CRASH+SUES Signs Sven Shelgren

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Press Release from CRASH+SUES:

 

CRASH+SUES, the hybrid VFX, animation, color correction and creative editing company, has signed executive producer Sven Shelgren. With over 20-years of experience, the industry veteran has executive produced spots for such iconic directors as Jim Johnston, John Pytka, Peter Kagan, and Paul Dektor, and worked for a prestigious list of production companies, including Dektor Film, Jon Francis Films, and Stiefel & Co.  Shelgren, whose work has garnered numerous Clios, as well as awards at Cannes and MOMA, is skilled at helming productions with budgets that run the gamut from modest to millions of dollars. He brings this broad range of experience to his new position heading the Minneapolis-based company’s multi-disciplined collective of talent, and working with C+S president/owner, Heidi Habben to provide advertising, film, broadcast and emerging media clients with expanded creative resources.

Shelgren’s career has traversed the commercial, film and television arenas.   He began working in the industry in 1978 as a repair technician and teamster dispatcher for a grip and lighting company in NYC, and then made the leap to high volume commercial producing for Jim Johnston, John Pytka, Ed Barnett and Andrzej Karpinski.  In 1985, he helped launch Stiefel & Company in NYC, and as executive producer for Richard McCarthy, Steve Tobin, Peter Kagan, and Jon Francis, he expanded Stiefel to LA and produced a long roster of memorable spots, including the multi-million dollar Merrill  Lynch “Bull Across America” campaign. In 1988 Sven began a six-year stint working exclusively with director Jon Francis as executive and line producer. Their prolific partnership generated numerous award-winning spots, including multiple Little Caesar’s  campaigns for Cliff Freeman Partners, SF Examiner spots for Goodby Berlin, and many others. 

Shelgren opened his own production house, RCR Inc. in 1994, which debuted with the highly acclaimed Saturn campaign, “Mt Rushmore” and “Yellowstone”  for Hal Riney/SF.  That same year Sven was offered an executive and line producer position with Paul Dektor at Dektor Film, which continued for the next 13 years, where he supervised dozens of major national accounts including Michelob, Nike, AT&T, Wachovia, Huggies, and Dove. Throughout this period, Sven also produced RCR Inc. projects, working with public service agencies such as Amnesty International as well as corporate clients like Epson, Clarion Hospitals, and the Indiana and Illinois Lotteries.

 “I first met Sven when CRASH + SUES hired Dektor Films to produce an innovative spot for WE Energies and Laughlin Constable/Milwaukee. That was over a decade ago, and we’ve been friends ever since,” notes Habben.  “I think it’s Sven’s love of the industry and passion for his craft that consistently propels his work to the next level. He brings the full breadth of his experience to every job and knows how to elevate a collaboration into a creative partnership that pushes a project farther than expected or imagined. I’ve always said he could spin more plates than anyone I know. He’s an extraordinarily talented executive producer, and I’m honored that he’s joined the CRASH+SUES team.”

“Sven is also a tenacious creative problem-solver who knows how to amp up the production value of a projects – whether the budget is $5K or $5M,” adds Habben. “Working in a mix of major markets - from Los Angeles and New York to Vancouver and the Mid-West – has given him a national and global perspective of the industry, which is invaluable to CRASH+SUES as we expand and diversify,” continues Habben. 

Habben also recognizes the value of Shelgren’s keen eye for talent and has tasked the executive producer with recruiting talent and expanding C+S’ diverse team of animators, designs, VFX artists, creative editors, color correctors, digital strategists, illustrators and mixers. 

Sven Shelgren’s ability to conceptualize and produce inspired media content continues to draw him into long-form work. His recent feature documentary film, A Single Woman, premiered in a session of the US Congress, as well as being recognized with screenings at both the Smithsonian Institution and at the United Nations.  It tells the true story of the first US Congresswoman and lifelong pacifist, Jeannette Rankin, and earned Shelgren an Exceptional Merit in Media Award, the highest honor presented by the National Women’s Political Caucus. His short film, My Husband’s Son, was honored as a festival selection in Edinburgh, London, Los Angeles, South by Southwest, and others, also garnering Best Actress for Kathleen Wilhoite at the Festival du Cinema de Paris.

“Once I had the delightful experience of working with CRASH+SUES as executive producer for Dektor Films back in 2001, Heidi and I became fast friends,” says Shelgren.  “She’s built a high-end multi-disciplined creative resource for providing a blend of all formats of media content - from spots and broadcast to films and emerging media - in a collaborative environment driven by a team of talent that brings a fresh aesthetic and cutting-edge creative solutions to their work. It’s a business model that has no boundaries, and I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to work together with such a talented team to make clients and collaborators all proud of the work we do together.”

About CRASH+SUES:
CRASH+SUES (is a seamlessly integrated creative editorial, animation, FX, motion design, color correction, finishing and multi-media company. Its collaborative team of talent is dedicated to providing advertising agencies, brands and filmmakers with fresh, innovate and cost-effective creative content. For additional information about CRASH+SUES, contact executive producer Sven Shelgren at 612.338.7947 or (sven@crash-sues.com [1]) or visit www.crashandsues.com [2].