Robert Richardson received his seventh Academy Award Nomination for Cinematography in the motion picture Hugo, which leads the Academy Awards with 11 nominations.

*Read about all of Richardson’s Oscar Nominations on the Academy Awards website.

1. Take This Lollipop – Category: Experimental – Director: Jason Zada -
View the website here >

2. Ellie Goulding “Lights” – Category: Motion Graphics – Interactive Director: HelloEnjoy – View the website here >

3. Screw*D – Category: Business – Director: Matt Ogens – View the website here >

The winners in each category will be revealed at the 15th Annual SXSW Interactive Awards Ceremony on Tuesday evening, March 13 at the Hilton Austin Downtown.

View all the SXSW Interactive Awards Finalists here >

*Read more about the feature in the Communication Arts January/Febuary 2012 Annual.

Jason Zada’s “Take This Lollipop” ranks on the list of AdFreak’s Top 50 Stories of 2011.

*Read more about the 50 most-read stories in 2011 on Adweek.

*Read the full story about “Take This Lollipop” here.

*View the Case Study Video.

Geordie Stephens’ Help Remedies “Help I Can’t Sleep” campaign tops the list of ‘30 Freakiest Ads of 2011.’

*Read more about the year’s craziest spots in Adweek.

*Read why Adweek chose Matt Ogens’ Mitsubishi Commercial as the Ad of the Day on Monday, October 10, 2011.

*Read more about the Mitsubishi commercial as the featured Pick of the Day on Creativity.

*Behind the Work: Welcome to the New Normal.

*Check out all three spots produced by Tool & 180 LA here.

Evan Silver won a Gold for his 2010 MTV Movie Awards On-Air Promo “The Hurt Locker / Justin Bieber” in the category Program Promotion and Tune-In: TV Spot (Single Promo) for Single Program.

*View all the CTAM Mark Awards Winners.

The AICP Digital chapter discusses the new responsibilities – and possibilities – of creative sourcing and production in today’s world.

Speakers:
Dustin Callif, Executive Producer, Digital, Tool North America
Justin Booth-Clibborn, President, Executive Producer, PSYOP
Vic Palumbo, Executive Vice-President, Director of Integrated Production, Deutsch
Heath Rudduck, Chief Creative Officer, Campbell Mithun

Watch the video on the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity website.

On the heels of their FWA SOTD for the WebGL based HelloRacer, interactive directing team HelloEnjoy have put together this handy guide on the pros and cons of Unity3D and WebGL. Enjoy!

1. Sign up to vote by logging-in using your Facebook profile.
2. Click on the direct links below and vote for our director nominations in each category.
3. Click CAST MY VOTE and see the results.
4. Please vote by April 28, 2011.

Touching Stories
Click HERE to vote for this Nomination.

The Last Advertising Agency on Earth
Click HERE to vote for this Nomination.

University of Farmers
Click HERE to vote for this Nomination.

the ONION “Soccer Officially Announces It Is Gay”
Click HERE to vote for this Nomination.

the ONION “Police Slog Through 40,000 Insipid Party Pics To Find Cause Of Dorm Fire”
Click HERE to vote for this Nomination.

the ONION Humor Category
Click HERE to vote for this Nomination.

the ONION Best Copy / Writing Category
Click HERE to vote for this Nomination.

Since we all love to “know the score,” Shots has created a top-20 league for both production companies and directors. The rankings are based on a simple point system. Check out how, in the most recent tally, Tool scored in the top ten.

Read the Shots Article.

Since most consumers could benefit from learning a thing or two about insurance, RPA brought in Tool to design, shoot and create the web presence for University of Farmers, a sort of higher learning institution that brings the crazy mishaps of the real world right into the classroom. Take “Auto Shop,” for example, if you answer the questions on the quiz right, you’re good to go, but if you answer the questions wrong, you’ll see just how fast your car could get jacked. But, hey, at least you’ll have learned something valuable in the process.

Tool Director Jason Zada shot all the live-action and worked with our team to oversee the entire production—from the live-action shoot and post-production to the banner development.

View the web experience on the FWA website.

Creativity Online once again selects Tool for inclusion into their Special Report: Top Production Companies of 2010.

In 2009, Tool quickly transformed from traditional spots shop to a tech-driven, multimedia player, thanks to the addition of digital pros like Carlos Ulloa and Grant Skinner. The benefits of the change were obvious in its 2010 reel, which included Droga5’s innovative online game of Keepie Uppie for Puma, which challenged users to keep Maradona in an endless round of kickups, directed/developed by Skinner; the Touching Stories iPad app, which showed off the storytelling possibilities of the device with four interactive tales directed by Geordie Stephens, Erich Joiner, Jason Zada, Sean Ehringer and Tom Routson and Leo Burnett’s “David on Demand” social media experiment. And although Tool is now top of mind when it comes to digital creativity, spots clearly are still a strongsuit. Highlights include “Clothing Drive,” DDB Chicago’s follow-up to “Swear Jar” and RPA’s artsy pair of promos for The Newport Beach Film Festival, directed by Erich Joiner, and sweat pants drama for Tide-to-Go (“Give Up Pants”) out of Saatchi, New York. And it looks like more interesting things are to come, with new additions to the Tool kit: former Crispin talent Matt Bonin came on board as executive producer, while the creative talents from The Onion signed on to the roster.

