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.”

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, 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, 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.”

Beast, one of the country’s top editorial facilities, announced that it has added Editor Sean Berringer to its talent roster. Berringer will work out of Beast’s Chicago office, which recently completed the move from its temporary quarters of the past year to a custom-built facility on the Chicago River.

Beast Chicago’s new 3,000 square-foot facility, located on the 20th floor of the Crain Communications Building on the corner of Michigan and Wacker, will be the new home for Beast Editors Angelo Valencia and John Dingfield, as well as Berringer. The new facility, which boasts four dual-boot system edit bays running both Avid and Final Cut Pro, is located within walking distance to Chicago’s biggest ad agencies.

“We couldn’t be more excited about our new space,” Angelo Valencia, Beast Chicago’s founder and Senior Creative Editor said. “The location is great, but more importantly, we’re very happy to be able to service our clients better. We’ve been very blessed to have great folks consistently return to us at our temporary space, which is what made this move possible. We’re definitely looking forward to what the future holds for Beast Chicago.”

“Beast has a great reputation for high-quality work, and the new facility is gorgeous,” Berringer added. “I’m very much looking forward to working with Angelo and the rest of the Beast Chicago team.”

For over two decades, Berringer has been editing nationally recognized advertising campaigns for dozens of major brands, including Miller Lite, KFC, Sears, Juicy Fruit, Right Guard, Nintendo, McDonalds and Toyota, among others. He joins Beast from Red Car, where as Managing Film Editor he played an influential role in opening Red Car’s Chicago office and establishing the company’s identity in the local market. Berringer began his career in 1989 as an assistant editor for Venice Beach Editorial at Chiat/Day/Mojo before moving to Chicago in 1992 to take a position with Cutters, where he acquired many of his loyal clients. For the past six years, Berringer has been a member of the Chicago AICE Board of Directors.

“Sean’s not only an incredibly talented editor, he’s a fun and inspiring man,” said Beast Chicago executive producer Melissa Thornley. “To be honest, I’ve wanted to work with him for over a decade.”

“I‘m immensely proud of Angelo for everything he’s done to spearhead the Chicago office,” Beast Managing Director Valerie Petrusson said. “Beast has a reputation for providing top editorial talent all around the country, and having Angelo, John and Sean working as a creative collaborative team is a home run in my book.”

Beast, one of the country’s top editorial facilities, announced the expansion of its Austin location with the addition of a Smoke room for finishing projects and the hire of two major talents: senior editor Ariel Quintans and Smoke artist Jim Reed. In addition, Beast Austin has partnered with sister company Company 3 to provide virtual telecine services.

“We’re thrilled to have added online finishing and virtual telecine capabilities to our existing infrastructure,” said Beast Austin executive producer Brent Holt. “Jim Reed has a wealth of experience as a finishing artist, and Ariel is a very talented editor with a devoted following. Coupled with the remote technology employed by Company 3 for virtual collaboration, we are now well-positioned to tackle a whole range of new projects.”

Ariel Quintans has been an editor in Austin, Texas for over 12 years and has developed a reputation for impeccable taste and a passion for storytelling. Combining a unique understanding of music and rhythm with a keen ability for graphic and motion design, Quintans has stretched his story-telling abilities to cover as many formats as possible. In addition to his body of spot and music video work, Quintans served as lead editor on “Rollergirls,” a 13-episode reality series for A&E, was the supervising editor for four seasons of the Emmy Award-winning documentary series “Downtown,” and has been a contributing editor and motion designer on feature length features and documentaries. His recent work on the Basic Military Training microsite for Airforce.com has been featured in the 2010 Communication Arts Interactive Annual.

“I’ve been friends with Beast Austin co-founder Sam Selis for several years and always thought we would work really great together as a team,” Quintans commented. “The timing was perfect for me to make the switch to Beast and join their extremely talented roster.”

An industry veteran with over 30 years of experience, Reed joins Beast from 501 Post, where as senior editor and post production supervisor he worked on feature film projects such as “Sin City” and “Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2.” Reed also has a long list of commercial credits for dozens of brands, including AT&T, BMW, Burger King, Kohler, Land Rover, Snickers and Wal-Mart, among others.

