Belgium's Mortier Signs With Paranoid, Laubscher Joins BRW Filmland and More

Belgian director and Czar Films founder Koen Mortier has signed with Los Angeles-based production company Paranoid for U.S. representation and with London-based Friend for U.K. representation. Mortier established Czar in Brussels with fellow director Joe Vanhoutteghem in 1999 and has directed work for clients including BNP Paribas Fortis, Eneco, Jupiler, Leroy Merlin and TNT. His TNT "Push to add Drama" viral campaign earned him a Gold Lion at the Cannes Lions festival in 2012. In addition to advertising, Mortier has made two feature films: "Ex Drummer" (2007) and "22nd of May" (2010). BRW Filmland Los Angeles has signed German-born director Axel Laubscher for U.S. commercial representation. Laubscher, who moves from Hungry Man, has helmed campaigns for brands such as Volkswagen, E-Trade, Playstation, Mercedes, Allstate, McDonald's and Coca-Cola. He launched the production company Social Club with fellow director Henrik Lagercrantz in 2002. His commercial work has earned honors from Cannes Lions, D&AD, Epica, LIA and Eurobest. Acne has signed comedy specialist Nicolas Iyer to its directorial roster. His recent work includes the 2014 World Cup campaign for Samsung, and he has helmed commercials for brands including Snickers, Sprite, Big Red, McDonald's, Time Warner and Seat cars. He has also directed several celebrities in ads for brands, including actress Milla Jovovich for Tonus Energy Drink, Joe Jonas for Acuvue and tennis pro Ana Ivanovich for Samsung. Paris-based production company Iconoclast is launching in the U.K. through a partnership with Pulse Films. Pulse Films will represent a selection of directors from both companies in the U.K. and in France, and Candice Chubb has been appointed executive producer of U.K. operations, covered until January 2015 by Anna Smith. Chubb will represent Iconoclast's roster in the U.K. across commercials and branded content. The first work from the new partnership will be a project from 101 for Game, directed by So Me. MPC Creative, the content production division of MPC, has appointed Sophie Gunn as executive producer based in London. Gunn has recently overseen the development of the MPC Motion Design studio, which specializes in dynamic motion graphics, design, illustration and animation. She recently worked the production of 19 online films for Adidas including "Predator Instinct." 1stAveMachine has added director Alessandro Pacciani to its roster. Pacciani, who recently directed the trailer for Bandai Namco's game Dark Souls II, began his career in music videos. He subsequently directed commercials for clients including BMW, Subaru, Nike, Samsung, Google, and Universal. Editorial company Whitehouse Post has added Martin Leroy to its Los Angeles studio. Leroy has edited work for brands such as BMW, Ikea, Adidas, Ford, and Audi, working with directors including Raf Wathion of Skunk, Koen Mortier of Czar Films, and Arnaud Uyttenhove of Caviar. His work also includes music videos, documentaries, and short films. Timory King has joined Wondros, the LA-based strategic consultancy and media/production company, in the role of executive producer. King has overseen production for brands such as as Apple, Nike, Adidas, Microsoft, Revlon, Target, JP Morgan Chase and IBM. She has worked with directors including Phil Morrison, Stacy Wall, Jeff Preiss and Matthew Badger. Chicago editorial company Utopic has appointed Craig Lewandowski as a partner alongside Jan Maitland and Tim Kloehn. At one time they were all editors at Edit Sweet, which was eventually acquired and merged with Optimus in 2001. Lewandowski, who has spent the past 13 years at Optimus, has edited commercials for brands such as Michelob Ultra, Gatorade, Boeing, and Coors Light and recently edited the rom-com "Adventures in the Sin Bin."

Belgium's Mortier Signs With Paranoid, Laubscher Joins BRW Filmland and More

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