Gold Addy (National)
MTV “Bird”
Director: Jose Prat

Gold Addy (National)
MTV “Model”
Director: Jose Prat

Silver Addy (National)
MTV “Gym Class (Hormonal Disorder)”, MTV “Bird” & MTV “Model”
Director: Jose Prat

Gold Addy (Chicago)
Bud Light “Clothing Drive”
Director: Erich Joiner

Bronze Addy (LA)
Factory Design Labs “Powder”
Director: Jason Zada

Bronze Addy (LA)
Nature Valley “Back to the Wild”
Director: Geordie Stephens

Silver Addy (LA)
NFL Support Group “Tube Socks” (AKA Supercast)
Director: Erich Joiner

Silver Addy (LA)
NFL Support Group “Referee,” “Time” (AKA Fox Takeover)”
Director: Erich Joiner

Gold Addy (Miami: Best of Show)
MTV “Gym Class (Hormonal Disorder)”, MTV “Bird” & MTV “Model”
Director: Jose Prat

Gold Addy (Miami)
MTV “Model”
Director: Jose Prat

Gold Addy (Miami)
MTV “Bird”
Director: Jose Prat

Gold Addy (Miami)
MTV “Gym Class (Hormonal Disorder)”, MTV “Bird” & MTV “Model”
Director: Jose Prat

Gold Addy (NY)
Nickelodeon “Safe Chicken PSA”
Director: Harry Cocciolo

Gold Addy (NY)
Purity Organic “Tirade”
Director: Geordie Stephens

In an FWA solicited article, Dustin breaks down the thinking and process behind Tool’s newest website and its interactive intro co-created by Erich Joiner and Olivier Otten.

Link: Read the Full FWA Article

“Touching Stories” – a Tool +Domani Studios collaboration that explores and demonstrates the future of interactive storytelling on the iPad – has been selected as the FWA “Mobile of The Day” for September 10th 2010. “It’s great,” Dustin Callif acknowledged, “to be singled out and honored in this brand new FWA category, ‘Mobile of The Day.’”

Showing off our integrated approach, Tool had wins in both broadcast and digital categories.

The Scorecard:

Cannes-

• 2 Lions
• 10 Shortlists

AICP-

• 2 Wins
• 5 Shortlists

FILM LIONS:

Winner
DirecTV- “Promise Land”, “Referee”, “Time Travel” & “Tube Socks”
Director: Erich Joiner

Shortlisted
Bud Light- “Clothing Drive”
Director: Erich Joiner

Tide Detergent- “Give Up Pants”
Director: Sean Ehringer

PROMO & ACTIVATION:

Shortlisted
Burger King- “Kingon Defense Academy”
Director: Geordie Stephens

Starbucks & (RED)- “Love Project CD”
Interactive Director: Aaron Koblin

MEDIA LIONS:

Winner
Starbucks & (RED)- “Love Project Event”
Interactive Director: Aaron Koblin

Shortlisted
Best Use of Special Events and Stunt/Live Advertising:
Starbucks & (RED)- “Love Project Event”
Interactive Director: Aaron Koblin

Best Use of Integrated Media:
Starbucks & (RED)- “Love Project Event”
Interactive Director: Aaron Koblin

CYBER LIONS:

Shortlisted
Best Digitally Led Integrated Campaign:
Starbucks & (RED)- “Love Project Event”
Interactive Director: Aaron Koblin

Bud Light- “Clothing Drive”
Director: Erich Joiner

AICP:

Winner
Advertising Excellence – International
MTV- “Bird”
Director: Jose Prat

Winner
NEXT – Website/Microsite
Cold War Kids- “I’ve Seen Enough”
Director: Sam Jones

Shortlisted
Performance, Monologue or Dialogue:
Bud Light- “Clothing Drive”
Director: Erich Joiner

Humor:
Bud Light- “Clothing Drive”
Director: Erich Joiner

Sound Design and Animation:
UPS- “Gladiator”
Director: Tom Routson

Limited to a mere 5 words, in Tool’s acceptance speech at the Webby Awards, Dustin manages to make two sentences.

At the 14th Annual Webby Awards, Dustin Callif accepts the award on behalf of Sam Jones for his Cold War Kids interactive music video.

