Beast Austin Hires Executive Producer Mary Ellen Farrar

Former agency producer brings 20+ years experience to editorial boutique

Austin, TX – November 15, 2010 – Beast, one of the country’s top editorial facilities, has hired former advertising agency producer Mary Ellen Farrar to oversee commercial editing and post work at its vibrant, busy Austin, TX location. Farrar has spent the past two decades as a producer. Most recently she was on staff at the Seattle offices of Publicis, where she worked on spots for Washington’s Lottery, Dish Network, Citi and the popular T-Mobile "myFaves" and "myTouch" campaigns.
“We are delighted to have Mary Ellen on our team,” says Beast's COO and managing director Valerie Petrusson. “Her understanding of production, the industry at large and her years of experience on the agency side make her a wonderful asset to our Austin operation.”

Though Farrar has been involved in many facets of production and a wide variety of formats, it is the editing phase, she notes, that has always most fascinated her. “It’s really the part of the process where a job comes to life,” she says. "During the shooting, it's more like a play. It doesn't become something the whole world can enjoy until it goes through post.”

A long-time Austin resident, Farrar is excited about returning to the state and to be working in the advertising world in this rapidly growing market. “The industry is constantly evolving these days,” Farrar notes, ‘and we're in a perfect place to evolve and grow with it. Austin is a hotbed of high-tech industries and it's a great time to be able to offer editing services on par with the best there is anywhere in the country.”

Beast Makes a Full Court Press for Converse

Editorial facility provides bi-coastal post production services for iconic ad

New York, NY – November 1, 2010 –
Beast, one of the country’s top editorial facilities, recently completed work on “The Procession” for Converse via ad agency Anomaly NYC for the company’s fall 2010 brand campaign. The commercial, which broke nationally September 26, pays homage to the legends of Converse’s past, present and future, showcasing the iconic Star Chevron mark and giving a nod to the company’s connection to the worlds of sport, music and culture which has helped define the brand for decades.

Gritty and raw, the :60 spot was directed by award-winning filmmaker Antoine Fuqua of Anonymous Content. The ad stars basketball legend Julius “Dr. J” Erving; Carlos Arroyo of the Miami Heat; musicians Jim Jones and Doug E Fresh; legendary ball-handler God Shammgod and Harlem streetball player Adrian “A-Butta” Walton; Converse skaters Kenny Anderson, Sammy Baca, Rune Glifberg and Eli Reed; all set to the thunderous “Hello Operator” by alternative rock band The White Stripes.

Lucas Eskin at Beast Los Angeles edited the spot, working with the director in Los Angeles before flying out to New York to meet with the agency team and complete the spot at Beast’s New York location. Tom McCullough of sister company Company 3 provided VFX and compositing for the project, and color grading was performed by CO3 colorist Tim Masick.

“Creatively, this was an incredibly rewarding project to work on,” Eskin said. “The agency handed off a lot of great material for me to work with, and it turned out to be a really fun, energetic spot. And I really enjoyed working with the Anomaly team at Beast NY.”

“Working with Beast was a great experience,” commented Andrew Loevenguth, Anomaly’s head of production. “Mike Byrne and I were able to work with Lucas again, and the job couldn’t have gone any smoother. And it didn't matter that he was LA-based--everything was where it needed to be and everything got done the way we wanted it. Lucas is a master editor.”

About Beast

Beast is one of the country’s top editorial houses for commercials, music videos and web virals. With facilities in Santa Monica, New York, Austin, Detroit, Chicago and San Francisco, Beast serves a global clientele with an unparalleled roster of established, award-winning editors as well as up-and-coming talent. Since opening its doors in 2006, Beast has built an impressive and varied body of work for such clients as Harpo Films, Nike, Electronic Arts, Converse, AT&T, Reebok, Southwest Airlines, GM, Toyota, BMW, Mercedes, USAF, Linkin Park and Black Eyed Peas. www.beast.tv

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CREDITS

Client: Converse

Title: “The Procession” :60

Agency: Anomaly NYC

Ex. Creative Director/Partner: Mike Byrne

Creative Director: Ian Toombs

Head of Production: Andrew Loevenguth

Acct. Person: Stanley Lumax

Production Company: Anonymous Content

Director: Antoine Fuqua

Director of Photography: Harris Savides

Executive Producer Dave Morrison

Producer: John Bennet

Editorial: Beast

Editor: Lucas Eskin

Executive Producer: Elizabeth Krajewski

Producer: Elizabeth Krajewski

Editorial Assistant: Jai Shukla

Telecine/VFX: Company3

Colorist: Tim Masick

Flame Artist: Tom McCullough

Executive Producer: Angela Lupo

Sound Mixing: AudioEngine

Mixer: Tommy Goldblatt

Music: The White Stripes “Hello Operator”

Music Clearance: Sara Matarazzo/Search Party Music

Beast NY Brings Fantasy to Reality for Zoosk

Editorial facility contributes to online dating site campaign from Ogilvy Atlanta

Beast, one of the country’s top editorial facilities, recently completed work on two spots, “Fantasy” and the still-to-air “Allergy,” for online dating site Zoosk. The campaign, from ad agency Ogilvy Atlanta, broke nationally on air and on the web June 1.

