Hasta La Creative!

The Type Directors Club, the world’s leading typography organization, today announced the 20 top creatives from 12 countries who comprise the jury for its global TDC Ascenders 2024 competition, celebrating international typographers, letterers, and type designers aged 35 and under.

Ascenders is a fast-growing portfolio-based competition dedicated to type in all its versatile forms, and the inspiring up and coming designers — individuals or duos — who are elevating the medium. Entrants submit six projects – typography, use of type, design, lettering, etc. – with short descriptions, a statement of their role in the project's creation, and a list of individual credits where applicable. 

This year’s entries will be judged by a diverse jury of global leaders in the field, including some past Ascenders winners. The 2024 TDC Ascenders jury is as follows:

• Pouya Ahmadi, Studio Pouya Ahmadi, Providence
• Gail Anderson, chair of BFA Design and BFA Advertising, School of Visual Arts; creative director, Visual Arts Press, New York
• Tamara Arkatova, Bureaubukv Studio, Tbilisi
• Veronika Burian, TypeTogether, Prague
• Suzy Chan, London
• Rejane Dal Bello, Studio Rejane Dal Bello, London
• Hao Gao, Workbyworks Studio, New York
• Óscar Guerrero Cañizares, SumaType, Bogotá
• Jaemin Lee, studio fnt, Seoul
• Sol Matas, Berlin
• Muk Monsalve, Buenos Aires
• Wael Morcos, MorcosKey, Brooklyn
• Alex Nassour, Brooklyn
• Nubia Navarro, Nubikini Studio, Bogotá
• Gemma O’Brien, Sydney
• Felix Pfäffli, Studio Feixen, Lucerne
• Kristyan Sarkis, TPTQ Arabic, Amsterdam
• Studio Melli (Mahsa Gholinezhad and Omid Nemalhabib), Rotterdam/Tehran
• Guille Vizzari, YaniGuille&Co., Buenos Aires

Jury member Nubia Navarro added “Being an Ascender means there is still much to do, but what has been done has undoubtedly allowed me to grow and understand that behind every achievement, there is always a significant process. It is a great honor for me to celebrate with those I admire, and help in the design of a better future.” 

Entries are now being accepted, with entry fees increasing after the early-bird deadline of March 15, 2024. Final deadline April 19, 2024. Entries will be judged by a diverse jury of global leaders in the field, to be announced shortly, and winners will be announced in June 2024.

In order to make Ascenders affordable around the globe, TDC offers a tiered pricing structure with significant discounts based on the country where the entrant is located: full-priced, mid-priced, low-priced, and, for eight countries, free. TDC members also qualify for discounts. 

This year’s Ascenders branding and award are designed by TDC Advisory Board members Marta Cerdà Alimbau, who runs her design studio in Barcelona, and Parasto Backman, who operates Studio Parasto Backman in Stockholm. 

For more information and to enter, please visit the TDC Ascenders 2024 website.

The One Club for Creativity – home of The One Show, ADC Annual Awards, Art Directors Club of Europe (ADCE) awards, ONE Asia Awards, Type Directors Club and competition, TDC Ascenders, Young Guns, Young Ones Student Awards, Next Creative Leaders, ONE Screen Short Film Festival, and more – is the world’s foremost non-profit organization whose mission is to support and celebrate the global creative community. Revenue generated from entries to its global awards shows goes back into the industry to fund programming under the organization’s four pillars: Education, Inclusion & Diversity, Gender Equality, and Creative Development. 

Charles Frank and Andrew Hutcheson, Co-Founders of Brooklyn-based production company Voyager, are thrilled to unveil their latest venture: the launch of post-production studio, Leap Year. With the creation of Leap Year, they are solidifying their commitment to post-production, offering a stand-alone studio with a curated roster of top-tier talent, and are excited to open their doors to like-minded collaborators including other production companies, agencies and brands.

“Leap Year's evolution from an internal post solution at Voyager to a broader, independent studio offering was driven by our extensive experience and network in both production and post equally,” shares Co-Founder/Director Frank. “Recognizing its potential beyond our walls, what started as a conversation about enhancing our offerings in a more substantial way quickly transformed into a vision of collaboration with other production companies, agencies, and clients we admire, shaping a new era of creative partnership.”

Since co-founding the successful production house in 2015, Voyager has regularly shepherded their productions through post in-house, executing countless film and commercial projects through final delivery. Transforming it into a boutique standalone post-production studio was a natural progression. Voyager Senior Editor, Austen Deery, organically transitioned to Leap Year’s creative roster, and is accompanied by editors Nico Frank, Kauai and Jeff Watterson, for each of whom this is their first exclusive commercial representation following successful freelance editing careers in their own right.

“Handing off projects after shooting felt like a disservice to the storytelling essence our agencies and partners sought,” expresses Co-Founder/EP Hutcheson. “Leap Year emerged as a natural extension of that, aiming to enhance partnerships and support directors in crafting compelling narratives. For us, the process is as crucial as the outcome, and Leap Year is dedicated to amplifying that focus.”

