Zoic Studios, renowned for its visual effects work in Commercials, Features and Episodic Television, has been growing its creative offerings, officially launching a talent-backed Design Group, which complements their recent expansions into Gaming and Integrated Media.
At the helm of the new Design Group are Executive Producer Miles Dinsmoor and Creative Director Derich Wittliff, who are backed by a team of artists and producers.
Zoic Studios has years of experience in the design realm, producing the show opens for Trust Me, CSI: Crime Scene Investigations and The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, as well as promos for Cartoon Network, ESPN, CBS, and a multitude of design-driven commercials. The launch of the Design Group is the natural next step for a company firmly rooted in some of pop culture's most popular current and recent properties, including True Blood, V, FlashForward, Battlestar Galactica and Fringe. With the addition of the Design Group, Zoic will offer strategically driven design, backed by Zoic's robust execution capabilities.
"I'm very excited," said Dinsmoor. "I've been a big fan of Zoic's for a while. It's invigorating to be at a place where such great work is being created in so many areas. Zoic's expertise in developing top-of-the-line visuals, combined with our ability to leverage assets and migrate concepts across platforms, creates some really unique opportunities in both the branding and promotion spaces. Our long history with content creators allows for some interesting possibilities in branded programming, integrated sponsorships, and cross-promotions."
"Having worked with Zoic on several projects in the past," Wittliff added, "I felt that they really brought a lot to the table, both creatively and strategically. As a visual storyteller, I love the challenge of helping clients find new ways to engage their audience and get their message out. We're able to push the boundaries of what's possible technically, and really explore the assignments creatively."
Dinsmoor is a founder and former partner of Concrete Pictures and BIGSMACKtv. At Concrete, he oversaw all production, and made magic with high-profile broadcast and cable industry clients like ESPN, CBS, HBO, Discovery Communications, DIRECTV, and USA Network. Before Concrete, Dinsmoor was a producer at 3 Ring Circus, where he developed and produced 15 futuristic ads for the Stephen Spielberg film Minority Report (making a cameo appearance as "Guinness Man" in one of them). These ads included brands such as Lexus, American Express, Reebok and Pepsi. Dinsmoor began his career at Warner Bros Television, where he worked on a variety of series, including the launch of both Friends and E.R. Later he moved to the creative agency side with branding powerhouse Pittard/Sullivan.
Derich joined Zoic from Yahoo! Santa Monica, where he was Senior Creative Director on integrated campaigns including UGC video contests, promotional microsites, and rich media ads. His team also produced motion graphics and brand packaging for many of Yahoo!'s top properties. Previously, Derich was Creative Director at Arnson Communications, where he led the global re-brand of EA, and developed Electronic Arts' groundbreaking 360ยบ E3 video installation. The omnipresent "Signature" logos seen on EA packaging and promotion worldwide were developed under Derich's direction. During a successful tenure at Pittard-Sullivan, Derich created award-winning campaigns, main titles and network packages for clients including Nickelodeon, TiVo and ABC News. As a freelancer for numerous leading creative shops, he designed and directed projects for Food Network, Sci-Fi Channel and TBS, among others. Outside of the commercial arena, Derich co-wrote and produced the 1994 SXSW Best Documentary winner "Garbage."