Blue Room

2008 Webby Award

Blue Room picks up Webby for NFL Fantasy Files
Thursday 16 Oct 2008 - 10:23

Blue Room has been awarded a Silver Webby Award in the category branded content/promotion for their contribution to the NFL.com Fantasy Files viral campaign. The Webby Awards is the leading international award honouring excellence on the Internet, including Websites, interactive advertising, online film and video, and mobile http://www.digitalartsonline.co.uk/news/ websites.

FEED Studio Tour

Feedhere (http://www.feedhere.com/?p=3130) has featured Blue Room's new space, titled "New Blue Room. Not So Blue"

Aint No Disco

Blue Room gets featured on "AINT NO DISCO" http://www.aintnodisco.com/2008/10/07/blue-room/

Studio Monthly Feature

Blue Room is featured in Studio Monthly magazine in their Hot House section, titled "Blue Room Likes to Move It (Move Ii)" http://studiodaily.com/studiomonthly/currentissue/9977.html

Writer Michael Koegel takes an inside look at Blue Room...highlighting various project and noting several fun facts like: What's their Gig ?, The Cool Factor & The Geek Factor.

New Space, New Work

While it'd be nice to say that we're all settled into the new place, the truth is, we've really only had time to set up the desks and plug in the coffee maker before getting to work on a long list of projects. Right after completing the graphics package for Emeril Green (the flagship show for the recently launched Planet Green network), a Meerkat Manor promo for our friends at Animal Planet and the graphic redesign for 'Who Wants to Be a Millionaire', we started in on this year's Fantasy Files for Reebok and the NFL.

In addition to the four new Fantasy File spots, we're gearing up for the 2008 football season by creating this year's college football graphics for ESPN U, a NFL Kick Off spot, and will soon need to set aside time for the Super Bowl and Pro Bowl ads we do each year. Hopefully, though, long before we have to break out the beer and hot wings we'll have enough time to get the new office prepped for a welcome party.

So stay tuned!

Blue Room Refreshes Millionaire

NEW YORK, NY "June 30, 2008" For Disney ABC Domestic Television's game show Who Wants To Be A Millionaire, Blue Room updated the show packaging and game play graphics including logo and in-show graphic effects. The format changes will debut this fall, as a re-energized Millionaire, with host Meredith Vieira, premieres its seventh season in national syndication on September 8, 2008.

This season, Millionaire will showcase several format updates, including a clock on the questions and two new lifelines "Ask The Expert" via a face-to-face Skype video call and "Double Dip", which enables a contestant to take two guesses on any question.

"Blue Room's work is always impressive, but they totally blew me away on this project", said Millionaire Executive Producer, Michael Davies. “I can't think of any graphics company that would have worked so diligently and cooperatively with such a complicated job."

BLUE ROOM WELCOMES EXECUTIVE PRODUCER

NEW YORK, NY April 1, 2008 - Blue Room, the award-winning creative services agency, continues its expansion with the addition of Executive Producer Mark Mutschler, a seasoned broadcast design, commercial and animation producer, it was announced today by CEO/Executive Producer Chris Gargani.

In his new post, Mutschler is charged with diversifying Blue Room's core client base and growing the firm's broadcast, commercial, online and print businesses. He will work directly with Chris Gargani and Blue Room Creative Director Brian Aumueller.

"Mark's experience is exceptional and is invaluable to us as we continue to grow Blue Room. He brings a depth of talent and understanding of the industry to our company. Those who have worked with him particularly admire Mark's ability to bridge client objectives with management of the creative team. His enthusiasm for design and the creative process makes him a great fit for us," explained Blue Room's Chris Gargani.

Prior to joining Blue Room, Mark Mutschler was, from November 2006 to May 2007, Producer at Stardust Motion Graphics (New York, NY) where he managed the creative production staff and was involved in pre-production, on set management, and production for a variety of large scale projects for clients including the Pepsi rebrand, Macy's fall image campaign, Clairol's Natural Instincts, Earthlink, Crest, Sprint and Olay, among others.

From May 2000 through October 2006 Mutschler freelanced as a Producer and Creative Director specializing in large scale productions working for companies including Sony Pictures, BMG, Universal Music, Sony Music, Epic Records, Fox Family, EMI International and Conde Nast.

Mark Mutschler began his industry career at Sony BMG Music Entertainment (New York, NY), from May 1993 to May 2000, he was Executive Producer/Special Projects Division, responsible for productions including original programming and pilots, DVD productions, artists profiles and biographies, sales marketing videos and major image campaigns for a client roster that included Columbia Records, Epic Records, Arista Records, Sony Classical, 550 Music, Relativity Records, ATV Publishing and Bad Boy Records.

"Mark is quick on his feet, highly adaptable and has a diverse production background that compliments our own experience. With Mark on board, we at Blue Room are fully confident that we can address the shifting paradigms our industry is confronting daily," stated Blue Room Creative Director Brian Aumueller.

On his joining the Blue Room team Mutschler explained, "With content and media taking on new forms daily, I feel that this is an exciting and challenging time in our industry. Blue Room has a diverse range of talent and is in a position to provide great opportunities and creative solutions for our clients. I firmly believe that the company will do well in this environment and I am delighted to be part of this unusually strong creative team."

Within a week of his joining the company, Blue Room secured, through Mark Mutschler's contacts, a show package for an upcoming show, featuring Emeril Lagasse, on Discovery Green, a new channel slated to launch later this year.

Mark Mutschler completed his Bachelor of Arts at Hofstra University (Hempstead, NY). He is 39 and makes his home in Ft. Lee, New Jersey with his new bride Laurie Heuler, an industry production manager.

