The last time things got this crazy it was 1999, when evveryone thought the world would end at Y2K.  Argentina-based production company Hachiko Films just completed their latest work for Axe via agency Ponce Buenos Aires. Directed by Maureen Hufnagel, this spot, titled "End of the World Party", depicts the last hours before the end of the world with a humorous-catastrophic vision.  What with the year 2012 approaching, speculations of the end of days have become increasingly popular.  In the spot, Hachiko's dashing young hero sees all kinds of playful mayhem happening on the way to the last party, which he regards with an amused smile on his face.  Good thing he's wearing his last spray of Axe. The spot includes post production work from Che Revolution Post, also in Buenos Aires.

Landia Director Luciano Podcaminsky just completed a Volkswagen commercial via DDB, Buenos Aires. The spot, titled "Duel," features a parking lot showdown over a parking space between a Volkswagen Tiguan and a lesser vehicle, which proves to be no match for the Tiguan and its parking assist technology, which helps the driver guide the vehicle into parking spaces. After a few seconds of what could be considered an Old West-style standoff, the Tiguan backs into the contested space with no driver intervention, like NASA guiding the space shuttle in for a landing. Edited by Landia, the post was completed by Che Revolution Post, with Sound Design by La Casa Post Sound.

"Discovery" is the title of a new spot for the SK-II Facial Treatment skin care product. Set in a lush bamboo grove, it stars the actress Cate Blanchett, global brand ambassador for SK-II.  Directed by noted feature Director Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu and produced by the production company Kirameki for Tokyo agency Beacon Communications, it features production service from Taiwan's MilknHoney Films.  The spot is currently on air in Blanchett's native Australia and marks her first TV commercial appearance.  It was shot in the Hsitou Bamboo Forest in Nantou County in Taiwan. The location was selected after comparing other bamboo forests in other countries, says MilknHoney Films Producer Ellie Chen. "It stood out from the rest because of its unique atmosphere and color," she notes.  "Taiwan is a good spot for advertising locations for its convenience and for the variety of landscapes and scenery we have." For a behind-the-scenes look at the production, click here.

In a new spot for the Jeep Wrangler titled "Any World," Zoic Studios goes above and beyond the call.  As part of a promotional tie-in for the release of Activision's superhot "Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3" videogame, ad agency Global Hue has created a spot for the "Call of Duty: MW3 Edition" 2012 Wrangler. The spot bills the classic Jeep icon as "the toughest vehicle in the world - ANY world," as it shows a battle-hardened soldier racing through a chaotic urban combat zone in his war-torn Jeep, dodging tanks and helicopter gunships, as he heads for his objective.  Intercut with this are scenes of MW3 fans checking out the action on their TV monitors, tablets and other game devices.  Loni Peristere directed for Zoic, which handled all visual effects and post production on the spot and partnered with production house Holmes Defender of the Faith on the live action portion. Larry Fong was Director of Photography.

The Chicago-based design studio Leviathan recently collaborated with HELLO! Director Paul Schneider and creatives from ad agency Factory Design Labs for an integrated, cross-promotional North Face campaign produced in conjunction with retailer Dick's Sporting Goods. The campaign includes a :30 broadcast spot featuring athletes Hilaree O'Neill, Kris Erickson, Cory Richards and Ingrid Backstrom as they shop at a Dick's store. The spot and four 2:00 in-store videos were produced by Leviathan under Schneider's direction. Leviathan also handled all the editing and compositing in-house. "We have a great relationship with Paul, who used to work with Leviathan principal Matt Daly at DigitalKitchen some years ago," says Leviathan's Executive Producer Chad Hutson. "Paul is well known for capturing authentic emotion, natural performances and for creating mesmerizing match cuts. For this project, we knew the editorial would help drive the campaign's concepts, and that the visual effects would have to be subtle, if not completely transparent. Given his extensive hands-on knowledge of VFX, Paul was a great collaborator, and the team from Factory Design Labs was a dream to work with."

Director Jeff Chan of Toronto production company FRANK recently completed a widely-talked about campaign for the ETFO (The Elementary Teacher's Federation of Ontario). In the spots, "Ketchup Boy" and "Pink", we see kids being kids (i.e., eating ketchup straight from the bottle or refusing to wear anything that's not pink) as a voiceover announcer urges viewers to support education-friendly candidates in Canada's recent elections.  Chan also just won Gold at the AToMiC Awards, sponsored by Strategy, the Canadian advertising publication, for his "Charlie Bite My Finger" viral for the Canadian Film Centre and its Worldwide Short Film Festival. The film takes the whole zombie genre in a new direction. And Chan's short for Activision, "Call of Duty-Operation Kingfish," was such a hit with gaming fans that the company used it to open their recent convention in L.A.   In other FRANK news, Canadian Director Adam Makarenko recently completed "Volunteers," a comedy spot for Scotia Bank that thanks the many documentary film fans who volunteer their time for the HOT DOCS film festival.

