The creative VFX studio MPC (honored with an Oscar for ‘Achievement in Visual Effects’ for its work on Life of Pi) will unveil a new global advertising & art initiative, alongside key creative partners from New York and London, at Derry-Londonderry’s CultureTECH Festival this September.
MPC, who are famous for their work on advertising campaigns including John Lewis ‘Snowman’, Channel 4 ‘Meet the Superhumans’ and Nike+ ‘Game On’; as well as blockbuster movies such as Prometheus, Life of Pi and the Harry Potter franchise – will announce the initiative as part of a keynote showcase at the festival’s industry conference, on Wednesday, September 11, which also includes presentations from creative companies including Culture Shock NY, Finger Music and Streaming Tank.
Hugh McGrory, Creative Director of Culture Shock, New York, one of the key partners in the new initiative, is also a Derry-native.
Hugh explained: “At Culture Shock we explore the intersection of art and technology and that’s why CultureTECH is the perfect partner for us in the North of Ireland. I grew up in Derry, it’s always been an amazingly creative place, and I’m delighted to be coming back in September to get a sense of what is happening now in the city. We are launching a global project in 2014 with MPC and want to use that to make it easier for creative talent with great ideas to connect with our partners in New York and around the world. ”
Justin Brukman, Executive Producer of MPC, New York added: “We are delighted to be coming to Derry for the first time during the UK City of Culture celebrations. We will launch a new global advertising and art initiative during the CultureTECH festival in September. We intend to bring to the project to the UK and Ireland for events in 2014 and want to grow our relationship with CultureTECH to explore a host of opportunities that can be of benefit to the creative community in Northern Ireland.”
Although details of the initiative itself won’t be announced until the event in September it is thought that it will include events and programming in major cities throughout the world.
CultureTECH Festival Director Mark Nagurski added:
“It goes without saying that we are delighted to have so many great creative companies, including MPC, involved in this year’s event – their collective international reputation speaks for itself. And the fact that Hugh McGrory is involved in the project adds a brilliant local dimension. The aim of this year’s festival is to help build new networks and anything that will help local creatives to connect with others internationally will be a brilliant legacy from the City of Culture year.”
Full details of the CultureTECH programme are available online now at www.culturetech.co/prog