CULVER CITY, Calif.,
July 7, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Create
Advertising Group, one of the world's most accomplished and
specialized boutique creative services agencies, has launched a new
division CreateVR, dedicated to developing branded,
state-of-the-art virtual reality experiences, it was announced
today by David Stern, Owner and
Founder of Create Advertising Group, and Jonathan Gitlin, Partner and President of
Television and Gaming for Create.
CreateVR will work with a wide range of entertainment clients as
marketers embrace virtual reality to create innovative and organic
brand extensions utilizing the next generation in enhanced
story-telling technology.
CreateVR unveiled its inaugural project, "Can You Walk The
Walk?," an effective tie-in to the upcoming film The Walk,
directed by legendary filmmaker Robert
Zemeckis, during the Summer of Sony event that was hosted
for invited media last month in Cancun, Mexico. The experience was also
presented to those who attended CineEurope late last month in
Barcelona.
The immersive virtual experience invites users to simulate
Philippe Petit's historic high-wire
walk between the towers of the World Trade Center in 1974.
Petit trained for years to make his 'coup' possible; now virtual
reality has made such a feat possible for the rest of us.
"We believe virtual reality has the potential to become the next
great marketing frontier," said David
Stern, founder of Create Advertising Group. "Our job is to
relate a brand to the VR world in an experience that feels organic
and true to the source material. We are creating virtual
environments that double as innovative brand extensions. Once
consumers have had a VR experience based around a specific project
or brand -- they are invested -- they've had a personal
experience and their relationship with the material is forever
changed. It is as powerful a hook as we have ever seen."
Added Gitlin, "We could not be more challenged or amazed by the
vivid and true-to-life worlds that we are able to create or
re-create in virtual reality."
Said Jake Black, head of motion
graphics and virtual reality for CreateVR and team leader on the
"Can You Walk The Walk?"
experience, "As virtual reality platforms like Project Morpheus
begin to roll out in the coming year or two at a price point
attractive to consumers, the applications for this extraordinary
new technology, especially among our entertainment, branding and
gaming clients, will continue to grow. It was amazing watching
press and everyday consumers finally getting a chance to experience
'Can You Walk The Walk?' and we are
already talking to clients about our next applications."
To launch the division, CreateVR has turned to a team of
highly-skilled technologists, marketers and gaming industry
veterans including Black, Tom Ham,
and Dan Pfister.
About David Stern
David Stern is the Founder
and President of Create Advertising Group located in Culver City, CA and London, UK. Established in January of 2005,
Create is a postproduction editorial company specializing in the
crafting of cutting edge audio-visual promotional material
(trailers, TV, branding campaigns, and now VR experiences) to
support the launch of feature films, DVDs, video games and television
series. Stern has grown Create to over 30 Final
Cut/Premiere edit bays and a booming Graphics department, as well
as a London office opened in
2009.
Current and past projects include Fantastic Four, Get Hard,
Avengers Age of Ultron, Netflix, Goosebumps, Hotel
Transylvania 2, Minions, The Walk, and The Lego
Movie, to name a few.
Stern's entree into the entertainment arena came through Young
& Rubicam Advertising, where he served as Vice President,
Account Director, for the Los Angeles Entertainment Division;
having transferred from Y&R's New
York office in account management roles. Later, Stern held
the position of Senior Vice President, Producer/Business
Development for Intralink Graphic Film Design for ten years.
Intralink produced advertising material to support theatrical
projects. Stern has a Masters of Business Administration from
Columbia University and a Bachelors of
Business from Emory University.
About Jonathan Gitlin
Known for crafting memorable campaigns, Jonathan Gitlin's creative leadership has helped
expand Create Advertising's portfolio into television and gaming.
For television, Create has produced memorable trailers and spots
for some of the most daring and creatively ambitious programs on
the air, among them "Sons of Anarchy," "Orange is the New Black,"
"Fargo," "Manhattan," and "The Americans." In the gaming
arena, the company has become equally well known for innovative ads
launching mega hits such as "Dark Souls
II," "God of War 3," "Twisted Metal," "Just
Dance 4," as well as the console debut of PlayStation
4.
