Independent production, design, effects and post finishing company Guerilla FX has created a new digital division devoted exclusively to the creation of interactive content. With the addition, the studio will be able to handle certain web-based elements that previously would have been farmed out to other companies. In addition, Guerilla has hired James O’Brien as its marketing and new business partner for all production, effects and postproduction work created for the web.
‘We strongly feel that handing the project off obstructs the flow of communication and adds another layer of ambiguity,’ says Guerilla creative director Thor Raxlen, who shares partnership in the company with exec producer Doug Robbins. ‘At this point in our development, we are confident that Guerilla FX has the experience to do the work and keep the integration seamless.’
‘The launch of this new division greatly expands what we can offer new and existing clients,’ adds Robbins. ‘We can start a project and carry it all the way through the process, taking the idea of vertical integration a step further.’
O’Brien co-founded interactive design agency Medio in 1999 and served as its president before selling the company in 2001. He then opened A’arra, an independent traditional and digital/interactive representation company in 2004 and acted as a consultant to the industry. Other A’arra companies include Struck Creative, Honest, Templar Studios, the ID Corp., Trace Pictures and Yessian Music, among others.
Guerilla FX launched in January of 2006 and recently completed high-profile projects for such clients as Citibank, FedEx, Foot Locker, General Mills, Kyocera, Montefiore Hospital, MTV, Nexxus, Nike, Subway, TRESemm’ and Verizon. The studio and sister company 0:2:60 are both headquartered in New York City.