“I’m excited to be joining Beast and starting up their in-house finishing,” Reed said. “The variety of projects and clients Beast brings to the table was very attractive in my decision to join the team. Plus my new room here is top-of-the-line, offers the greatest amount of creative input, and delivers a terrific end product.”

Company 3 will employ its remote technology for post production services on commercials and features, enabling clients at Beast Austin to collaborate in real time with Company 3 artists on color grading projects. A high-resolution monitor calibrated by a certified Company 3 engineer coupled with a video conferencing system ensures that client feedback reaches their Company 3 colorist in Los Angeles or New York without delays or color discrepancies.

Beast, one of the country’s top editorial facilities, announced today that it has hired Elizabeth Krajewski as Executive Producer at its New York facility. Krajewski joins Beast from Jump, bringing with her extensive editorial as well as visual effects experience.

“I’m thrilled to be working with a post production professional like Elizabeth who can help take Beast to the next level,” commented Beast COO Valerie Petrusson. “I know she’ll bring a great deal of value to her position as executive producer.”

Prior to joining Beast, Krajewski worked at Jump, where she started as a senior producer in 2005 before being promoted to executive producer in 2007. While at Jump, Krajewski worked on projects for a variety of national brands, including Hershey’s, L’Oreal, Maybelline and Verizon, for such agencies as Arnold, McCann Erickson and Saatchi & Saatchi. Originally from Chicago, Krajewski got her start in production in 2001, with a position with Supply & Demand in New York, and then moved into post production as a VFX producer with Spontaneous before making the transition to the editorial side.

“I’m very excited to be working at Beast,” said Krajewski. “It’s wonderful to work in a collaborative environment with such a talented group of editors. And with Beast facilities located around the country, it’s great to know that I’m part of a larger organization that can share talent and resources when they’re needed.”

Beast, one of the country’s top editorial facilities, announced today that editor John Dingfield contributed work on three spots for the CareerBuilder.com "Hire My TV Ad” contest, with the winner, “Casual Friday,” airing during Sunday’s Super Bowl XLIV.

The :30 ads, conceived by contest finalists, were directed by Craig Gillespie for CareerBuilder’s in-house advertising team, and subjected to public voting on the CareerBuilder web site to determine which commercial would air during the big game. The ads, entitled “Casual Friday,” “Job Fairy” and the “too hot for TV” “Worst Seat,” incorporate elements of CareerBuilder’s signature use of humor and reinforce the company’s “start building” tagline.

To create the spots, Career Builder turned the finalist concepts over to its advertising team for script development. Shooting took place over the course of three days in October, and the footage was handed off to Dingfield at Beast’s Chicago facility for editing in early November. “It was very nice to have so much time to spend on the project,” Dingfield commented. “I was really able to give the material its due. The production team shot more gags and set-ups than I could ever use, so it was a definite challenge to take all of that fantastic footage and cut it down to 30 seconds.”

“It was great working with the CareerBuilder team,” Dingfield continued. “The ‘Job Fairy’ spot was fairly technically demanding, so in terms of editorial there were a bunch a moving parts. Right from the beginning they got us involved in pre-production meetings, both to ensure that everyone on the post side was on board technically, and to make certain that creatively I had enough material to play with.”

MTV awarded ‘Shadow of the Day’ (by Linkin Park) as Rock Video of the Year at the 2008 Video Music Awards.  Directed by band member Joseph Hahn, the award-winning video was cut by Igor Kovalik of the Santa Monica boutique. As much a short film as a music video, the video portrays war and rioting in streets that could be any city.  Absent of any performance footage, the video doesn’t include any members of the band, save the lead singer (Chester).  This perspective coaxes viewers to contemplate the possibility and horror of dealing with such chaos on a more personal level.  Scenes were shot with hand-held cameras in an effort to retain mobility and reality in the action, and genuine pyrotechnics were used, including fire, bullets, smoke grenades and bombs.  Explosions, machine guns and other sound effects contribute to the pandemonium.  The powerful imagery and sound of the video is a stark contrast to the somber ballad, which no doubt lends to its popularity among fans.