The team also welcomes Managing Director and EP Kira MacKnight, whose tenure at esteemed audio post-production studio, One Thousand Birds, included spearheading Super Bowl campaigns for clients such as Squarespace, Crown Royal, Bud Light and TurboTax, and countless films with extensive festival runs, including the Academy Award-nominated “Traffic Stop” and the Emmy-winning “Zion.” Additionally, she has collaborated with clients including Chanel, Apple, Marvel, Peloton and Adidas and has worked on a variety of film and experiential projects for artists like Janelle Monáe, Charli XCX, Fka Twigs, Tyler, the Creator, among others.

“My passion lies in building frameworks and processes for teams to be able to grow, adapt, and thrive,” shares MacKnight. “Joining Leap Year at this pivotal moment and being able to do just that in support of providing the best possible experience for our insanely talented roster of editors and our clients is a dream come true.”

The post-production hub cleverly chose February 29th for its launch, echoing the human-made “leap year” concept which adds an extra day to the calendar to synchronize seasons. Leap Year believes in the importance of making time. Working collaboratively out of Voyager's new headquarters in Brooklyn’s Fort Greene neighborhood, they offer real-time remote and in-person sessions in their new edit suite.

A trusted partner among agencies and brands and a successful launchpad for emerging directors, Voyager has collaborated year after year with the biggest and best brands in the world including Nike, Meta, and Kia among others. Their work has been acknowledged at the most prestigious festivals and award shows, from SXSW and the Academy Awards to Cannes Lions and The One Show.

About Leap Year:

Leap Year is a post-production studio with an expertise in offline editorial. Our partnerships with brands, agencies, and production companies are built on the belief that making time is the key to great work.

Leap Year’s tightly curated roster of editors is our creative backbone and, along with our extensive network of colorists, VFX artists, animators, sound designers, + mixers, we’re honored to collaborate year after year with the biggest and best brands in the world including Nike, Meta, and McDonald’s. Our work has been acknowledged at the most prestigious festivals and award shows, from SXSW and the Academy Awards to Cannes Lions and The One Show.

Let’s make time. 

About Voyager:

Voyager is a Brooklyn-based production company that tells stories of all sizes for agencies, brands, and audiences everywhere. Founded in 2015, Voyager quickly established itself as an incubator for new talent, garnering awards at D&AD, One Screen, YDA, Young Guns, and CLIOs. Voyager and its directors have collaborated with agencies such as 72&Sunny, Anomaly, and Wieden+Kennedy, and for clients like Adidas, Kia, and McDonald’s, among countless others. Their documentary and narrative films are available for streaming on Hulu, HBO, and Prime Video, being recognized at such prestigious festivals as SXSW, Tribeca, and CIFF. Somewhere, something incredible is waiting to be known.

Watters led The Five among Adults 25-54 viewers.

Client: Soukhyada Hospitals
Campaign: Clock of Heart Health
CEO: Manjunath Bhatt
Marketing: Dr Vinay

AGENCY:
Advertising Agency: DESIGN JUICE, Bengaluru, India
Creative Director: Sandeep
Copywriter: Shree, Sandeep
Illustrator: Satya
Additional credits: Krishnakant

Heard City recognizes Mixer & Sound Designer, T. Terressa Tate for her ongoing creative contributions to the boutique audio post-production studio. T.’s exceptional work has garnered praise from Ad Forum, Cannes, AICP, and One Show. The work includes campaigns for the WNBA, Nissan, Oscar Mayer, Modelo, Ally Bank and Uber. Her best-known work includes videos for Beyonce’s “Diva,” “If I Were a Boy,” and “Single Ladies” (in which you can hear her laugh at the end.) 
“T. brings an immense breadth of creative process and positive energy to every project,” expresses Managing Director/Partner Gloria Pitagorsky. “The entire company admires and loves T. Whether collaborating on sound design projects or brainstorming a company outing, T is the go-to person. Her dedication mentoring underrepresented talent in our industry is truly inspiring and we are incredibly fortunate to have her as a valued member of an incredible group of sound designers and mixers at Heard City.”
Having started her career at Final Cut in 2002, T. quickly moved up the ranks, specializing in sound design and mixing by 2005. The Atlanta native holds a Master’s Degree in counseling psychology and previously explored careers in music and acting. A passionate connoisseur of sound, she enjoys capturing unique noises that enrich her arsenal, often pausing conversations for impromptu recordings.  Committed to equality in the advertising industry, she is an active member of Free The Work,  a non-profit initiative advocating on behalf of underrepresented talent for equal opportunities to bid on commercial jobs in the global advertising industry. Tate joined the Heard City team in September of 2021. 
“Joining the Heard City team is an honor,” shares T. “Phil and I have been discussing work since my assistant editing days and his guidance and expertise have been invaluable. When the opportunity arose to work alongside him and his talented team, it was one I couldn’t turn down. Gloria and Phil are both true advocates for championing creatives and I’m grateful for their support at Heard City. I feel super lucky to be on Team Heard because not only are they talented but also fun to be around.”

Client: Soukhyada Hospitals
Campaign: Clock of Heart Health
CEO: Manjunath Bhatt
Marketing: Dr Vinay

AGENCY:
Advertising Agency: DESIGN JUICE, Bengaluru, India
Creative Director: Sandeep
Copywriter: Shree, Sandeep
Illustrator: Satya
Additional credits: Krishnakant

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