Award-winning animation production company brings its eclectic roster of international directors, studio execs, creative talent, and production staff to North America, with LA-based executive creative director Claus Cibils at the helm.
Award-winning animation production company Final Frontier has brought its unique roster of directors to the U.S. market, with award-winning executive creative director Claus Cibils leading the North American operations. Born in Buenos Aires, raised in Caracas, and based in Los Angeles-based, Cibils boasts 20+ years of international multi-industry expertise in audiovisual productions, delivering advertising, digital, social media, NFT, and XR campaigns for global brands such AT&T, HBO, Coca-Cola, DELL, Amazon, Mercedes-Benz, PayPal, NBA, NFL, Khiel’s, CBS, Nickelodeon, Nat Geo, and Disney.
Past North American brand collaborations include the Clio Award-winning “Designed to be Deleted” campaign for Hinge with agency Opinionated and the current “Forever Bold,” major 360 rebranding campaign for the Clio Awards now in production. Last summer, Final Frontier crafted “The Knu Stack” for Vans and a 3D naked-eye billboard in the heart of New York City featuring a full CG version of musician Little Simz, created in collaboration with roster studio Woodwork.
Final Frontier’s roster of directors and studios is a mix of established names and rising stars in animation, including Able&Baker, Blinkmybrain, Blirp, Dirty Work, Frame, Lobster, Nerdo, Noisegraph, Toggle, and Woodwork. They offer techniques and styles ranging from Nordic minimalism for CG, vital characters, and narratives in 3D, 2D, collage, and long-form storytelling from the studio behind Love, Death + Robots episode “The Dump.”
“Very early on in my career, I learned that our business is ultimately about people, and for a long time, I was searching for someone with whom I felt real synergy to make our dream of expanding in North America a reality,” commented Final Frontier co-founder Gus Karam. “I’d admired Claus since working with him as a client and felt we were aligned on our values and creative vision, so it's a huge pleasure to have him on the same side of the table, embarking on this adventure as part of the family."
The new office adds a North American presence and time zone to Final Frontier’s existing Madrid, Shanghai, and Buenos Aires facilities. The company, built on a worldwide production pipeline, boasts executives, creative talent, and production staff across four continents.
“I immediately felt a kinship with Final Frontier, as a company with a truly international mindset and culture built into its DNA,” added Cibils. “In this ever-more connected world, brands are crying out for stories reflecting all perspectives, drawing upon a rich range of cultural references. With a diverse, multicultural crew spread across the world, I found a team perfectly equipped to bring that magic combination. We’re a global company for a global world, and I’m pumped to be part of it.”
The US expansion comes from Final Frontier’s established base in China and the APAC region. The company’s Asian client reel includes top-tier international brands like Nike, Airbnb, Ritz-Carlton, BMW, and League of Legends, and ongoing partnerships with many of the biggest Chinese brands, including Tencent, vivo, and gaming giant Netease. Final Frontier is one of Asia's most awarded production companies, with projects recognized at D&AD, Clio Awards, Cannes Lions, Promax, and Motion Awards.
Alongside its commercial reel, Final Frontier provides production services for major long-form content projects like HBO Max shows Unicorn Wars and Poor Devil and 2021’s The Descendants, Disney’s first 2D cel-animated film in over a decade.
Watch the Final Frontier Reel 2023:
Founded in Shanghai in late Spring 2018, Final Frontier decided to establish headquarters in Asia, bucking a trend of premium animation production companies opening facilities in the North American market.
In 2022, Final Frontier announced it had invested in Madrid-based Silk Gallery, dedicated to showcasing graphic artists in a physical space and providing a hub for the global art community.
Source: Final Frontier
Debbie Diamond Sarto is news editor at Animation World Network.