The relationship between band member/director Joseph Hahn and Beast Editor Igor Kovalik continues bearing fruit, as this is not the first time the pair have worked together.  Last year Kovalik won an MTV VMA for Best Editing of the Linkin Park video ‘What I’ve Done’ (2007).  More recently, Rebecca Beluk of Beast LA handled post for ‘Leave Out All the Rest’, the final single released from the double-platinum-selling album “Minutes to Midnight”.  Also directed by Joe Hahn, ‘Leave Out All the Rest’ uses a unique treatment that depicts the band members living aboard a spaceship.   The video was shot using green screens to create an artificial habitat in outer space, and includes editing and effects seen more in high-budget films than in music videos.  Again there is no performance footage and the 4-minute narrative plays out like a short film.  Surfacing just before its official premiere date of June 2 (2008), the video is one of the favorites among the fans, who often refer to it as ‘epic’.  Considering its mass popularity over the summer thus far, it doesn’t seem out of the realm of possibility that another VMA might already be looming on the horizon.

Highlights of a whirlwind summer at Beast include two 60-second spots that debuted during the Opening Ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing.  “It’s Time” for Home Depot and “Disappear” for Chevrolet were both cut by our own Igor Kovalik (Santa Monica) and continue running through the end of the month.  The August 8 Opening Ceremony annihilated NBC competitors with 34.9 million viewers (the most-watched night of programming since the finale of Friends in 2004). Ratings were even better during competition the following Sunday evening and the average weekly viewers since are almost 18 million!

Put together by The Richards Group, “It’s Time” was created exclusively for the 2008 Olympic Games.  Home Depot employs Gold Medal-hopefuls through its Olympic Job Opportunities Program (OJOP) and the 60-second spot is a poignant commemoration to those aspiring athletes.  The OJOP compensates competitors for time spent training for the games.  A dozen potential Olympians from various Home Depot departments competing in equally varied sports are highlighted.  The ad is an inspiring reminder that even the local Home and Garden Center supports big dreams.

Since its debut during the Opening Ceremony, the “Disappear” spot for Chevrolet has created a flurry of press throughout the auto industry, as it offers the much-anticipated first visual of the Volt Plug-in Hybrid (estimated for release in 2010).  The spot is a carefully crafted montage showcasing the evolution from gas to electric-powered vehicles. The ad reminds the viewer of Chevrolet’s American roots, its progress and presence in the auto industry today, and its intent to protect our environment without sacrificing mobility.  The spot serves as a beautiful and effective method of communicating that the automotive powerhouse is actively engaged in exploring creative solutions for a better world tomorrow.  The spot will encourage consumer confidence and assure viewers Chevrolet is committed to positive progression.

This spring has been a very busy one for Beast. Editor Kevin Garcia moved from the Santa Monica office to join Sam Selis in Austin and has already cut spots for: Champion Sports, Oregon Associations of Realtors, an AT&T. Jason Uson, a senior assistant in the LA office has also made the move to the Lone Star State.

In Santa Monica, editor Rick Lobo joined Beast after spending several years at Cake. He is currently working on Adidas for 180 High Tech Marketing while Barnett Kiel is working on a massive project for the US Naval Academy.

The rest of the Beast editors are busy working on projects with directors Sam Bayer, Ericson Core, Eric Saarinen, and Baker Smith to name a few. A Pam Thomas helmed music video deserves special mention as it is promoting Standup2cancer.org, a newly launched assault on the dreaded disease with a dream team of scientists and researches galvanized by some of the most respected talent in Hollywood along with some of the most influential companies in the nation.

Source: Studio Daily

Beast - an editorial shop with offices in New York, Santa Monica and Austin - has announced the formation of a strategic alliance with Canadian counterpart Panic & Bob. Beast will represent the Panic & Bob roster in the US, while that company will handle Beast’s roster in Canada. The companies are connected by a shared belief in what they do and how to do it. Familiar sensibilities and process was very important to Panic & Bob.

