Phoenix Editorial & Designs announced that Julia Sonder-Patchin and Zara Finlay have come on board as senior producer and producer, respectively. Combined, they have more than 30 years experience working in design, visual effects and production. Also joining the company are Associate Producer Lindsay London and Assistant Editor/IT Manager Russ Miller.
"We're thrilled to add these talented individuals to Phoenix. Each brings a unique skill set. Julie comes with an outstanding reputation in both executive producing and managing creative teams. She'll be a great help to me in reaching out to new clients and producing some of our most challenging projects. Zara's background as both a producer and designer will be a huge asset as we continue to expand our design division. We're also fortunate to announce the addition of Lindsay and Russ, who bring a wealth of technical and creative expertise," said Jonathan Hinman, exec producer, Phoenix Editorial & Designs.
Julia Sonder-Patchin is a 17-year industry veteran who joins Phoenix after a year freelance producing and consulting under Desmo Creative, a company she founded in 2007. Before branching out on her own, she served as exec producer at Rough House Editorial from 2004 to 2007, and OneSixEight Design Group, where she oversaw projects for National Geographic Channel and Buena Vista. Sonder-Patchin's career also took her to Miami, where she worked at DeepBlueSea and Broadcast Video (now Manhattan Transfer), producing visual effects and on-air packages for HBO, NBC, ABC and a multiple BDA Award-winning campaign for Nickelodeon. Sonder-Patchin got her first taste of the advertising business in NYC after graduating from Syracuse University with a degree in Visual Communications.
Sonder-Patchin said, "Phoenix has a great reputation as both a fast-growing design company and a collective of award-winning commercial editors. I look forward to working with Phoenix creatives and helping the company grow into new markets."
Australian native Zara Finlay has 15 years of experience in vfx, post-production and graphic design under her belt. Prior to joining Phoenix, she spent two years as a visual effects producer for Ntropic, overseeing commercials for Prius, Gap and VW; music videos for Justin Timberlake and Green Day; and feature film projects for LIVE FREE OR DIE HARD, GRINDHOUSE and BLADE RUNNER. She also spent three years as a producer at the San Francisco outpost of Radium, and has produced for Varitel Video and Colossal Pictures. In 2002, she attended the California College of the Arts to study graphic design, an education that continues to inform the work she does today. Since joining Phoenix, she has already post-produced a five-spot campaign for "Flex Your Power" promoting energy efficiency.
"After working at various visual effects companies and then attending design school, I was seeking a creative company that combines strong visual effects capabilities with cutting-edge motion graphics design. So when the opportunity presented itself to join Phoenix, it was something I couldn't pass up," Finlay said. "I have a love of typography and working with artists, and Phoenix offers me the best of both worlds. I'm stoked I can be immersed in design and the design process, and work with talent who inspire me."
Associate Producer Lindsay London and Assistant Editor Russ Miller round out the new hires. London's career has spanned working as a writer, producer and editor for commercial projects, television episodics and promotional videos for companies such as Comcast, Beyond Pix, Red Car and The Memphis Grizzlies NBA team. In addition to being assistant editor, Miller will also serve a dual role as the studio's IT manager. Prior to joining Phoenix, Miller was the IT director and video editor for BuderEngel/OWN+P/See for clients like Electronic Arts, Disney Mobile and AAA, and held a similar role at Big Red Pixel Productions on projects for MGM and Universal.