The :30 “Fantasy” features Zoosk user Tiffany daydreaming about a perfect romantic date while perusing the Zoosk site with her girlfriends. The fantasy begins reliably enough in a candlelit boudoir but quickly turns into parody with several hilarious blunders, including bumped heads, broken lamps and a strained back. Tiffany realizes that she finds reality much more appealing, and the ad closes with the Zoosk tag and logo.

Beast New York editor Jim Ulbrich cut the Zoosk spots on an Avid system, working closely with the creative team to realize the client’s vision. “The client and agency were great to work with, and it’s always fun to be involved in a company’s initial foray into traditional marketing,” Ulbrich commented. “As far as comedy goes, the two spots couldn’t be more different. The first spot, ‘Fantasy,” is physical comedy, while ‘Allergy’ is more about story and punch line.”

“Because of the demo and end graphics, which were a crucial part of the Zoosk message, we only had about 20 seconds in which to tell the story,” Ulbrich continued. “You keep asking yourself, ‘What footage pushes the story along as quickly as possible?’ With ‘Fantasy,’ it was easier to pull together. I made sure that the physical aspect of the story was as painful as possible and that really drove the spot. With ‘Allergy,’ it was a bit more difficult. While there was a ton of laugh-out-loud material to work with, I was at the mercy of animals hitting their marks and keeping their continuity. The great footage that did not make the cut will have to wait for the gag reel. In the end, everyone was really happy with how the spots turned out.”

“Allergy,” a side-splitting take on blind dates, airs nationally this month, and will also be featured on ZooskTV.com.

Beast Detroit Scores with Basketball Trick Shot Team Dude Perfect

Editorial facility contributes to web and broadcast campaign from Leo Burnett Detroit for GMC

Beast, one of the country’s top editorial facilities, recently completed work on a web and broadcast campaign for GMC from Leo Burnett Detroit featuring basketball trick shot team Dude Perfect. The campaign, dubbed the “GMC Heavy Duty Pickup Games,” promotes the GMC Sierra Denali Heavy Duty, and broke on the web on June 1, 2010. One of the nine videos, “Airplane,” was cut down into a :30 spot that aired during the NBA Finals.

Beast Detroit editor Chris Chynoweth traveled to Austin, TX for a three-day shoot for the project, working closely with the agency and production company Action Figure to determine the best approach. “One of the advantages to being on the shoot is that I get a feel for the material before I even sit down to start cutting,” Chynoweth said. “I know the team and I know what they’re looking for. Being there gives me a sense of what will work and what won’t, as well as the direction the agency wants to take.”

The video series features a variety of trick basketball shots, including one from an airplane that was accomplished in just two takes. “The airplane shot was incredibly exciting,” Chynoweth said. “It was the first video in the project that I cut for them, and because I already knew what they wanted, I was able to turn it around very quickly.”

Sybil McCarthy Joins Beast Los Angeles as Executive Producer

Beast, one of the country’s top editorial facilities, has hired Sybil McCarthy as executive producer of its Los Angeles facility. McCarthy joins Beast from a two-and-a-half-year stint as a freelance agency producer in Los Angeles as part of the Poolhouse collective, working with global and local advertising agencies such as Publicis Seattle/NY, JWT NYC, GSDM and McCann LA.
“Beast is excited that Sybil chose to join the LA office as EP,” said Beast COO Valerie Petrusson. “She brings a creative sensibility to the art of production as well as a deep understanding of the complex times we all navigate. Sybil joins an award winning editing roster and talented production executives at Beast.”

“I ‘m thrilled to have Sybil on our side now,” added Beast LA senior editor Lucas Eskin. “In her first week, she’s already helped to give the place the warm fuzzy vibe that is so essential to the offline process. With her expertise and experience, my job just got a lot easier.”

Prior to working as a freelancer, from 2005-2007, McCarthy served as executive producer at Jigsaw Editorial in Los Angeles, leading strategic planning for company growth and building a significant customer base. Before Jigsaw, from 1997-2005, McCarthy was a senior agency producer at TBWA Chiat Day in Los Angeles, producing campaigns for Nissan, Infiniti, Sony PlayStation and Pepsi One, among others. In addition to Chiat Day, McCarthy also served as a senior producer for Arnold Advertising, where she worked on campaigns for Volkswagen, McDonalds and Titleist Golf. With over 20 years of experience, McCarthy got her start in the industry as a producer at Ketchum/LA and Hill Holiday Boston and LA, working on campaigns for Honda/Acura and Infiniti.