Clearly the web as a medium for original content distribution continues to forge ahead and gain mainstream relevance, as seen by the quality of the work, the packed crowd at Cipriani and the increased celebrity headcount at this year’s 14th Annual Webby Awards that included: B.J. Novak (host), Zach Galifianakis, Amy Poehler, Will Arnett, Jason Bateman, Ben Folds, Jimmy Kimmel, Buzz Aldrin, Biz Stone (co-founder of twitter) and Arianna Huffington.

Tool of North America hit it big this season and the AICP Awards served as validation of the company’s versatile abilities. Cleaning up with two prestigious wins and shortlisted for five, Tool was able to bridge both the broadcast and digital sides of the event. Sam Jones’ online music video I’ve Seen Enough for Cold War Kids took top prize at the Next Awards in the “Website/Microsite” category. The site, which was already nominated for an MTV Music Video Award, won a Webby’s People’s Voice Award and was shortlisted for a CLIO Award and was a One Show Interactive finalist. The video redefined the “remix” through never-before-seen interactivity.

Winning in the “Advertising Excellence” category was Jose Antonio Prat’s CLIO-winning spot, Bird, done in collaboration with La Comunidad, Miami for MTV. Prat also won a Silver Pencil for the larger campaign: Bird, Model and Gym (Hormonal Disorder) – in the Consumer Television’s “Over :30″ category at this year’s One Show.

Clothing Drive, the hilarious viral for Bud Light directed by Erich Joiner, was shortlisted in the “Performance/Dialogue or Monologue” and “Humor” categories, and Gladiator, the animated UPS Store spot with live action footage by Tool, was shortlisted in the “Animation” category.

About Tool:

Bicoastal Tool of North America represents top-tier artists to the advertising industry. Tool’s collective of talent includes: directors, photographers, cinematographers, technologists, mobile content creators, and video game creatives. This diverse talent pool affords Tool the ability to serve as a resource for agencies across commercial and digital productions, packaging the best creative teams available to develop compelling advertising with our agency partners.

Tool of North America’s award spree just gained more momentum with a Silver Pencil win for Director Jose Antonio Prat’s three spot campaign for MTV, Model, Gym (Hormonal Disorder), Bird, in Consumer Television’s Over :30 category. Completed in collaboration with La Comunidad/ Miami, the Spanish language spots are a hilariously deadpan look into naïve youth culture.

Additionally, three of Tool’s recent projects were also shortlisted: the viral spot for FITC “The Last Advertising Agency On Earth” done via Saatchi & Saatchi; Interactive Directors Aaron Koblin and Carlos Ulloa’s Webby winning Starbucks Love Project, in both the Websites and Live Webcast categories; and Director Sean Ehringer’s TGIF Call Woody Facebook campaign.

From a total of 14 nominations, Tool of North America is the proud recipient of 4 Webby Awards.

Interactive Directors Aaron Koblin and Papervision 3D creator Carlos Ulloa, working via BBDO, nabbed two awards for the Starbuck’s Love Project, an interactive, promotional site for Starbucks and Project (Red). Winning in both Interactive Advertising’s “Integrated Campaigns” category and Online Film & Video’s “Public Service and Activism” category, the site was nominated for a total of four awards and was listed twice as an Honoree. It was also a One Show Interactive third quarter finalist.

Among the People’s Voice winners were Director Sam Jones’ innovative online music video “I’ve Seen Enough” for Cold War Kids–also shortlisted for a CLIO Award and a One Show Interactive finalist–in the Online Film & Video’s “Best Use of Interactive Video,” and Director Sean Ehringer’s TGIF “Call Woody” Facebook campaign in the Interactive Advertising’s “Rich Media: Promotional” category.

This year’s winning work will be celebrated at the 14th Webby Awards Gala on Monday, June 14, at Cipriani in New York City. For more information, visit The Webby Awards site.

Hello, 2010 award season. Three Tool projects have been shortlisted for Clios. Two bizarre but humorous Jose Antonio Prat spots “Bird” and “Model” from his MTV campaign. The incredibly viral but “too racy for TV” Bud Light “Clothing Drive” spot directed by Erich. And the groundbreaking, interactive music video for the Cold War Kids concepted and directed by Sam Jones.

Yes! We’re pleased to announce that Tool has been recognized with 14 Webby Award Nominations and Official Honorees.

Aaron Koblin and Carlos Ulloa’s Starbucks Love Project has been named a finalist at the One Show Interactive awards in two categories: “Websites & Microsites” and “Online Films & Video.”

Sam Jones’ Cold War Kids Interactive Music Video has been selected as a One Show Interactive finalist for “Online Films & Video/Video Remix/Mashups” and also short listed at the 14th Annual Webby’s for Best Use of Interactive Video and Music.