UK-based Passion Raw and DDB London have unveiled a new integrated Volkswagen campaign that celebrates 35 years of the Golf GTI by turning it into a "Time Machine." The online and experiential campaign launched with a live event at the Truman Brewery in East London, and hosted by racing driver Amanda Stretton. Spectators watched two VW engineers fasten into the GTI 'time machine' and accelerated towards Volkswagen's German headquarters in Wolfsburg in 1976. The event has been made into a viral film which is being broadcast on the Volkswagen UK Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/VolkswagenUK) and seeded to a wide range of blogs and websites. Over the next four weeks, fans will be able to follow the story of the Golf GTI and its two engineers on Facebook as they make their way back through the decades, dropping in on a range of historic moments along the way. Their adventures will be documented through a series of daily posts from the front line of time travel – a mix of film footage, competitions and photographs.
 

OPC Director Jeff Low recently spent four 16-hour days camped out in a cold warehouse to build a domino-like trail of FedEx boxes depicting the cross-country journey of a wee hockey stick en route from Montreal to Miami, in a spot for FedEx via BBDO, Canada. Aptly titled "Dominoes," an industrious, bow-tied duck employs this unique method of transport to ship a package to a very cute puppy awaiting his delivery at the other end. The spot was shot with almost no visual effects, instead relying on a minute-and-a-half long chain reaction of FedEx boxes falling like dominoes, peppered with Rube Goldberg-esque stunts and set pieces representing different cities along the way. Douglas Koch was the DP on the shoot, while Mark Paiva with Posterboy Edit was the Editor.

With two new spots for Cracker Barrel titled "By Hand" and "Home," Director Nieto of Paranoid US creates a magical breakfast voyage, traveling through the preparation of a meal at the US restaurant chain. The spots are a debut for Euro RSCG/Chicago's new campaign entitled "Handcrafted by Cracker Barrel." Through the use of miniature sets built in connected wooden boxes, various scenes take place to reveal a story of comfort and home, concepts that are synonymous with the diner/country store. The Paranoid team turned to Production Designer Damon Fortier, who brought his experience in model construction to the project. The sets were a combination of found objects, such as vintage suitcases, reclaimed wood and old doors, as well as actual Cracker Barrel paraphernalia used in their local stores. Custom-made miniature furniture was also fashioned to produce exact dimensions to that of the furniture in the store. To retain authenticity, both Nieto and the agency were determined to craft as much of the subtle trickery as possible in-camera.  All post production and visual effects were performed at Paranoid, with music and sound design from Duotone in New York.

For the next month, shoppers in New York and San Francisco can use their mobile phones to purchase toys for children in need at two new interactive storefronts presented by eBay and Toys for Tots. The initiative, conceived and produced by San Francisco agency Venables Bell & Partners, features interactive displays created by Brand New School (BNS) and its School of Interactive Media. Located at 35th and Broadway in New York and 117 Post in San Francisco, each storefront presents visitors with a wintertime village setting featuring several toys they can interact with, including a teddy bear, a horse and rider, a train, a storybook and a wrapped package. When passers-by use their mobile devices to scan the QR codes and make donations, they activate this scene, triggering fantastic animations and bringing the storefront to life. Along with Director Robert Bisi, many artists from BNS contributed their talents to this project, including Director of Interactive Justin Bakse, Producer Jeanette Etchebehere, and Designers Andy Bernet, Waka Ichinose, Sakona Kong, Ed Laag and Angela Li, to name but a few.

Charlieuniformtango worked with The Richards Group on the new :60 spot for Fiat, titled "Seduction," introducing the new Fiat 500 Abarth. The Abarth is the new high performance version of the recently introduced Fiat 500. The provocative spot features a man walking down the street who spots a gorgeous woman adjusting her heel strap. As he stares, she notices, takes offense, comes over and, speaking in Italian, tells him off and slaps him. Then she begins to speak to him seductively, playfully stirring his latte with her finger. Just as he thinks he's about to get lucky, he closes his eyes, the girl disappears and in her place is the new Fiat 500 Abarth in exactly the same colors as the girl was wearing. The scorpion tattoo on the girl's neck is revealed to be the Abarth's logo. The tag line sums it up: "You'll never forget the first time you see one."

