Optimus takes Silver, Bronze and Chocolate at 2008 Splice Capades
    Optimus assistants won second and third place prizes: Mike Berg and Julie   Kravitz tied for second place and each took home an HD flip camera and Apple gift cards; third place winner was Brad Tohtz, who also went home with an Apple gift card. Optimus intern Joe Burton won the Hot Chocolate Award for interns or others who were not assistant editors but could enter the contest. ...
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  DDB’s Jane Ackerson and Nate De Leon Optimus One Shot Winners
    Optimus and DDB Chicago announced that art director Jane Ackerson and copywriter Nate De Leon are the Optimus One Shot contest winners. The Optimus One Shot contest provides an opportunity for creatives with less than five years’ experience to submit one 30-second script for the chance to have their spot produced and finished, entirely by Optimus and their new in-house production arm, ONE. ...
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  John Noble to head up our new production division, "Optimus ONE"
    Optimus, a Chicago and Santa Monica based creative editorial and post production house, has hired John Noble, one of the ad industry’s most respected production leaders, to head up their new production arm, “Optimus ONE.” “We get more and more requests from our clients for creative assignments from shoot through finish...
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  OPTIMUS Goes to Cannes
    Optimus attended The Cannes Lions 54th International Advertising Festival in June where guests absorbed over 25,000 ads in film, press, outdoor, interactive, radio, media, direct marketing and sales promotion. The private festival was held at the Palais des Festivals et des Congres, in the resort town of Cannes, in the beautiful South of France...
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  AICE pulls an ace for 2007 awards show
    Chicago Sun Times - 5/21/2007
Kudos to Optimus/Chicago President Tom Duff and the entire Chicago chapter of the Association of Independent Creative Editors for putting on a classy awards show Thursday at Navy Pier. The event honored the best work in editing of commercials from AICE chapters in major markets across North America...
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  Our Turn: Chicago Hosts 2007 AICE Awards Show
    Screen - 12/11/2006
The Chicago production and advertising communities came out in full force for the Association of Independent Creative Editors (AICE) annual awards show on May 17. Held in Chicago for the first time since 2004, the ceremony filled the majestic Grand Ballroom at Navy Pier...
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  SHOOT Magazine fetes AICE Show winners
    Screen - 12/11/2006
Three editors--Carlos Lowenstein of Cutters, Chicago and Los Angeles, Neil Gust of Outside Editorial, New York, and Kirk Baxter of Rock Paper Scissors, Los Angeles--each won a pair of honors during the Association of Independent Creative Editors (AICE) Awards gala held last night (5/17) at the Navy Pier in Chicago...
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  Maitland/Cowles Team Puts on Gameface for Wii Launch Campaign
    Screen - 12/11/2006
Nintendo has done it again. Just when you thought life couldn’t get any better than your GameCube or DS, out comes Wii, the most advanced, state-of-the-art gaming system in Nintendo history. For the product launch, Chicago post house Optimus was hired to edit the commercial campaign...
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  Katherine Pryor Edited Butterball Spots in Adweek's Best of Nov. '06
    Adweek - 12/12/2006
The yearly onslaught of commercials with jingling bells, Christmas carols and "heart-warming" gift-giving scenes is enough to make anyone a Scrooge. Elves were in abundance in November's new spots-even a guy who surgically gives himself elf ears to hear his mobile calls better...
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  Optimus Welcomes Shira Ankori to Editorial Staff
    News Release - 11/16/2006
Optimus has hired Shira Ankori as the newest addition to the editorial staff. Ankori will be based in L.A., but also available out of Chicago. Her hiring brings the total number of Optimus editors to 13, including four based in L.A...
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  Optimus Promotes Velez and Amore to Editor Position
    News Release - 08/04/2006
Optimus, a post-production house with offices in Chicago and Santa Monica, has promoted assistant editors Glorily Velez and Justin Amore to editor positions. Although Velez will be based in Chicago and Amore in Santa Monica, they are available in either location...
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  Creative Dir. Mike Ciacciarelli Talks About Changing Role of Graphics
    Screen Magazine 7/18/06
In this industry of fast turnaround times and evolving technology, having a broad skill set is essential for staying fresh and keeping up with changing trends. Mike Ciacciarelli, creative director at Optimus (Chicago), explains that, at any given time during the graphic design process, a designer may need to take on other roles...
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  Optimus wins 2 Gold, Judges Award at 2006 Promax & BDA Conference
    The design and graphics team from Optimus left for New York knowing they would be picking up 2 Gold Awards and were delighted to be honored with a "Judges' Choice" award during the June 21st presentation...
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  Chicago Tribune Profiles Optimus' Client Service
    Chicago Tribune, 5/29/2006
Breakfast delivered on a tray, an afternoon dessert cart and drinks in the evening, plus yoga, manicures and simulated golf might sound more like a stay at a luxury hotel than a day at the office...
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  Therese Hunsberger Joins Optimus as Santa Monica Exec Producer
    News Release - 03/06/2006
Optimus has hired Therese Hunsberger, an established and respected post-production veteran of nearly 20 years, as Executive Producer of its Santa Monica, CA office. In her new role, Hunsberger will oversee all operations of the California office...
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  Screen Magazine Profiles Effects Editor Marko Markewycz
    Years in the business: 18
The person I'd most like to have lunch with (living or dead): Marcel Proust, Jackson Pollock, Herman Melville, Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, Miguel de Cervantes, Robert Louis Stevenson and I would pick up the bill...
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  Optimus Named Post House of the Year for 2005
    At the SCREEN Magazine 3rd annual Star Awards ceremony on 1/19/05, Optimus took home the hardware for the 2nd time in three years as Post-Production Company of the Year. We were up against some tough finalists: Avenue, Crash & Sue's of Minneapolis, and Mad River Post, all top places in their own right...
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  Optimus Adds Third Dimension / Visual Effects Director
    We are pleased to finally be able to tell everyone about the addition of Matt Daly, our new Visual Effects Director. Matt brings a highly technical and creative toolset to Optimus, having previously worked under the same title at Digital Kitchen in Chicago. Matt's talents have been seen in spots for brands as diverse as Quikrete, Esso, and Saturn...
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  Colorist Craig Leffel Joins Expert Peers in Reviewing 2005 HD Progress
    Shoot Magazine, 11/18/05
"The subject of high definition (HD) commercial making is vast. Forces from technological changes to new creative options to government mandates to budgets have collided and certainly caused confusion..."
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  Editor Craig Lewandowski Changes Sports History for Gatorade
    Screen Magazine, 11/14/05
"Craig Lewandowski of Optimus (Chicago) has worked on many memorable spots over his tenure as editor. This year, Lewandowski completed three very different spots for Gatorade..."
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