The Briefing Room

Los Angeles, CA, October 13, 2009– Buster Design, the motion graphics and animation division of award winning marketing and production agency Stun Creative, has rebranded DirecTV’s pay-per-view movie service, which is now known as “DIRECTV CINEMA.” Stun Creative Co-Presidents Mark Feldstein and Brad Roth made the announcement.

Buster’s mandate for this rebranding project wa s to strategically position DIRECTV Cinema as “THE place to go” for great movies, while also reinforcing the idea that DIRECTV CINEMA brings a theater-like experience into the home. To fulfill this assignment, Buster delivered an extensive motion graphics toolkit, which included numerous marketing deliverables, and on-air graphic navigation elements (such as on-demand “countdown” animations.) This graphics package was designed by Buster to drive other, high-profile DirecTV promos, as well as to be easily updatable by the marketing department at DirecTV to promote upcoming, pay-per-view movie releases.



Roger Hyde, Vice President, Creative Services, DirecTV said, “Before this rebrand, a sizable number of DIRECTV viewers had never ordered a pay-per-view movie. To address this issue, we recognized that we needed to build a stronger identity for DirecTV’s transactional movie platform. Buster did a terrific job helping us graphically position DIRECTV CINEMA as the place viewers can find the biggest stars and the best titles.”

Adds Mandy Martin, Executive Producer, DirecTV, “To properly launch DIRECTV CINEMA, we needed to build awareness of our movie service, align our viewers with the concept of ordering an in-home, ‘theater going,’ experience, and create an ‘event marketing’ campaign. Essentially, we needed to launch an entirely new DirecTV sub-brand, which is now known as DIRECTV CINEMA.’ Buster helped us fulfill this mission beautifully.”

Buster’s Executive Creative Director Jonas Morganstein said, “The core of the design system that Buster developed is initially depicted through an array of incandescent light bulbs. The viewer sees a single light bulb ‘flash,’ thus starting up an animated sequence. The camera then follows along as rows of lights fire up – leading the viewer’s attention from one animated composition to another. Walls and walls of light bulbs fill the screen, timed to deliver a visual crescendo just as the DIRECTV CINEMA end page presents itself. We created a design scenario that delivers for the viewer that visceral experience of what it’s like when they are sitting in a movie theater, as the houselights go down and the light from the film projector is just starting up. We’re tapping into the viewer’s expectation, by cranking up those movie lights and ushering in the thrill of that movie going experience.”

BUSTER CREDITS:

Jonas Morganstein, Executive Creative Director & Executive Producer

Kurt Spenser, Creative Director

Hema Mulchandani, Producer

Antonio Cicarelli, Art Director

ABOUT DIRECTV:

DirecTV is a direct broadcast satellite service based in El Segundo, CA, which transmits digital satellite television and audio to households in the United States. DirecTV currently has 18 million subscribers. The service was launched in 1994, and is now owned by The DirecTV Group, which is controlled by Liberty Media.

DirecTV has its own network, called “The 101 Network,” available only to DirecTV subscribers in the United States. DirecTV is also the exclusive U.S. rights holder to sports packages “NFL Sunday Ticket,” “NCAA Mega March Madness,” and “NASCAR Hot Pass.” For more information, please visit: www.directv.com

ABOUT BUSTER:

Buster is a division of the LA-based advertising agency Stun Creative, helmed by co-presidents Mark Feldstein and Brad Roth. Buster is a conceptual design studio specializing in original animated content for the advertising and broadcast industries.

Led by Executive Creative Director Jonas Morganstein, Buster provides its clients with a one-stop solution, by developing and delivering dynamic ideas driven by innovative imagery that always tells a story. Buster specializes in design and animation for TV commercials, TV show opens and network packages. For more info: www.busterdesign.tv

ABOUT STUN CREATIVE:

Launched in 2000 by co-presidents Mark Feldstein and Brad Roth, Stun Creative is an award winning, Los Angeles-based advertising agency and production company that specializes in writing, directing and producing spots and campaigns for cable and broadcast networks as well as the major studios.

Stun also boasts a motion graphics design and animation studio, Buster, that creates show opens, promo packages, and consumer brand advertising.

Stun has recently moved beyond traditional advertising into original content development. In 2008, Stun produced an original web series for Sony Pictures Television, entitled “The Writers Room,” and has also created the short films “The Swinger,” (starring Chris Elliott and Bob Costas) and “Karaoke Knight” (starring comedian Jeffrey Ross), both for Showtime. In addition, Stun has created “Bush Bites” for Fremantle Media - an animated comedy series, based on extracted-from-real-life oral moments in the life of former President George W. Bush and set to animation.

In addition to DirecTV, Stun’s clients include TBS, TNT, FX, Bravo, ABC, E!, Discovery Channel, Sundance Channel, 20th Television, to name a few. Stun Creative is located at 5757 Wilshire Blvd, Suite # 600, LA, CA, 90036. The phone is 323/460-4035 and the web is www.stuncreative.com

###