"Cooler Hockey" is the latest spot out of the gate directed by Paul Street with Streetlight Films USA via agency Draft FCB in Chicago. The spot promotes Coors Light's sponsor of the NHL in the US, and to represent this Street created a world where a beer store and an ice hockey rink exist in the same venue. The spot features a Boston Bruins fan who pulls a 12-pack of Coors Light out of a cold case in his favorite store, only to see it suddenly transform into an ice rink where the Bruins are hot and heavy in the middle of a game, including a nice body check up against the glass. This spot was filmed entirely in-camera, with no visual effects work. Joe Desalvo was Director of Photography, and it was edited by Tom Brassil of Cutters.

Charcoal Films Director/DP Charlie Cole teamed up with advertising veteran Charlie Miesmer (formerly of BBDO, New York) to create and produce the short PSA film "The World Had other Plans," for the non-profit organization Horizons Family Service Alliance. The black and white film highlights the richness of the summer programs that are run by Horizons that offer lower income children access to private school campuses and education over the summer.  Children are seen learning, dancing and creating, while having fun in a summer camp environment. Jon Grover and Adam Bazadona of Cut & Run/New York edited and did the post production on the project.

Integrated production company The Famous Group has signed John X. Carey, an award-winning filmmaker best known for his moving documentary-style work, for live action directing.   Carey studied commercial filmmaking at the Art Center College of Design on a full tuition-paid scholarship. His production experience includes studying under acclaimed filmmakers such as Ron Underwood ("City Slickers"), Allen Daviau ("E.T."), Billy Weber ("The Tree of Life") and Affonso Beato ("The Queen").  He gained field experience working on prime-time documentaries for Disney/ABC, and created successful marketing campaigns and spots for Google and Mozilla/Firefox (a frame from his "Crop Circle" piece for Mozilla/Firefox is seen here).  Earlier this year, he was awarded a prestigious ADC Gold Cube for his work on "Voices from the Field" for Designmatters/Project Concern International, and nominated for the "Young Director Award" in Cannes.  "We wanted John because he's done great work and has tremendous potential as a commercial filmmaker," says David Kwan, Managing Director of The Famous Group.  "His strength in storytelling and ability to capture emotion are perfectly suited to benefit a range of clients."  Kwan said Carey represents the first in series of planned additions to the stable of "Famous Directors."

HelliVentures, the German production company known for its work in action and sports commercials, has added the directing team Kronck to its roster. Also known as Jessica Benzing and Maximilian Gerlach (that's them at right), Kronck is a concept and directing duo based in Munich. The pair graduated from the University of Television & Film in Munich in December 2009. They say their aim is to "fight against mediocrity and multimedia boredom."  HelliVentures has been working with them for a year now, on projects for Sony Ericcson, Swisscom and others.  The direct commercials and music videos and won several awards including the ADC Junior Days Award from the German Art Directors Club. They began directing as a pair in 2007, and adopted the name Kronck in 2010.  For more on the team, check out their work at their web site at www.kronck.de.

New York and Paris-based Director Karina Taira has recently joined HOME.corp for UK representation. Taira (that's her at right) started her career as a fashion photographer influenced by her Japanese-American roots. After graduating from The Art Center in Pasadena CA, she moved to New York where she made a name for herself with her award-winning photo shoot for Diesel Fragrance. This launched Taira's career in fashion and beauty, and she went on to shoot campaigns for Dior, Bill Blass, Guerlain and L'Oreal. In 1999 she expanded her talents into directing, and since then she has had two commercials short-listed in the perfume category in Cannes. Her reel includes work for Cerruti, CoverGirl, L'Oreal, Cacharel, Alfa Romeo and Toyota, among others. HOME.Corp Managing Director Emily Bliss says, "Karina's unique photographic eye has defined her as one of the leading beauty directors. We're very excited to have her on board."

US-based production company Tool and UK-based production company Mustard have joined forces.  In a newly inked partnership, the London-based Mustard will represent Tool's roster in the UK and Amsterdam for commercials and digital projects, while Tool will play the same role for Mustard's diverse set of directors in the US. The partnership follows a string of high-profile projects from each company. Mustard has released a litany of spots for companies the likes of Budweiser, Jeep, HSBC, Canon, Samsung and Lucozade (a frame from "The Arrival," directed by Mustard's Dom Bridges, is seen here), among others.  Tool's live action and digital projects include "Take This Lollipop," Kohl's (featuring Jennifer Lopez), and Craftsman "Screw*d," an interactive reality show. As the partnership develops, Mustard will also tap into partners in Germany and elsewhere to raise Tool's profile across Europe.

