Asterisk has opened shop in New York City. The boutique, headed by producing/directing team Richard O'Connor and Brian O'Connell will focus on graphic driven character animation across media for commercial, series and feature films.
"Each project is different," said O'Connor, "the issues are unique, so the solutions are unique. We might use photo collage for one thing, rotoscope for another, or a NEW YORKER illustrator for a third."
They decided to call the studio Asterisk, OConnell explains, because its the perfect balance between a graphic symbol and an organic character.
The studio has several long form and series projects in the pipeline. "There are a lot of supermarket shops these days," says O'Connor, "They offer an encyclopedic catalog of names and faces and try to fill up all the shelf space. At the end of the day here, Brian and I are calling the shots. Even when we collaborate with strong talent, the responsibility comes down to us."
Asterisk's early clients include Paramount Pictures THE STEPFORD WIVES, Sirius Satellite Radio, Sharpie, Nickelodeon, Accent Markers, JazzReach and Citibank.
They have worked together since the early 90s when O'Connell was exec producer/co-creative director and O'Connor was executive prod/head of production at The Ink Tank. O'Connell started out as an animator at Colossal Pictures/Noyes and Laybourne, in New York, and then directed commercial spots and series for Nickelodeon and MTV. His work has picked up countless accolades, including Emmys, Clios, BDAs and Cable Ace awards. His illustrations have appeared on the Op-Ed page of THE NEW YORK TIMES. O'Connor has a secret life as an academic and critic, teaching at Parsons School of Design and New York University and writing about film and animation for various publications. He has also written advice columns in JANE MAGAZINE.
For further information check out www.asteriskpix.com or contact Richard OConnor at richard@asteriskpix.com
