ACNE Adds Trio of Interactive Directors to Further Bolster Diverse Offering

Following the recent signing of Interactive Director Jeff Levine, ACNE is pleased to announce the addition of three more industry-leading talents to its roster. Interactive director/music producer Drasko Vucevic, animation and effects pioneer Chris Gardner, and relentless innovator Eskil Steenberg will join the team, bringing decades of experience in creating and applying cutting-edge technologies to an almost limitless variety of projects.

“Drasko, Chris and Eskil bring an amazing amount of firepower to our already strong interactive team,” states ACNE CEO of US Operations Jesper Palsson, who has reinvigorated the studio since joining earlier this year. “Drasko has put together one jaw-dropping interactive experience after another. Eskil is a relentless creative visionary whose ideas have been integrated into some of today’s best-known technologies. And Chris has been in the game since Flash was called ‘FutureSplash.’ These guys are serious heavyweights who never let up in their drive to create the next industry-changing technology. We are thrilled to have them.”

This trio of hires lands at ACNE following a busy year for the studio, raking in numerous Cannes Lions and recognitions from FWA and Club des DA, among others. Their recent portfolio includes a dynamic interactive live stream of an adidas fashion show, iPhone apps that track the provenance of McDonald’s food and transform sleep patterns into works of art, and a create-your-own campaign video app for the Y-3 fashion brand. At the same time, ACNE’s foothold in the live-action sector has remained firm, with projects for Toronto International Film Festival, Chase, BlackBerry and Chevy.

Outside of the production space, ACNE remains a leading tastemaker and cultural voice, with popular men’s and women’s fashion lines, the ACNE Paper publication and the ACNE Jr. toy line. With new talent coming online and this portfolio of ever-expanding businesses, ACNE will soon relocate to more creative quarters – an event that will give their talent roster a chance to do a little something special to show off their talents with four interactive/experiential installations – stay tuned!

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About Drasko Vucevic:

Drasko Vucevic, who will continue his role as partner at DRASTIC Music + Technology, is adept in all phases of the production process, from concept to direction, production, sensory and music technology, and music production. His wide-ranging work includes interactive ping pong tables for SPiN, a Google Android brand campaign, a TAAFI interactive theater trivia game accessible via Twitter, an LG TV Shopping interface, the Pipe Trouble classic-style free arcade game to raise awareness about hydraulic fracturing, and interactive installation and performance for TEDxToronto. He has collaborated with B-Reel, FLUID, Pop Sandbox and JAM3. This diverse portfolio has earned accolades from One Show, FWA and Vimeo.

About Eskil Steenberg:

Eskil Steenberg is a writer, technologist, programmer, designer, researcher and game designer. With a life dedicated to the marriage of art and hard science, Steenberg developed the VERSE Internet protocol, the GLSL shading language found in every computer and smartphone, new methods for using artificial intelligence, the HALD CLUT color correction system, an impressive range of software tools that together enable the seamless transfer of applications between multiple platforms, and a fully procedural character system that realistically can simulate complex human behavior. He contributed to Rome with Google, has written several screenplays, built previz technology for Oblivion, and has lectured around the world. Steenberg is repped by CAA in the gaming realm and spent time working for Intel.

About Chris Gardner:

Chris Gardner has spent his career working with the world’s top agencies, taking on animation, design, and effects-heavy projects and campaigns. Along with a true passion for UX/interface motion graphics, Gardner has reduced rich iMedia production to a true form of art, using innovative styles of vector animations to create commercial-like quality in otherwise small spaces. Gardner has earned recognition from, among others, FWA, Webby, Communication Art, and CLIO.

About Acne:

ACNE is a creative collective founded with the philosophy that there is no line between Art and Industry. In the spirit of that philosophy, we spend our days undertaking creative problem solving within all areas of Production.