Production Companies
Design/production collective Loyalkaspar signed with @radical.media for exclusive rep for commercials. @radical.media will rep Loyalkaspar for international and domestic spot work, and establish collaborations with others under the @radical umbrella.

Academy Films hired former Island Records music video commissioner Liz Kessler to head its music video division.

Commercial/feature film director Ericson Core (ex-Plum Productions, Invincible) signed with Backyard Productions for branded content/spot representation.

HSI signed directorial duo Diamond Dogs (aka Phil Sansom and Olly Williams, ex-Colonel Blimp).

London-based Knucklehead signed directorial duo Zak & Dan (ex-Stink) for worldwide commercials representation.

Norway's Motion Blur signed director Bobbie Peers for worldwide representation.

London's Nexus Productions signed Chris Waitt (Vodafone "Static Dolls") for worldwide commercial and music video rep, and hired Melody Sylvester as a producer. Sylvester has over 12 years experience, from the agency (Lowe, Mother) and prodco sides (@radical.media, One Small Step).

Nola Pictures signed director Claudio Droguett, a former producer at BBDO/NY.

Bicoastal Sandwick Films signed Nic & Sune for spots in the US. The duo is repped by Motion Blur and M-A-D-E in Europe.

Saville Productions signed director Steven Shainberg (Secretary, Fur) for exclusive commercial representation.

Toronto's Sparks Productions signed directors Jonas Arnby, Oistein Borge and Thor for Canadian representation.

Post/Audio/Animation
ancouver's Anthem Visual Effects Inc. named Dennis Hoffman (ex-Digital Domain) as VP/head of production.

NYC creative studio CA Square hired Ivano Leoncavallo (ex-MTV Networks) as MD/EP.

Bicoastal post house Company 3 hired Marcelo Gandola (ex-Burst) as VP/director of ops for NY.

Concrete Pictures hired V12 founder David Sparrgrove as CD, and named Rodman Gregg (ex-RKO Pictures) as VP of content.

NYC-based animation studio Curious Pictures signed Inner Circle Collective (aka directors Dennis Go and Kevin Robinson, ex-Brand New School).

Digital Kitchen hired Joan Raspo (ex-Curious Pictures) as CD for its New York office.

New York-based HSR named Justin Morris as music director and Harry Wagg as associate music director.

Bicoastal music/sound design company Face the Music signed Kim B. Christensen (FedEx "Stick") for exclusive representation.

Animation studio LAIKA named Dan Casey as director, digital design group, for its entertainment division.

Universal City-based creative studio MDots hired Anne Babin as senior designer.

NYC creative studio Trollbäck + Company hired Aimee Przybylski (ex-Fuel) as EP, and promoted Marisa Fiechter from producer to live action EP.

New York-based motion graphics/editorial boutique The Wilderness hired Lisa Young (ex-Arnold Worldwide/NY) as EP.

LA-based VFX shop Zoic Studios hired Barbara Genicoff as VFX producer for spots.

Ad Agencies
Carmichael Lynch parted ways with chief creative officer Peter McHugh. CCO duties are currently split amongst ECDs Tim Brunelle, Andrew Clarke and Jim Nelson.

Draft FCB NY named Peter DeNunzio, ex-OgilvyOne, as its president, succeeding Steve Centrillo.

Cameron Blakely, previously a senior art director with Publicis London, took the same position at Droga 5 in New York in October.

JWT worldwide president Michael Maedel is moving to Singapore from London to access widening opportunities in Asia. JWT UK executive chairman Toby Hoare will oversee all European ops, effective Jan. '07.

Lowe London named Amanda Walsh (ex-Red Cell/United) as its new CEO, replacing Garry Lace.

R/GA ECD Nick Law was named chief creative officer for the company, while chairman/CEO/founder Bob Greenberg will remain as global CCO.

CA-based boutique agency The Shepherd Group named William "Bill" Daniel (ex-FCB Chicago, Equinox) as CCO and head of Thinc 1, its new creative services division.

StrawberryFrog named Steve Hardwick (most recently a managing director at Interpublic Group) president and managing partner.

TAXI New York named Tom Christmann, most recently with BBDO, NY, as CD. He was also with TBWA\Chiat\Day in NYC for three years, and with Kirshenbaum Bond + Partners before that.

TBWA Worldwide vice chairman Tom Carroll was promoted to worldwide chairman.

Whybin TBWA in Sydney, Australia named Matt Kemsley, ex-BBH London, deputy CD.

Hookups
studio, Bond, specializing in editing, motion design and post.

London-based post boutique Baraka opened a new editing division, CHOP, currently staffed by editors David Freemantle, Matthew Hall and Caroline Sarin.

Former ECD of Fallon Minneapolis Bruce Bildsten and former Fallon director of connection planning Michelle Fitzgerald have formed Brew: A Creative Collaborative. The new Minneapolis-based company aims to work initially on a project basis, using existing relationships with leading names in advertising, design, interactive, media, PR and myriad disciplines on an on-demand basis, depending on each project's needs.

Tony Davidson, joint ECD of Wieden & Kennedy London, was elected D&AD president. Davidson has won 16 yellow and two black pencils as CD at W + K London, and he joined the D&AD Board of Trustees in 2004. Also, Simon Waterfall, CD at digital agency Poke, was elected deputy president.

New prodco The Feds has emerged in Australia, headed by Walkabout Films EPs Paul Quin and Lizzy Nash. The directors' roster includes Mike Goode, Johnny Kungfu, Phil Boston and Anton Beebe.

Chicago-based Filmworkers Club launched Lift, a motion graphics division, headed by creative director Jason White (ex-Daily Planet Ltd.).

National Geographic Digital Motion is exclusively partnering with Denver-based motion imagery company Thought Equity to complement its existing licensing business.

EP Saemundur (Simon) Nordfjord and brothers/directors Arni Thor Jonsson and Lalli Jonsson (all ex-Sagafilms) have founded new prodco Republik, based in Reykjavik, Iceland. Directors includes music video/spots director Borkur Sigthorsson and features director Dagur Kari Petursson.

Warner Bros. announced a new short-form broadband/mobile content division that will partner with advertisers, dubbed Studio 2.0, and hired Rich Rosenthal, most recently with Young & Rubicam NYC as EVP/ director of broadcast production. Ad vet Rosenthal, whose experience also involves stints at Saatchi & Saatchi and JWT, is expected to act as a "talent scout" for the new studio division.