  Mustard's three-person UK-based sales team of Natalie Haan, Claire Blewer and Verity Casey will work to find projects that engage Tool's live action and interactive directors in the creative process.

a WHITELABEL product has signed Director Alison Chernick for global representation. Chernick, known for her feature-length documentaries and short films, joins the bi-coastal production company with several projects currently in production. Her first feature documentary was titled "The Jeff Koons Show," while her second, "Matthew Barney: No Restraint," was about avant-garde artist Matthew Barney. Chernick has directed several mini-films about art and design personalities such as Julian Schnabel, Marc Newson, Jeffrey Deitch, Pedro Almodovar and the legendary Spanish restaurant El Bulli. On the commercial side, she directed a BMW spot featuring author Glenn O'Brien and won a Promax award for the HBO promo "You've Got Mail." Chernick's recent short film, "Confessions of Steve McQueen," can be viewed at the Louis Vuitton on-line magazine Nowness.com. Shot during the 2011 Toronto Film Festival, it's a film with British Director Steve McQueen discussing his forthcoming feature film "Shame." Her next documentary features French artist/fashion designer Martin Margiela.

Third Street Mining Company has expanded its roster with the signing of the directorial team Ben Hurst and Dave Thomas, AKA Ben and Dave. They've brought their irreverent comedy to campaigns for Vegas.com, which was shortlisted at Cannes, Jarritos sodas and Mrs. Fields Cookies. Says Third Street Mining's EP John LaChapelle, "Ben and Dave are so hilarious, I had to sign them. From the beginning of the first call we were cracking each other up - it just felt right." The two met in Salt Lake City, where Thomas was a Copywriter and Creative Director, and Hurst had established Fueld Films. The two collaborated on several projects before Thomas took a job at Crispin Porter + Bogusky, where he created work for Coke Zero and Microsoft and led the Domino's account. Meanwhile, in 2008, Hurst moved his family and production company to Austin. After a couple years the two decided to join forces in Austin as a directing team. Hurst and Thomas continue to work under their own Austin-based production house Fueld Films for regional work.

Hugh Bacher has joined TWC Films as Executive Producer. After working many years under David Tate with Tate USA, Bacher now joins TWC's Managing Director/EP Mark Thomas and Producer Ralph Winter. Bacher has shot all over the US and around the world, producing hundreds of commercials and award-winning campaigns. "When you work with the likes of a Baker Smith, Vadim Perelman and Jason Reitman, and you do it for the tenure Hugh did, it speaks volumes about not only your taste level, but your ability to interact at the highest level with creatives, producers and your directors," says Thomas. "Hugh's approach to projects is always about making the work better, which makes him an exciting addition to our company."
 

Slim Pictures has added Director Ludovic Schorno to its roster. The Swiss-born director has had stints at shops that include Imaginary Forces and Brand New School. Schorno created visuals for Nissan and Coca-Cola plus network branding solutions for ESPN, Fuel TV and D-Life (Japan). "Ludovic combines extensive post knowledge with a rare ability to move the camera around in a compelling way," notes Slim owner Tom Weissferdt. "There are very few directors that can do this well – and if they do, they're usually very busy working." 
Schorno recently wrapped a six-month layover at Apple after working with its ad agency, Media Arts Lab, promoting the firm's latest iPod Nano release. During that time he worked on the OSX Lion and iPhone 4s launches and keynotes. The signing comes on the heels of recent Slim Pictures work for GM on "Skydive" by directors ZCDC, plus campaigns for Ikea and Samsung by Nicolas Caicoya.

Nice Shoes has added post production and ad agency veteran Kristen Martini as their new Managing Director. "I'm thrilled that Kristen has joined the team, as she will help us evolve our studio by constantly innovating and challenging the status quo," says Nice Shoes CEO Dominic Pandolfino. "I have known her since she was at Convergence, and remember our first meeting when she stated that the aim of her young company was 'to be like Nice Shoes.'" With nearly two decades in the industry, Martini has led a team that created all content – including model-building, stop-motion photography, illustration, editorial and animation – for a Microsoft Business to Business in-house studio production; developed the work flow for Bloomberg's "Spot a Day" campaign that conceptualized, animated and finished spots in less than 24 hours; executive produced all post work for Qwest Communications internally at PUSH, Draftfcb New York's internal studio; and developed best practices internally and with vendors for Comcast while at Digitas. Prior to joining Nice Shoes, Martini spent six years on the agency side managing a multitude of award-winning teams.

