M ss ng p eces has added director Danielle Levitt to its roster. With a photography and fashion background, Levitt made her commercial debut in 2016 with the Ad Council on “Love Has No Labels.” The spot earned a Creative Arts Emmy for Best Commercial. She has also worked on campaigns and content for brands and organizations including the National Down Syndrome Society, Planned Parenthood, Apple, HBO, Nike, Netflix, Nordstrom and others.
Director Alison Chernick has joined RSA Films for commercial representation. Her work includes the feature documentary “Itzhak,” which earned a Grammy nomination for Best Music Film in 2019 after a theatrical release. Chernick’s documentary short on Jackson Pollock will premiere on PBS in the Spring. She has also helmed films on artists such as Jeff Koons, Roy Lichtenstein and Matthew Barney, and directed branded content for brands like Estee Lauder, Joe’s Jeans, L’Oréal, Spectrum and Yellow Pages.
Brand New School has signed Arnaud Boutin to its director roster. Paris-born Boutin began his career as an art director and illustrator for Colette, Vogue, and I-D and launched his directing career as the part of a collective that helmed Lily Allen's 2009 music video “F*** You”. He has since directed for brands including American Express, Range Rover, Absolut, and Axe.
Director Krista Liney has joined Canyon Road Films as its inaugural signing. Liney is formerly the SVP of brand creative at A&E Networks for History Channel and has directed projects including “Without Bias,” a project for the Breast Cancer Research Foundation in partnership with Lifetime. Her work with Canyon Road has kicked off with a promo for ABC’s “The Bachelor,” which aired during the 2020 Academy Awards.
Union Editorial has hired Melissa Lubin as executive producer in its New York office. Prior to joining Union, Lubin spent four years as executive producer at Beast Editorial NY, a division of Deluxe Entertainment Services. As part of Union’s structural realignment, partner Caryn Maclean now takes on the title of managing director.
Documentary and podcast makers Sean Glynn and Max O’Brien have opened audio content company Novel in London. The pair, who make podcasts and content for broadcasters and platforms including the BBC, Audible and Spotify, launch with the backing of Dentsu’s executive director of creative, entertainment & sport and former Stink global CEO, James Morris and Matt O’Mara, chief commercial officer of U.K. children's media brand Beano and former Vice U.K. CEO. The team will also include Michelle Cfas, previously OMD EMEA’s content lead, who will work as a consultant on developing branded audio.
Editor Anthony Marinelli has joined post-production boutique Northern Lights following a four-year stint at TwoPointO, where he was also a partner. He has previously worked at Kind Editorial, Alkemy X, Red Car, Cut+Run, and Crew Cuts, and his work for brands like Mercedes, FedEx, BMW, Visa, Pepsi, Scotts, Mount Sinai and Verizon has aired in the Super Bowl and the Oscars.
L.A. and Wyoming-based production studio Stept Studios has announced several new hires and roles. Laura Cushing moves from her previous role as head of production into the managing director post, while Adam Rachlitz, who has experience at Deutsch Los Angeles and Roc Nation, joins as head of creative. Other new hires include Mac Hedges, who joins as head of production having previously worked at Stunt Creative, and Meredith Rodriguez, who becomes head of sales, marketing & development, joining from entertainment studio Fresno.
Montreal-based Executive Producer Sach Baylin-Stern has joined forces with Toronto-based production company Someplace Nice to open and lead a new Montreal outpost. New directors on its roster include Adib Alkhalidey, Dominic James, Shayne Laverdière and Alexandre de Bellefeuille.
Squeak E. Clean has appointed Chris Clark as executive producer of its Chicago studio. Clark, who joins following 11 years as global music lead at Leo Burnett Chicago, has secured track placements in content for brands including Samsung, Nintendo, MillerCoors, P&G, McDonald’s, Allstate and Esurance.
Los Angeles-based Position Music has named Michael Frick, co-founder of music production and synchronization company Mophonics, as VP, brand partnerships & creative synch. Frick has led partnerships with artists and clients including Skylar Gray, Jason Mraz, Ziggy Marley, Foster the People, Amazon, Google, Apple, YouTube, Billboard, Coachella, Target, Sony, MTV and HBO. Prior to co-founding Mophonics, he worked at We Are Hear.
Lucky Post has added Sound Designer Matt Cimino to its team. Cimino recently worked on sound for feature film "Miss Juneteenth," which premiered at Sundance 2020, while his commercial portfolio includes spots and campaigns for Ram, GameStop, Bridgestone, Dodge, Patron and the Super Bowl Jeep spot "Restlessness."