Editors David Baxter, Michelle Czukar, Andy Ames and Griff Henderson will be available to cut through any of Beast’s three offices. Beast Managing Partner/Executive Producer Valerie Petrusson oversees a roster comprised of editors Kevin Garcia, Paul Kelly, Barnett Kiel, Igor Kovalik, Amanda Moreau, Paul Norling, Adam Schwartz, Sam Selis, Jim Ulbrich, and Rob Watzke.

“For Beast, this alliance represents an opportunity to make some remarkable talent available to the US market,” said Kovalik, citing Panic & Bob’s high profile, award-winning comedy work for Bud Light and collaborations with directors such as Joe Pytka, Floria Sigismondi, Tim Godsall, David McNally, Bryan Buckley, Kinka Usher, and Tom DeCerchio.

Ames and Baxter enjoyed a prior working relationship with Kovalik, who left Canada for the US twelve years ago, and they have followed his career in the United States. “We’ve both set up shops offering the highest quality of creative services, combined with unparalleled client service,” Ames said. “Taking the relationship to a new business level made complete sense. As Beast is new and exciting, it also allows Panic & Bob’s talent to add value and contribute to the overall success of building the Beast brand and company.”

Recent work from the Beast roster includes: Nike (Paul Norling edited, Andrea Buchanan directed), AT&T (cut by Adam Schwartz, for director Wes Anderson); the new Toyota Line of Scrimmage campaign (Kevin Garcia edited, for director Dan Levinson); T-Mobile cut by Rob Watzke; Tribeca Film Festival (Paul Kelly); Reebok (Amanda Moreau); Verizon (Jim Ulbrich); and a 10-spot campaign for SWA edited by Sam Selis and directed by Rocky Morton. Kovalik was nominated for a 2007 MTV Video Music Award for Best Editing on the Linkin Park video “What I’ve Done” (pict. l.). Kovalik is finishing work on Harpo Productions’ For One More Day, based on the novel by Mitch Albom, and a new Linkin Park video.

“We had been exploring ways to enter the US market, and Igor contacted us - he was the best fit by far,” explained Baxter, editor of In Bloom, starring Uma Thurman and directed by Vadim Perelman (House of Sand and Fog), which just premiered at the Toronto Film Festival. “I respect his incredible talents as an editor and know the excellent reputations of the editors with whom he’s associated. For our companies, the versatility of this unified roster - from comedy to stylized visual work - added to the appeal.”

Since opening in early 2006, Beast Editorial has racked up an impressive array of spot work, including projects for Reebok. Brahma Beer (both via mcgarrybowen/NY), Cingular (BBDO/NY), Toyota (Saatchi), Ford GT (JWT/DET), Burger King (Crispin Porter Bogusky), Buick (McCann Erickson/DET), ESPN Zone (The Ballpark/LA), and Partnership for a Drug-Free America (Dailey & Associates/LA).

With Beast’s three US editorial facilities, Panic & Bob’s editors are available to work as a local, in whatever market the project requires. “In addition to providing excellent creative editing, a key philosophy behind Panic & Bob was to provide better service for clients on all levels,” Czukar added. “Beast shares this philosophy and that was another factor in our amalgamation. The opportunity to work with Valerie Petrusson is the icing on the cake.”

Established in 1996 and one of Canada’s premier post production facilities, Panic and Bob’s collective reel shines with impressive depth, sporting such notable clients as A1, BMW, Budweiser, Fujifilm, Dove, 13 Eme Rue and Nike. Their work has won numerous awards, including: AICE, London International Advertising Awards, Clios, The One Show, and at Cannes (Michelle Czukar’s work on Zig’s “Prison Visitor” reflected Gold at Cannes as did Griff Henderson’s contribution to Downtown Partners’ “Fridge”; Baxter and Ames’ efforts on Budweiser’s “Real Men of Genius” campaign were recognized with Bronze Lions). Since 1999, Anheuser-Busch has turned to Panic & Bob, counting on the team’s editorial excellence for their Budweiser and Bud Light Super Bowl commercials.

“The editors at Panic & Bob are among the best in the business,” Kovalik concludes. “I’ve known these guys for 20 years and I’m excited to be in business with them and provide an opportunity for them to flourish in the US. Having this talent on our roster makes Beast much stronger in the marketplace by adding to our already solid, celebrated group of artists.”