JACK DANIELS ANIMATED SHORTS

In late 2013, we were enlisted by Northside Media Group to produce and direct a series of 8 animated shorts, based on compelling stories from 8 Brooklyn bartenders, as part of an integrated promotion with Jack Daniel's, the legendary whiskey brand. The project had 6 distinct stages: participant selection, story editing, animation direction and production, web design, contest execution, and special event/screening production.  The project spanned over 6 months, and culminated in a fantastic set of animated shorts that are fun to watch- our animators did an incredible job of bringing these stories to life!  We had a lot of fun working with so many different artists and technicians, and we were finally able to celebrate with them at the Jack Daniels sponsored screening event at The Woods in Williamsburg Brooklyn.  Pics of the event below- all of the animated shorts can be found on our Vimeo page, as well as in our WORK.  Thanks Everyone!

Here's the winning animation- it's a story told by bartender extraordinaire Mary Guiteras, animated by the amazing Danielle Ash:

Victoria's Secret in DUMBO

photo shoot on the streets of brooklyn with victorias secret and alessandra ambrosio 

This spring, we had the pleasure of working with Victoria’s Secret for 3 days on location in Dumbo, Brooklyn.  Art Director Kiel Kong, and Photographer James Macari powered through a long shotlist and a small army of papparrazzi, with the help of the VS knockouts Alessandra Ambrosio, Martha Hunt, and Behati Prinsloo- as well as the ever-strong VS styling team.

Arguably the most challenging aspect of the shoot was the batallion of paparrazi that shadowed our every shot, the sound of their clicking shutters roaring, their long lenses aimed at our backs all day long.  Initial frustration eventually gave way to a resigned indifference, as we accepted our fate as the subjects/casualties of celebrity culture.

As intrusive as it felt, the papparazzi were (for the most part) quite respectful, and kept to an appropriate distance. (For the most part).  In the end, we had learned many of their names, and become friendly with a few.  James Macari, who displayed nothing but calm, measured composure throughout the onslaught, even organized a few portraits with the gang of Paparrazzi (! see below) In the end, they were an inextricable part of the shoot, and something to joke about if nothing else.

As usual, shooting in DUMBO, had its benefits and challenges.  Crowds were a bit of an issue, as was the constant noise from the bridge and local construction- of which there is a LOT.  That said, there is always something indelible about that neighborhood that always seems to come through in the pictures.  Special thanks to the Dumbo Improvement District, One Girl Cookies, Superfine, Hillside, and Jaques Torres  for all of their local support!  As always, we could not do what we do without the help of local businesses, and we appreciate it!

On an environmental note, we were able to recycle and compost quite a bit from this 3 day shoot, and we kept our vehicle usage to a real minimum.  We’re still waiting on the carbon output numbers, we’ll have an update on that soon.  Looking forward to seeing the final images from this one, we’ll update those soon too.  In the meantime, enjoy the BTS pics below.  Thanks VS!

photo shoot on the streets of brooklyn with victorias secret and behati prinsloo
photo shoot on the streets of brooklyn with victorias secret and alessandra ambrosio and flowers

Shoot Credits: Art Director: Kiel Kong; Photographer: James Macari; Photo Assistant: Timothy O’Malley;  Photo Assistant:Isaac Bearman; Digital Tech: Liz Lucsko; Stylist: Inge Fonteyne; Stylist Assistant: Liz Cresci; Hair: Frankie Foye; Make-up: Rose-Marie Swift; Props Stylist: Shari Anlauf; Models: Alessandra Ambrosio, Martha Hunt, and Behati Prinsloo;Production Team: Stephen Michael Price, Austin Kennedy, Ryan Newmyer, Austin Kearns, Cale Hughes, Dyami Allen @ County Fair Productions.

<<<VIEW THE PROJECT

Solange Knowles for Brooklyn Magazine

We had a great time working with Solange Knowles and Brooklyn Magazine for their summer cover story in May.  Photographer iO Tillet Wright worked with some challenging lighting conditions to get some great portraits of Solange and her talented/beautiful friends.  We started the day at Colony Studios, a great new studio space at the Green Building- which is kind of like a Brooklyn version of the Starrett Lehigh Building in Manhattan.  From there, we moved to Ft Greene, where we based the talent and crew atMadiba, a phenomenal South African restaurant.  It was a perfect place to shoot and eat, and a a Ft Greene sunset provided the perfect way to end the day.  Solange and her friends were a pleasure to work and hang with.  Everyone worked really hard on this one- and had lots of fun too.  You can check out the interview and article here.  Scroll down for BTS shots from the day and the shoot credits as well. Thanks everyone!

Shoot Credits: Photographer: iO Tillet Wright; Photo Assistant: Joshua Anthony; Stylists; Lizzy Okpo and Ian Bradley; Stylist Assistant: Madeleine Hand; Hair: Susy Oludele; Make-up: Regina Harris; Featuring: Elise Peterson, Saada Ahmed, Solange Knowles, Lizzy Okpo, Armina Mussa, Ingrid Burley

BROOKLYN MAGAZINE WINTER ISSUE RELEASE!

The secret is out- the Brooklyn Magazine Winter Issue cover star is… Joe Johnson of the Brooklyn Nets!  We had a fantastic time producing this shoot for Brooklyn Magazine, and the pictures look great.  Billy Kidd shot the story at Root Brooklyn, and worked with stylist Jessie Cohan at Art Department to create some amazing images.   If you don’t know much about Joe Johnson, it’s because he’s new to town.  Traded from the Atlanta Hawks, (for 5 players and a 1st round draft pick!) Joe came to NYC just last summer.  An NBA All-Star and USA Olympic Team Member, Joe has already established himself as a key to the Net’s promising inaugural season.  For a much more in-depth glimpse of the man himself, pick up a copy at the newsstand, or visit www.bkmag.com. In the meantime, enjoy some images from the shoot!