Amplifying the future of media & entertainment

On November 1, 2024, New Yorkers were surprised with an epic Fortnite Times Square takeover. As the sun faded, Ice Spice and Snoop Dogg performed for the public on the TSX Stage complete with stunning visuals customized to each track, synchronized across all of the massive screens in the iconic square. Read more in Variety, Billboard and The Verge.

The Academy Software Foundation (ASWF) aims to increase the quality and quantity of contributions to the content creation industry’s open source software base. The foundation recently added Samsung as a premiere member, bringing OpenAPV in as ASWF’s newest sandbox project. Learn more about this latest development in Variety. 

Autodesk University welcomed over 10,000 attendees October 15-17 in San Diego, CA. At AU the media & entertainment team introduced enhanced capabilities across M&E tools, from Maya and 3ds Max to Arnold, Wonder Studio and Flow, many integrating AI workflows to help automate tedious tasks, giving artists more space for creative iteration and storytelling. Read more in Forbes.

Epic Games kicked off its annual developer event, Unreal Fest, today in Seattle with lots of exciting announcements and demos of new features coming in Unreal Engine 5.5. Visit The Verge for more details about the new “Launch Everywhere with Epic” program for game devs, and visit Variety to learn how director Tim Miller is using Unreal Engine in his upcoming Amazon series “Secret Level.”

Headlines. Awards. New Products. Partnerships. Collaborations. Old Friends. New Friends. Stroopwafels!! Cheers to another great IBC - International Broadcasting Convention Show.Click here for a peep at what the folks at AJA Video Systems, Amazon Web Services and Iodyne were up to in Amsterdam.

The Verge does a deep dive on the newly introduced Pro Mini smart drive from iodyne introducing exciting first time pro features for a portable SSD drive including 2-10X the sustained performance of typical pro SSDs, solid state cooling via AIrJet® modules, a customizable e-paper digital label, Find My tracking and much more.

Institute director Sandra Winther sat down with Surfer Magazine to discuss her latest short film, ‘A New Wave,’ which profiles iconic South African surfer Mikey February. Click to learn more about how she made the film - and the time she caught a wave on Mikey’s personal yellow twin pin.

SIGGRAPH 2024 in Denver was one for the books; brains and bellies are full! A smaller show meant more time to make new connections and greater access to some of the industry’s brightest minds. Thank you to the Academy Software Foundation, Autodesk and the Visual Effects Society for hosting fantastic panels, sessions and events.

Congratulations to creative studio Impossible Objects on the opening of their new Culver City facility and LED process volume. Read more here about how IO is making virtual production and LED capture more accessible to commercial and indie productions, and is using the using the tech to product extraordinary visuals.

VentureBeat covers Rivian’s expanded use of Unreal Engine with the introduction of its latest R1 vehicles. Inspired by visual storytelling that represents the best of what’s possible in the entertainment world, this HMI update delivers a first-of-its-kind animated look.

Exciting news! Autodesk has acquired Wonder Dynamics, the cloud-based AI technology company that helps artists more easily animate, light and composite 3D characters in scenes. Read more in Variety and TechCrunch.

Interactive racing series Lollipop enters into production and announces a collaboration with title sponsor Mobil 1; visit Collider for more details about this first of its kind entertainment experience created by David Ayer and produced by Feature.io.

AWS introduces Deadline Cloud to take the guesswork out of rendering for VFX and animation in a Variety exclusive. Check out the full story here, featuring an interview with AWS’s General Manager of Creative Tools Antony Passemard.

Had a blast at GDC supporting the Epic Games team for their annual State of Unreal presentation! From Unreal Engine 5.4 to new UEFN features, creators now have more resources than ever to tell their stories. Catch up on all of their GDC news here.

Congratulations to our clients, Biscuit Filmworks and m ss ng p eces, for yet another year of earning top spots on Ad Age Production Company A-List! See the full 2024 A-List here.