“The dynamic structure of the Beast family provides an opportunity to grow creatively, provide excellent service to our clients, and be at the forefront of technological innovation in the post production process,” McCarthy commented. “With all the recent changes in our industry, I am deeply committed and enthusiastic about the direction Beast is heading. I’ll bring my understanding of all sides of the process to provide value and superior creative services to our clients. I couldn’t be happier to have found a new home with the amazing team of talented individuals at Beast.”

Beast Editors Tim Fender and Rich Smith Win Big at Ninth Annual AICE Awards

Igor Kovalik, Doug Walker and Lucas Eskin named AICE finalists

 Beast, one of the country’s top editorial facilities, announced today that two of its editors, Tim Fender and Rich Smith, were recognized at last week’s ninth annual Association of Independent Creative Editors (AICE) competition honoring creative excellence in editorial, design and visual effects. Beast San Francisco editor Tim Fender was awarded Best of San Francisco for his work on the U.S. Cellular spot “Calling all Communities,” and Beast Detroit editor Rich Smith named Best of Detroit for his work on “Can Confessions” for Bud Light Lime.

Beast editors Igor Kovalik, Doug Walker and Lucas Eskin were also finalists in the AICE competition. Kovalik was nominated in the Music Video category for Linkin Park’s “New Divide”; Walker had three spots nominated in the National Campaign category for his work on the Electronic Arts-E Sports Brand campaign; and Eskin was nominated in the Montage category for Discovery Channel’s “I Love the World Reprise.”

“Winning an AICE award is flattering because it comes from the editing community, people who know and respect the craft,” said Beast San Francisco editor Tim Fender. “Delivering a spot that is effective for the client—and wins an award—is as good as it gets.”

“It was a thrill to be recognized this way by my peers,” added Beast Detroit editor Rich Smith. “The AICE awards show is so important to us as editors—it gives us a place to shine.”

WINNER: BEST OF DETROIT

• Rich Smith, Beast Detroit
• Bud Light Lime: “Can Confessions”
• Executive Producer: Marie Schroeder
• Agency: DDB
• Creative Director: Mark Gross
• Agency producer: Scott Kemper
• Production Company: Supply & Demand
• Director: Greg Popp
• DP: Byron Shah

WINNER: BEST OF SAN FRANCISCO

• Tim Fender, Beast San Francisco
• U.S. Cellular: “Calling All Communities”
• Agency: Publicis and Hal Riney
• Creative Director: Roger Camp
• Producer: D.P. Odishoo
• Art Director: Joe Bultman
• Copywriter: Michael Whelan
• Production Company: Ruby Pictures. Doug Walker, director/DP
• Colorist/Online: Dave Burghardt, Beast

FINALIST: MUSIC VIDEO

• Igor Kovalik, Beast Los Angeles
• Linkin Park “New Divide” (Warner Bros)

FINALIST: NATIONAL CAMPAIGN

• Doug Walker, Beast San Francisco
• Electronic Arts-E Sports Brand Campaign “Joy” “Push” “Training Camp”
• Agency: Heat

FINALIST: MONTAGE

• Lucas Eskin, Beast Los Angeles
• Discovery Channel “I Love the World Reprise”
• Agency: 72andSunny

Beast San Francisco Gets Twisted for ‘Bright Falls’

Live-action series from agencytwofifteen for Xbox 360 promotes psychological action thriller ‘Alan Wake’

Beast, one of the country’s top editorial facilities, completed work on Xbox 360’s “Bright Falls,” a six-episode series created by agencytwofifteen to promote the psychological action thriller game “Alan Wake.” Directed by Phillip Van for production company Little Minx, “Bright Falls” debuted on Xbox LIVE and on the web on April 27, with two episodes available each week through the game’s launch on May 18.
Shot on the RED camera on location in rural Oregon and Washington, “Bright Falls” is a prequel to the events of “Alan Wake,” telling the story of a reporter named Jake as he arrives in town to interview the creepy Dr. Hartman. In the first two episodes, Jake discovers the woods, hollows and diner that comprise Bright Falls are filled with mysterious characters, setting the stage for the strange events to follow.

Beast used REDCINE X to transcode the raw RED digital files captured from the week-long shoot, converting them to DNX files before loading them onto an Avid system for editing. “As much as we wanted to jump straight into the edit, the first thing we had to think about was data management. Once we had the files in the AVID and synced, we were able to break the footage into separate episodes and start editing,” explained Beast editor Connor T. McDonald.

“This was such a cool project—it’s the kind of thing that got me into editing in the first place,” McDonald continued. “I love cutting commercials, but it was my love of movies and television dramas that got me here. ‘Bright Falls’ gave us a chance to open things up a little and let the characters unfold and develop.”

McDonald shared editing chores for “Bright Falls” with Beast editors Nikki Winig and Brian Lagerhausen. “It was a great experience, much more about storytelling than product,” Winig said. “The biggest challenge, which was the departure from commercial editing, was also the most fun part. From the moment I read the treatment I couldn’t wait to start cutting. The other nice thing was the amount of time we had for each episode, which really allowed us to help build a detailed and nuanced story.”