Additionally, its branding division has worked closely with
market leaders such as Netflix, Machinima, the BBC and Sony
PlayStation.
About Jake Black
Jake Black oversees all of the
creative aspects for the company's motion graphics and virtual
reality projects. Black's in-depth knowledge of motion graphics,
gaming, and the latest advances in virtual reality technology have
helped Create to organically grow into this new arena.
Black began his career in entertainment at Create Advertising in
2006 as a Production Assistant. He has held numerous positions at
Create including Designer, Post Production Supervisor, Associate
Creative Director as well as Creative Director. He has been
integral to marketing campaigns for franchises and
projects including The Amazing Spider-Man,
PlayStation 4, "God of
War," "Dark Souls 2," "Just
Dance," and Alice In Wonderland.
Black was part of the award-winning team at Create Advertising
that received Golden Trailer Awards for best motion graphics for
the film adaption of "Hitman."
About Tom
Ham
Tom Ham recently joined CreateVR
to help expand growth in the gaming and virtual reality-based
businesses.
Most recently, Ham was Head of Publisher Relations at Machinima,
the leading multi-channel network (MCN) that specializes in gaming
related content distributed across several platforms including
YouTube, mobile and Xbox. During his tenure at Machinima, he
oversaw games programming for Machinima Realm, Machinima Respawn
and the Xbox App Teams. Most recently he was an integral part of
the highly successful "Early Access" program where top YouTubers
are able to access highly anticipated games prior to their actual
launch.
A recognized media pundit well known for his reviews of video
games and observations of the industry, Ham began his career as a
game reviewer for one of the nation's most esteemed newspapers, The
Washington Post. He also reviewed games for CNET's Gamecenter and
Ziff-Davis' GameSpot. He has been a regular contributor to
USA Today, Newsweek and The New
York Daily News. And his opinions and reviews have been featured in
The Wall Street Journal, Rolling Stone, Details, Maxim, Playboy,
Next Generation, Electronic Gaming Monthly and GamePro.
About Dan Pfister
Dan Pfister, producer of gaming
and virtual reality at Create Advertising Group, oversees projects
in the gaming and virtual reality departments. Pfister began
his career in advertising at Razorfish, working on digital media
strategy for both Apple and Nike. He made the move from
San Francisco to Los Angeles and began at Create Advertising in
2008 as a Production Assistant. He has grown with the company and
has helped diversify Create's portfolio of work by pushing new
business in gaming, branding and television.
He has been an integral part of the creative team for franchises
and brands including PlayStation 4, "Little Big Planet," "Twisted Metal," DTS,
PlayStation Vita, "Dark Souls 2," "Just
Dance," and "Need For Speed."
Pfister graduated with a Bachelor of Arts Degree from the
University of California, Los
Angeles.
About Create Advertising's Recent Awards and
Honors
This year, Create Advertising was nominated for several Golden
Trailer Awards, including Best Drama Trailer for Fury, Best
Comedy Trailer for Get Hard, and Best Thriller Trailer for
Lucy, among others.
Last year the company received four Key Art Awards including the
theatrical trailer for Lucy as well as their television work
for "Fargo" and "Orange is the New
Black." In 2013, Create Advertising was honored by the Key
Art Awards for their work on "Stoker" and "Orange is the New
Black." In 2012, they were nominated for two Video Game Marketing
Awards, and several Screen International Marketing/Distribution
Awards, including a nomination for U.K. Creative Agency of the
Year. They were also awarded a Golden Trailer Award for
Coriolanus. Additional award-winning campaigns include their
work on Iron Man 2, Black Swan, Tron, The King's Speech, Up,
District 9, This Is It, Casino Royale, and Smokin' Aces
among many others.
For more information, please
visit createadvertising.com.
CONTACT:
Rachel Falikoff
Elzer & Associates
213-607-3592
Steve Elzer
Elzer & Associates
213-607-3591
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SOURCE Create Advertising Group