PRODUCTION COMPANIES
Venice, CA-based prodco Backyard signed former Ogilvy, LA creative director Shyam Madiraju for commercial spot rep.

Bicoastal Believe Media signed directing team Javier & Jorge, formerly known as Illegal Artists.

The Directors Bureau in Los Angeles added director/visual artist Aaron Rose (Beautiful Losers) to its roster for commercial and music video rep.

LA's Harvest Films signed directing duo The Hoffman Brothers for US commercial rep.

London's Hook Films signed director Robert Nylund, ex- Paul Weiland Film Company, for UK spot rep.

Industry Films in Toronto added director Jeff Labbe to its roster for Canadian spot rep.

San Francisco-based Mekanism added directors/former Mother creatives Dave and Rory to its roster.

Los Angeles-based Paranoid US signed director Lionel Mougin for spot rep in the US and Canada.

Rokkit, London signed Hamburg-based multimedia collective Sehsucht.

Bicoastal prodco Smuggler hired new technology and mobile consultant Joel Niedfeldt as the company's head of digital.

Bicoastal/London-based Station Film signed cinematographer-turned-director Emmanuel "Chivo" Lubezki.

The Sweet Shop signed US-based director David Gaddie.

Hollywood-based Zoo added director Howard Greenhalgh and directorial collective Crush to its roster.

POST / AUDIO / ANIMATION
Bluerock Editorial in New York hired Amy Lazarus as executive producer.

New York-based editorial house Chemistry hired editor Jamaal Parham.

Bicoastal music house Comma hired EP Vicki Ordeshook to head up its newly-opened Los Angeles office.

Fluid, New York hired editor Karama Horne.

Golden Square, London promoted producer Dan Love to head of production.

Ross Hopman returned to JSM Music as an executive producer. Tony Harris was hired as executive producer at JSM's NYC office.

Bicoastal Lost Planet named editor Kim Bica as a company partner to work out of the Los Angeles office.

Post-production company The Mill expanded its LA office by bringing in senior producer Lee Pavey, technical director for CG Aaron Groves, animator Stephen Beck and art support/combustion for 2D tech Gavin Camp. Senior flame operator Giles Cheetham has relocated from the London office to LA.

New York's Thornberg & Forester hired director, designer and visual effects supervisor Jeremiah "Miah" Morehead to its creative department.

New York-based creative editorial boutique Ultrabland added editor Scott Harrison to its roster.

Bicoastal editorial company Union hired editor/post producer Pablo Piriz.

Bicoastal/London-based post house The Whitehouse added editors Corky DeVault and Adam Robinson.

New York's wild(child) post hired editor Pablo Mori.

AD AGENCIES
BBH, New York announced that its former head of broadcast, Bruce Wellington, will now lead its newly-developed integrated production department, ONE Production NY. Each discipline will have its own department head, with Lisa Gatto Setten, a former senior producer, heading up the broadcast side.

Grant Hill, global production director at DDB, left the agency after 26 years. A DDB spokesperson said his position was eliminated. DDB, New York named Joe Cianciotto to the new post of chief community officer.

EVB, San Francisco appointed former Goodby, Silverstein & Partners GCD Stephen Goldblatt as partner and executive creative director. He'll replace outgoing ECD Jason Zada who left the digital agency to pursue a directing career.

McCann Erickson, New York hired Alessandra Lariu as group creative director, digital, and Qian Qian as ACD, digital. Both were most recently at AKQA, New York.

TAXI appointed Rob Guenette, currently president, TAXI Canada, as CEO, responsible for all TAXI's offices in Canada and the US. Ron Wilson, TAXI's chief financial officer, was named COO, overseeing all offices. The New York office named Ron Smrczek as ECD.

TBWA\Chiat\Day, New York hired Rob Baird, previously of Mother, as creative director, and Kris Wixom and Alisa Sengel Wixom, previously of BBH, New York, as ACDs.

Amber Bezahler joined Tribal DDB Canada as managing director of the Vancouver office.

Wieden+Kennedy, Portland hired Zach Canfield, previously of Goodby, Silverstein & Partners, as global director of creative recruiting and promoted Jason Bagley to creative director.

HOOKUPS> MERGERS, PARTNERSHIPS AND WHAT'S HAPPENING IN THE INDUSTRY
Off-line editorial boutique Beast, which has offices in New York, Austin and Santa Monica, inked a reciprocal deal with London-based editorial company Speade to rep each other's rosters.

After one year of beta-testing, independent agency droga5 will officially launch its hybrid branded entertainment-shopping-social networking website HoneyShed.com on November 1. It's under the leadership of newly-hired CEO Stephen Greifer, formerly SVP/global lead of Digitas' promotions practice.

The Emmys awarded Bud Light "Swear Jar" through DDB, Chicago and directed by David Shane for Hungry Man with its Outstanding Commercial honor. This marks the first time a spot that aired exclusively on the Internet grabbed the award. Shane is now repped by O Positive.

FolkeFilm, Stockholm and Motion Blur, Oslo inked a deal to rep each other's rosters in their respective markets.

LA-based Promax|BDA named veteran journalist Christopher Pursell to the newly-created position of vice president, content innovation.

London post house Rushes partnered with boutique prodco Itch Films to open a new studio called Rushes @ Itch Film.

New production company Madison Park Pictures opened for business in New York, in close affiliation with Pure and Chemistry. The company's founding principals are Stephen Ashkinos, Carsten Lorenz, Matthew Fiorello and Olivier Gauriat.

The Screen Actors Guild (SAG), the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (AFTRA) and the advertising industry's ANA/AAAA Joint Policy Committee on Broadcast Talent Union Relations (JPC) jointly announced a six-month extension of the current commercials contract. This extension, which lasts to March 31, 2009, adds six months to the previous two-year extension agreed to by all parties, which would've expired on October 29, 2008.

New York-based music company Pulse opened an office in Cape Town, South Africa headed up by executive producer Marc Algranti.