BLUE ROOM REFRESHES HISTORY BRAND

NEW YORK, NY March 6, 2008 Blue Room, the award-winning creative services agency, collaborated with The History Channel to refresh the network's brand. Now known as History, the rejuvenated network logo and look, designed to attract a younger demographic, premiered February 15.

Of History's six-month collaboration with the Blue Room creative team History SVP of Marketing Chris Moseley explained, "We considered partnering with a number of firms and there are some really clear reasons why Blue Room jumped to the fore. In the very preliminary rounds they nailed how to maintain the equity of our logo and the big double gold H that has been such a key part of our mark for so many years. They kept the work fresh and contemporary, bringing it to the next generation and respecting that equity. Also, I really appreciated their dedication to understanding our consumer perspective, mushing through the marketplace research process with us, listening to consumer insights, and reflecting it all back in the final work. Blue Room is a terrific partner and did a phenomenal job."

The graphics and design team at Blue Room invigorated the channel's brand identity, and program and promotion packages, updating the tone, manner, execution and personality of the network while retaining equity in its core brand values. Updated logos and station ID's were created for all five History channels (History, History HD, History en espanol, History International and Military History). Logos were also designed for History Education, History Mobile, History magazine, History VOD and HDVOD, History Special Presentation and Save our History.

For the network's on-air graphics package Blue Room translated the language of the new logo creating a logo bug, promotional bugs, web throws and a countdown bug. The History promotion package includes four new endpage layouts, an animated logo button, tune in bar and transitions, line-up spots and affiliate and sponsor endpages. In addition, Blue Room designed and created lower third identifiers, as well as credit beds and ad sales sponsor billboards for History's in-show program effects.

"In creating a refreshed visual identity for History it was important for us to play off of the strengths of the former logo, opposed to a complete rethinking. For the logo we deconstructed the frame and holding shape to essentially free the H logoform, and transformed those elements into an arrow and timeline. These new design elements became a strong addition to the logomark, connecting past to present while evoking forward motion," stated Blue Room's Creative Director Brian Aumueller.

"The updated History logo has an intrinsic sense of leadership, energy and motion, and is designed to create a more personal connection with viewers. There is also a strong focus on functionality to reinforce History's position as entertaining and informative," added Blue Room CEO/Executive Producer Chris Gargani. "The horizontal bar and arrow become an authoritative signal to viewers, delivering program information, web locators, even editorial cues in transition elements," continued Gargani.

"We wanted to create a look that reflected the bold new approach History is taking. The driving energy of the full graphics package is triggered by the pairing of the horizontal bar and arrow in the refreshed logo. These two elements were the jumping off point for a broader visual language in which the bar becomes a timeline exploring the limitlessness that is the essence of history: past, present, and what is to come," added Aumueller.

The Blue Room design team, led by Creative Director Brian Aumueller, included CEO/Executive Producer Chris Gargani; Senior Designer Steve Harper; Designers/Animators/3D Animators Chieh Yen and Jorge Peschiera; and Animator Anthony Serraino.

BLUE ROOM ADDS SENIOR DESIGNER CHIEH YEN

NEW YORK, NY November, 2007 - Blue Room, the award-winning creative services agency, continues its expansion with the addition of Senior Designer Chieh Yen to its creative roster, it was announced today by CEO/Executive Producer Chris Gargani.


Chieh Yen comes to Blue Room having spent the last three and a half years as Senior Designer at post facility mad.house nyc where he worked on advertising, broadcast and film projects for clients including 2K Games, Advil, Canon, CitiBank, Electrolux, LG Electronics, Red Bull, Subway, Verizon, W Hotels, Macy's, JCPenny, Fisher Price, NFL, HBO, FUSE Network, Food Network, and TV Land, among others.


From 2004 through 2007, Yen periodically freelanced as an art director/designer for a number of New York-based companies. He created branding design for Zooz, a non-profit community-building organization. For video content creators, United Vision, Yen created graphics and a video for Chicago house music DJ Bad Boy Bill's American tour Behind the Desks, a live mix concert album, CD and DVD (for which Yen earned both a Telly and a Davey Award for Art Direction). Also through UV, he created live visual graphics and animations for DJ Vice, DJ Irie, DJ OB-1, DJ Echo, DJ Roctakon, DJ Big Syphe and DJ Eric D-Lux and their management company Skam Artists, and a graphics package for Bad Ass Bitches Vol. 2. He branded Nolita Films and created medical DVD sets, including DVD menu and packaging design, for their clients ZYVOX��® and EXUBERA��® He worked on two short animations for Scion and their 2007 car models. And, finally for editorial house Redcar NYC, he worked on a variety of advertising and film projects including spots for Gucci and Verizon Espanol.


"Chieh is a design-sharpshooter, bringing a hip eye and masterful execution to all aspects of design, motion, and typography. He's the guy who understands our clients needs before they do," explained CEO/Executive Producer Chris Gargani.


On his joining the Blue Room team Yen stated, “As a creative individual you always want to be challenged, to grow. I learned a lot at mad.house and did many projects with them, but as a designer it was time for me to look for more challenging projects, greater opportunities and to be able to work with a first rate creative team as well.”


Yen joins a design team that includes Creative Director Brian Aumueller and Designers Steve Harper and Jorge Peschiera. To view Chieh Yen's reel go to http://blueroomnyc.com/chieh/ <http://blueroomnyc.com/chieh/>;

Chieh Yen completed his Bachelor of Arts in Fine Art at Manchester Metropolitan University in Manchester, England and moved stateside to attend Pratt Institute (Brooklyn, NY) where he earned his Masters of Fine Arts in Computer Graphics and Interactive Media.


Chieh Yen, 30, makes his home in Manhattan.