Bent Signs Stop-Motion Heavy Hitter Ken Lidster

Press Release from Bent Image Lab

The Portland, Oregon-based production company and creative laboratory Bent Image Lab is further expanding its roster with the recent signing of veteran animator and director Ken Lidster. Known for brilliant, award-winning commercials, such as those for Brisk iced tea that feature the voices and animated likeness of such stars as Bruce Willis and Danny DeVito, Lidster has directed noteworthy spots for Energizer, Chips Ahoy!, Kellogg's, Oscar Mayer, Quaker Oats, and Target.

"Ken has a history of spot-on work, whether he's directing a series of commercials around a common theme or doing a one-time gig," notes BENT Executive Producer Ray Di Carlo. "He has the exact combination of qualities that we look for in all of our directors -- a creative bent, a tireless work ethic, and, maybe most important of all, a great sense of humor."

"BENT has been making a lot of moves lately, and I'm really thrilled for this opportunity to join their crew," stated Lidster. "Their work is imaginative and brilliant, and never fails to impress with its high quality and entertainment value."

Prior to joining BENT in 2009, the Canadian native spent two decades in London, where in the early 1990's he founded the animation company Loose Moose. While there, Lidster and his cohorts created more than one hundred international, award-winning commercials. Before starting Loose Moose, Lidster worked at Aardmann Animation Studio in Bristol.
Lidster's work has been screened at festivals and TV stations around the world. His film BALLOON won a British Bafta for Best Animated Film 1991, the Grand Primero Cinanima Solverde 1991, and a Silver Hugo from the Chicago International Film Festival.

"It's like Gretzky being traded to LA," says Bent Image Lab partner David Daniels about the addition of Lidster. "This is a real coup for everyone involved."

Lidster's hiring is just one more step in BENT's continued growth. The shop is becoming a true one-stop content creation studio, following last month's partnering with international award-winning director and designer Nando Costa. Now the fourth partner at BENT, Costa and his former team at Nervo run NANDO@BENT, where Costa's cutting edge design and motion graphics work complements BENT's existing focus on CG, stop motion and mixed media animation.

About Bent Image Lab:
Bent Image Lab is a Portland Oregon-based production company and creative laboratory, known for melding art, design and storytelling. It is a place where the brightest ideas are driven with an artist's passion and realized through the use of cutting edge technology.

Established in 2002, BENT specializes in wildly creative spots and videos that range from the frenetic to the deeply moving. SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE, Coca-Cola, Lux Soap, Aflac, Budweiser, Guitar Hero, HP, PBS, Radiohead's Thom Yorke, Live Earth, and film directors Todd Haynes and Gus Van Sant, are just a few of the high-profile clients that have called on BENT for some of their quirky, highly-original work. BENT's long list of spots, music videos, animated films and promos has earned impressive recognition from top film festivals and industry shows, including SXSW, the Clios, Cannes, Sundance, the Chicago Film Festival, AICP/MoMA, the Rosey awards, the Broadcast Design Awards, the Tribeca Film Festival, the Rotterdam Film Festival and the Florida Film Festival. BENT's principals are, David Daniels, Chel White, Ray Di Carlo, Tsui Ling Toomer, and Nando Costa who runs NANDO@BENT.