About
Atelier creates and produces global branding campaigns for Fortune 500 companies. We work within budget constraints to deliver a quality product by managing entire production budgets. We operate as a production business, managing the process from start to finish and providing additional production support as needed.
“Senior boots on the ground” is critical to the entire production process; we have over 40 years of pattern recognition and experience to navigate the operations of agencies, production companies, clients, and cost consultants.
Atelier invests people in their work and makes them feel comfortable in their jobs. Our goal is to become a seamless, embedded part of your team from beginning to end. We keep people talking.
Production
Many producers today are in “ten headed hydra” work situations, juggling multiple projects where they are in way over their heads; complex concepts, large budgets and short timelines add up to high financial risks for clients and can require the expertise of more than one seasoned producer. Atelier producers come to you with the support of their production team. They have extensive experience managing challenging situations with a combination of fiscal responsibility, good taste, and teamwork.
Meet our Producers
our producers
Jay Howard
Because he saw the production world changing, but didn’t see many solutions for clients and agencies, Jay Howard founded Atelier in 2003. He started his career in the Chiat/Day culture of innovation and has produced work for top brands such as Apple, Intel, Hewlett-Packard, BMW, Nike, Nintendo, and Starbucks. As a producer and entrepreneur, Jay has produced simple, iconic work for Apple and its founder now in the permanent collection at MoMA. He was a Fulbright Scholar in Visual Culture, received a BA from the University of Pennsylvania, an MA from the Annenberg School for Communications at the University of Southern California and is a graduate of the Stanford Executive Program (SEP) at the Stanford Graduate School of Business.
Mila Davis
Mila has managed small budget productions all the way up to multi-million dollar projects, built collaborative production teams, and managed complex efforts for broadcast, digital, cinema, radio and live shows. As an Executive Producer at TBWA/Chiat/Day, Mila has overseen producers working on multiple projects and helped advise them. She stays passionate about the work while still trying to keep everyone smiling and having fun. Clients include: Adidas, Pepsi, Nissan, Infiniti, Southwest, Apple, PlayStation, Energizer, Visa, and MOCA.
Manuel Reta
With over a decade of producing experience, Manuel specializes in a simpler, more elegant style of production where clients receive closer personalized attention. He thrives on delivering high quality solutions that others find too fast, too complicated, or too technical. In 3 years, Manuel produced over 340 localized international Apple commercials for iPad, iPhone, & iPod, and managed global commercial production for Apple across 15 countries. He has mentored and trained large teams of producers to work cohesively under unprecedented deadlines and managed massive international teams during multi-week shoots. Manuel received his BA from the Annenberg School for Communications at the University of Southern California.
Creative
Atelier believes that creatives are worth their weight in gold. Where some clients and agencies may regard them as commodities, we know creatives play a massive role in branding that cannot be understated. Our copywriters, art directors, and designers have worked on some of the most well known brands in the business. They have breathed new life into flagging campaigns and brought intelligence and taste to corporate communications. Not easy things to do these days.
Meet our Creatives
our creatives
John Knecht
John Knecht is an American writer and director whose work includes award-winning television commercials, music videos, episodic online comedy sketches and short films. Throughout his adventurous career as an agency creative, he’s worked in America and Europe at agencies including Goodby Silverstein & Partners and 180 Amsterdam, and he’s had the privilege of freelancing and/or directing for 72andSunny, 180LA, KesselsKramer, BBH, Mistress, and BBDO. His work has received awards from Cannes, The One Show, Art Director’s Club, D&AD, London International, AICP, Effies and other strange sounding shows his parents may never fully understand. Clients include Hewlett-Packard, Adidas, and Microsoft.
Susan Alinsangan
Growing up an army brat, Susan was always moving. So, she was as surprised as anyone when she was hired as an Art Director at TBWA\Chiat\Day LA,and stayed for 11 years. She’s won advertising’s most coveted awards such as the the Grand Effie (two times) and the Grand Kelly. Most notably, Susan was the Art Director behind the Apple iPod Silhouette campaign which added yet another Cannes Lion to her credits. The iPod work is considered to be one of TBWA\Chiat\Day’s most successful global campaigns in a long history of creating cultural icons. On her downtime, Susan is unravelling the mystery of how to get better Wifi at home.
Todd Grant
During his career, Todd has worked on an impressive roster of brands including Adidas, Porsche, Budweiser, Nike, GotMilk, Apple and Hewlett-Packard. During his nine years at Goodby, Silverstein & Partners, Todd co-created the iconic Budweiser Lizards, launched the Invent tagline for Hewlett-Packard, and had a lot of painful dental work done. Has won so many Cannes Lions, he could melt them all in a forge and make a giant fruit bowl.
Bill Karow
As a highly sought-after creative, Bill has worked on a variety of global brands including Apple, Nike, Microsoft, Adidas, Coke, Amazon, Intel and Volkswagen. A nine year veteran at Wieden+Kennedy, Bill puts creative above all else. In doing so, he’s garnered a fair share of industry awards including multiple Cannes Lions, British Design+Art Direction nominations, the Kelly Award Grand Prize, One Show pencils and Art Directors Club cubes. So there’s that. Bill holds a BA in biology from Duke University. He is also extremely polite.
Tim Hanrahan
Tim Hanrahan loves awards as much as anyone. But the real reward for Hanrahan has always been the opportunity to create stuff: meaningful brand relationships, provocative stories, cool business models, creative collaboration, unexpected ideas that fuel growth. To do this he’s always sought out clients and agencies that truly appreciate creativity. As an ex-Wieden+Kennedy creative, an agency principal, and independent creative director Tim has worked with Nike, PowerAde, Miller Beer, Apple, Barnes & Noble, Giro, AFL-CIO and ESPN. As for those awards, he has been recognized by Cannes Gold Lions, One Show Gold, Clios, CA and D&AD.
Tom Witt
By good fortune and blind luck, Tom has written and produced award-winning work for a rainbow of fairly iconic global brands, including: Apple, BMW, IBM, Kohler, Lexus, Mercedes-Benz, NFL, Nissan, PBS, Saturn, Sony, Target, Virgin, Volvo and a myriad of smaller, equally classy companies. He’ll spare you any moralizing on the virtues of simplicity and other grand statements of the obvious. But suffice it to say, he’s a big believer in the single-minded concept. Specialties include expertise in left-handed dyslexia.
Business Affairs
One of the qualities that sets Atelier apart from the pack is our relentless focus on contracts, bids, processes, and negotiation. Instead of disdaining these items, we embrace them and execute them at the highest levels.
More Info
Contact
For potential projects and availabilities, please contact
Jay Howard
P: 310.344.2288
Email: jay@atelierproductions.com
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