Next week at SXSW, check out two of our clients on these exciting panels: Epic Games and the Dune 2 production team will discuss the use of Unreal Engine across the film and accompanying video game, and Biscuit Filmworks will moderate a discussion with The Glue Society and Mother on all things experiential advertising. See you in Austin!

Fela founder, EP, and managing partner Taj Critchlow opens up about his experience as an entrepreneur, the lack of ethnically-owned production houses, and what Black History Month means to him. Read the full interview in Little Black Book.

We’re loving all the great ads from this year's Super Bowl! Shout out to our clients who directed some of the Big Game’s most memorable spots, including: Biscuit Filmworks’ Andreas Nilsson for Etsy, Daniel Warwick for Coors Light, Jeff Low for BetMGM and Pringles; m ss ng p eces’ Michael Marantz for Cetaphil; and Lord Danger and Modern Logic’s Mike Diva for DoorDash. And congrats to the lucky few who scored Monday off thanks to a special collab with Happy Coffee x Magnetic Field x Superconductor.

The production future looks bright in ‘2024 outlook’ articles from: Academy Software Foundation, AJA Video Systems, Amazon Web Services, Autodesk, Brompton Technology, Conductor and Impossible Objects. Read more in the latest issue of Post Magazine!

Closing out 2023 with two full days of RazPR team-building and planning for the year ahead! It was so special to spend time together in LA. We’re looking forward to exciting things in 2024!

m ss ng p eces reimagines your favorite holiday memories with AI! TheHolid.AI is a series of short 1-minute films crafted from the vibrant recollections of staff and directors inspired by m ss ng p eces founder Ari Kuschnir’s AI adventures with his daughter. Read more about the project in Ad Age.

When Magnetic Field director Shelley Lewis was launching herself as a TV commercial director, it was a real boys’ club, so she dropped her first name to get a foot in the door. Find out what happened next and why she’s since reclaimed her full name in this shots article.

The Ciclope Festival 2023 in Berlin was a wonderful success! From engaging panels and insightful process breakdowns, to spending time with old friends and making new connections, the entire experience has us already looking forward to next year. The award show, where several of our clients received accolades, closed out the festival on a high note. Congrats to all of the 2023 winners!

Autodesk partnered with Marvel to take over Sphere in Las Vegas with a spectacular ad towering over the Las Vegas strip, visible to travelers flying into McCarran Airport for the company's annual confab, Autodesk University. Read more about it in The Hollywood Reporter.

Congratulations to the ASWF’s Carol Payne, Autodesk’s Doug Walker and Epic Games’ Kim Libreri on honors at the 2023 SMPTE Awards Gala. Kim Libreri accepted the Progress Medal; Doug Walker received the Natalie M. and Herbert T. Kalmus Medal , and Doug Walker and Carol Payne accepted the Workflow Systems Medal.

Ever feel like you’re faking till you make it? Read this insightful article for tips to combat imposter syndrome in Shots Magazine by Magnetic Field and The Directors Bureau MD, Hillary Rogers.

Congratulations to our friends at Brompton Technology for receiving an Engineering, Science & Technology Emmy Award! The Emmy was awarded for Brompton’s Tessera SX40 LED video processor, due to its integral role in the widespread adoption of virtual production. Read more at The Hollywood Reporter.

Kudos to Institute founder and director Lauren Greenfield for being named to the Campaign US 40 Over 40 list! Campaign notes that Lauren “represents the art and production talent that is so crucial to the work the ad industry creates and puts out into the world.” See the full list of honorees here.

Congratulations to director Andreas Nilsson and Biscuit Filmworks for receiving an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Commercial, for Apple’s “R.I.P. Leon!” That “unsend message” iPhone feature is a literal life-saver. Check out all of the nominees in the category here.

What a whirlwind week at AICP NY 2023! We loved connecting with clients and friends including Biscuit Filmworks, Cabin, Fela, Group Thrpy, INSTITUTE, Magnetic Field, The Directors Bureau, Mirada, m ss ng p eces, and many more. Congrats to all the winners! Check out pictures from the week here.