Thomas Helmintoller has been hired to the newly created post of creative director at S4 Studios, a design and production studio specializing in 3D animation, visual effects, entertainment branding and live-action production. A specialist in graphics production for trailers, music videos, movies and home video packaging, Helmintoller comes to S4 having completed production designs for air combat sequences in Der Rote Baron (The Red Baron), an international co-production being distributed by Warner Bros. this October.
Helmintoller began his career as a clothing designer for Hard Rock Caf’ and action sports companies such as Quicksilver and BUM. Working as a freelance interactive and advertising designer for the last ten years, he created DVD menu and package design, TV spot animation and illustration for such DVD releases as Little Shop of Horrors, House on Haunted Hill, The Perfect Storm, Glory and The Wizard of Oz. His TV commercial work includes concept and design on spots for DirecTV and the feature films Spider-Man, XXX, The Contender and The Pianist.
Broadcast branding credits for Helmintoller include campaigns for Discovery
Channel, Hallmark Hall of Fame and Animal Planet, as well as S4 Studios’ recent brand launch of NBC Universal’s Chiller Network and the 7-7-07 S.O.S Concerts hosted by Al Gore. He also designed the re-launch of the studio’s website, which can be seen at www.s4studios.com.
According to S4 partner (with Geoffrey Kater) Larry Le Francis, the addition of Helmintoller will expand the company’s broadcast design business, particularly in its branding work for NBC Universal’s Emerging Networks division. He will also bring his years of experience to the studio’s core businesses of broadcast design, 3D animation and MPAA fixes for trailers.
‘Thomas gives us a more diverse slate of production capabilities and will introduce us to new artistic territory,’ Le Francis says. ‘He’s a kindred aesthetic spirit, and provides the kind of invigoration that will more fully allow us to show clients our creative chops in trailer and promo graphics, 3D animation production and original content.’
S4 Studios was founded in 1999 and boasts a client roster that includes NBC Universal, Cartoon Network, FlyerOne Ent., 20th Century-Fox, Paramount Studios and more.
