Cyber Group Studios (cybergroupstudios.com) announces that Raphaelle Mathieu, formerly Senior Vice President Sales, Digital & Acquisitions, has been promoted to the newly created position of Executive Vice President.
Already a member of the CGS management team, Mathieu will now oversee all commercial activities of the company worldwide, and work with Chairman & CEO Pierre Sissmann and COO Dominique Bourse on defining the overall strategic areas of growth, including sales, digital, licensing and more.
“As the company is now developing into an international group comprised of many talented companies and executives worldwide, I am very pleased to have Raphaelle take more responsibilities in coordinating our overall commercial activities and finding synergies worldwide to grow our overall business,” said Sissmann, Chairman and CEO of Cyber Group Studios.
Paramount Pictures Chief Operating Officer Andrew Gumpert is adding Nickelodeon Studios to his purview, the studio’s CCE Brian Robbins announced in an email to staff. He will now bear the title Chief Operating Officer, Paramount Pictures & Nickelodeon Studios, and will report to Robbins. Gumpert joined the studio as COO in 2017, and oversees business affairs, labor relations, studio operations, strategic planning and legal. Prior, he was President of Worldwide Business Affairs & Operations at Sony Pictures Entertainment Motion Picture Group.
“During his tenure, Andrew has played an integral role in returning the studio to strength and profitability by helping fuel growth in our franchises and iconic brands including Mission: Impossible, Sonic, Star Trek and Transformers,” Robbins wrote. “He has overseen negotiations with our key creative, strategic, and financial partners, growing our revenue sources and evolving our business models in the pandemic and streaming era … As we continue to position our company for growth and success, Andrew’s leadership and deep relationships will be a vital component.”
The Ottawa Film Office (OFO; ottawa.film), the local not-for-profit organization dedicated to growing Ottawa’s film and television industry, announces the appointment of Sandrine Pechels de Saint Sardos as the city’s new Film Commissioner, effective April 27. Pechels de Saint Sardos brings with her over 20 years’ experience in development, production, and distribution, working with companies such as Bejuba! Entertainment, TFO, CBC/Radio-Canada, Sony Music and Classic Media/DreamWorks.
In her new role, Pechels de Saint Sardos will be responsible for positioning Ottawa as an attractive and film-friendly production center to local, national and international production companies. Building on the organization and industry’s momentum, she will support the development of the Soundstage Campus and Creative Hub, foster the growth of local talent and crew alongside post-secondary partners and private sector entities, and maintain and strengthen the presence of Ottawa at provincial and national industry, promotional and regulatory bodies.
Despite recent challenges due to the pandemic, Ottawa’s screen-based industries rebounded in 2021, with live-action production accounting for a record-setting $41 million in direct spending; together with animation, the sector contributes over $100 million to the local economy each year.
Award-winning director Henry Littlechild has joined Banjoman (banjoman.tv) for commercial representation in Ireland. Early on in his career, Littlechild caught the attention of The Viral Factory, with whom he co-directed multiple projects with great success: virals for Ford Ka were seen by over 30 million people and won several awards, including a Silver BTAA and Young Guns Bronze. He has since worked with a host of agencies across Europe, such as AMV BBDO, Saatchi & Saatchi, Fallon, Leo Burnett, MullenLowe, Grey, Ogilvy, Scholz & Friends and TBWA.
Now an internationally renowned director, Littlechild has crafted his own distinct style, crossing live-action, VFX, animation, puppetry and CGI post-production techniques to create delightful comedy performances. Henry has showcased his particular talents for constructing CG characters when designing a savvy tabby for Vanquis’ “Walk Tall,” a bumbling bear for Samsung’s “ASMR” and an endearing Einstein for Smart Energy’s “Einstein Knows Best,” among others.
Detroit-based full-service creative production and post studio Hudson (hudsonedit.com) announced the promotion of Annette Gianino to Creative Editor. She joins a creative team that includes Sr. Creative Editor Rich Smith, Audio Engineer Spencer Hall and Finishing Editor Kelsey Ross. In her six years at Hudson, Gianino has climbed the company’s creative ladder, starting in 2015 as an Assistant Creative Editor. Her reel includes work for clients ranging from Rocket Mortgage to Little Caesars, as well as a myriad of auto clients Hudson is known for. Perhaps the most affecting piece is for the Jewish Federation of Detroit’s “We Need To Talk” teen mental health campaign.
Prior to joining Hudson, Gianino showed great promise not only in the craft of film editing but also in the filmmaking process overall. In 2014, she served as Property Production Assistant on the Warner Bros. feature film Batman V. Superman: Dawn of Justice; and in 2013 as Set Decorating Production Assistant on Paramount’s Transformers 4: Age of Extinction. Click here to watch Gianino’s reel.