The L.A. and Chicago-based production company Bucks Boys is now working with two new directors, Melissa Bolton-Klinger and Eriq Wities. Bolton-Klinger has worked for Vh1, MTV and G4 before signing with Bucks Boys for exclusive representation as a commercial director. She has directed PSA's for The Global Fund, Partnership for a Drug-Free America and Nothing But Nets. "We're excited to have Melissa on board," states Bucks Boys EP Joshua Greenberg. Wities, Bucks Boys' other directorial addition, has developed techniques to seamlessly fuse stop-motion elements with live-action environments. Wities created content for Google, Virgin America, Save the Bay, Honda, CitiGroup, JP Morgan, and Samsung, among others. "Eriq is a huge talent," says Bucks Boys EP Jonathan Becker. "He creates incredible practical effects that leave you wondering how they were achieved while still telling a real and compelling story. He has so many creative ideas and adds a whole new dimension to our roster."

The New York and L.A.-based production company Stardust has named Tania Staykova Executive Producer of its New York office to oversee live action and animation work. Staykova has more than a decade of ad agency experience producing campaigns for brands including Norwegian Cruise Line, Xfinity and Walmart. For Mentos, she produced a social media campaign that was shortlisted in Cannes this year. "When we were looking for a new EP in New York, we wanted a really well-rounded individual that would bring a great vibe to the office and embody the fun Stardust mentality that is reflected in our work," says Jake Banks, Owner and ECD of Stardust. "Working with Tania has always been a fantastic experience, so she came to mind immediately. She is super knowledgeable on every facet of production, not just technically. She is in tune with where the industry is going and has the creative vision to take Stardust there."

Creative post studio Spontaneous has signed VFX artist Ed Manning as CG Supervisor. A Harvard grad, Manning has held key executive positions at digital agency R/GA and worked as a VFX supervisor and technical director across a variety of disciplines – from feature films and commercials to software development – with animation and design shops that include Method Studios and Psyop. "Ed's technical expertise and innovative approach to jobs will augment our existing CG capabilities as clients look to us to produce more sophisticated projects," says Cara Cutrone, Spontaneous V.P. and Managing Director. Spontaneous is headed by CD John Leamy and team leaders Lawrence Nimrichter, Director of Animation/ACD, and Andy Milkis, Director of VFX. Manning and Leamy have known each other for years. "The infusion of new talent is vital to any company," says Leamy. "Ed's commitment to excellence, and his broad and deeper experience, will only enhance our offerings to our clients."
 

The creative editorial shop Final Cut has signed Lauren Bleiweiss as Executive Producer for its New York office. Prior to joining Final Cut, Bleiwess was the Executive Producer of the music studio Human, where she was involved in developing the brand as well as expanding the company's global reach with the opening of offices in London and Los Angeles. She oversaw numerous award-winning and creative highlights for the music company, including work for Coca Cola, Nike, Stella, American Express, Jameson, UPS, and Fanta. Before Human, Bleiweiss worked with Zander Reps, representing such companies as Backyard and Brand New School. Comments Final Cut President Stephanie Apt, "Lauren is an ideal fit for our company. She already embodies the Final Cut aesthetic and spirit. With her diverse background, I know she'll bring a fresh perspective to our work".
 

Nancy Vines has been named Director of Business Development for Bodega, the New York and San Francisco-based production company, as well as its sister companies, Northern Lights, the New York-based post production boutique, and Mr. Wonderful, the design and VFX studio. With over 25 years of agency experience as a producer and an EP, Vines has worked on accounts for such brands as Revlon, Hershey, American Express, General Motors, Chase, Maybelline and Office Depot. More recently, she served as an Executive Producer at JWT, where she worked on the Macy's Corporate Marketing, Stouffer's and Schick accounts. Notes Bodega's New York-based Executive Producer Robin Hall, "I'm very excited to be teaming up with someone who's so knowledgeable about our business and such a pleasure to work with." Adds Partner David Gioiella, "We've worked with Nancy on many projects including large campaigns for Office Depot and Outback. With her extensive experience, I know she'll connect our talent and clients in a way that produces excellent work and opportunities for growth."

Need to check your TV spot credits in Hindi? Malay? Korean? Japanese? Now you can. SourceEcreative has just tapped Google's translation tool to allow its global audience of users - located in over 124 countries - to access its news and information in their native language.  With 52 languages to choose from, you can now keep up on the latest in TV commercials and ad content in everything from Afrikaans to Welsh, with a few stops in between. To utilize the new feature, just look for the Google logo in the upper right hand corner of a SourceEcreative web page, click the 'Select Language' pull-down menu and choose a language.  With a large international audience - nine of the top ten countries using SourceEcreative are in Asia, Latin America and Africa - the ability to access our information in languages other than English is designed to reflect the growth of the ad industry in these countries and to make it easier for member agencies and producers based there to take full advantage of our extensive offerings.