fest.

Hollywood, CA. – The NXT STAGE Hollywood International Awards, a global competition honoring creative excellence and innovation in advertising, has extended the deadline for submissions to its inaugural Film Advertising Craft Awards, to Tuesday, August 14th. This will be the final deadline.

Santa Monica, Calif.— Commercial, music video and feature film director Duane Crichton has joined The Joneses for exclusive representation for U.S. advertising work. The agreement marks the first time that Crichton, a Canadian, has been represented in the United States. He is represented by Partners Film Company, Toronto, in Canada, where his credits include work for Volkswagen, Toyota, Rogers, Home Depot and Ontario Tourism. He first garnered wide attention when his Adidas spec spot Three won a Shots’ Young Directors Award at Cannes.

Santa Monica, Calif., July 31, 2012 - RPA, the third-largest independent advertising agency in the U.S., has hired four key creative talents. Pete Figel and Alicia Dotter join the crew as creative directors, while John Starr will fill a new associate CD/design director role, and Mark Tripp will be the agency's newest director and senior producer, content, specializing in social campaigns.

"With success comes growth, with growth comes change, and we are changing in the best way possible with the addition of some new faces to the RPA creative pool," said RPA EVP/CCO Joe Baratelli. "Each of these talents brings the unique combination of capability, enthusiasm and drive that we look for in every RPA Associate."

Paddy Power seeks court order over banned London athletics ads - JCDecaux took down Paddy Powers posters after the organiser of the London Olympics told them to. "It’s a pity they didn’t put the same energy into the ticketing and security arrangements for the Games that they put into protecting their sponsorship revenue streams."

The subjects of the commercial were real people who were recruited on the street and led directly to a trailer for blindfolding. They were then taken to an apartment that a crew had spent hours stocking with foul-smelling objects treated with Febreze. (The couch prominently featured in the spot was found in a dump.) The responses of the subjects, as they examine their surroundings with their noses, were entirely spontaneous and unrehearsed, and recorded via hidden cameras from a remote site.

Gleie often employs real people in the ads he directs (notably in his acclaimed work for Pampers, Target and Hallmark), but the clever ruse incorporated into this spot gave it a novel twist.

Mantovani says he is eager to do more American ads and selected The Joneses after a year-long search for a U.S. home. “I wanted to find a company that was focused on a few directors and had a real interest in building my career,” he explains. “I liked Mel and the enthusiasm he has for my work. I was also impressed with the other directors on the staff and with the projects they have done. It’s a good fit.”

The retro-elegant Reformed Troglodyte short film, cut by jumP's Michael Saia, emerged from the award season with a Bronze CLIO and a Titanium and Integrated prize in Cannes. A reflective 4:00 piece that follows a former playboy discarding the mementoes of his hard-partying life as he prepares to propose to a woman, the film is one of three in the Art of Shaving campaign directed by The Institute's Ben Briand to celebrate the upscale shaving brand's 15th anniversary.

Fun Etsy product of the week, the "I'll use Arial when Helvetica freezes over" wallet - suitable for US green skinny bills & people who love puns.

“We need a fundamentally different way to create a brand: the way it talks, behaves and thinks and the way to leverage ALL touch points--especially those beyond the obvious “social” touch points like TV." Andrew Keller, CEO of agency CP+B sends out musings on the future of advertising.

In a bid to expand its digital color services for commercials, music videos, and long-form content, Pleasant Post has partnered with freelance colorist Tristan Kneschke. After collaborating exclusively with Kneschke for years on a multitude of projects - including recent campaigns for Royal Caribbean, Lenovo and GM - Pleasant Post is bringing him in on a more formal basis to offer its clients a cost-effective color correction solution to complement its full menu of postproduction services.

Santa Monica, Calif., June 26, 2012 - RPA, the independent West Coast advertising agency that continues to grow in size and billings, has elevated four talents in its creative department, promoting Tom Hamling to VP, Creative Director, Ken Pappanduros to Creative Director, and Hobart Birmingham and Perrin Anderson each to Associate Creative Director.

MPC LA is pleased to announce the addition of their second colorist, Ricky Gausis, to bolster a US color grading department headed by Creative Director Mark Gethin. Gausis, who has worked at MPC for 10 years, has developed an individual style influenced by Jean-Clément Soret in London.

DUCK is pleased to announce the addition of animator/director Ned Wenlock to its roster. Best known for a distinct, inventive and vibrant 2D animation style, Wenlock has worked across the advertising and music video worlds. His ad work, which has been featured at onedotzero, Annecy, Supertoon, and PromaxBDA, includes engaging spots for Honda and UBank. His music portfolio includes videos for CasioNova, MGMT, and Danger Beach's Apache, which was selected by IdN magazine for its best of 2011 roundup.

Following an extended run freelancing with the company, Erik Yang has joined HUSH's roster. The signing, which follows the recent additions of Head of Production Ryan McGrath and Designer Evan Anthony, adds a brand design specialist whose experience includes work with Syfy, ABC, MTV, Toyota, American Express, the New York Public Library and Art Directors Club.

Erik is out strong already working on a rapidly growing concept and installation project for Nike, environmental and digital design projects for two notable fashion brands, and concept development for digital experiences.

DUCK has sliced two birds with one stone, considerably escalating its presence in both the live-action and animation realms with the addition of versatile director Knife Party. The Sydney, Australia-based talent - also known as Simon Robson - will focus on ad campaigns, full-length feature films, and cause-based special projects.