FlickerLab, the New York City-based design and animation studio, has added director of animation Eric Merola to its creative roster, responsible for the direction of animated spots and the creation of original content. He will also work directly with FlickerLab founder/creative director Harold Moss as a creative partner on original properties, both live-action and animated.
We met Eric three years ago on a project he created called, FLY BOY," said Tammy Walters, partner/exec producer. "We immediately fell in love with FLY BOY and Erics fresh and unique photomontage animation style. He's got a dead on sense of humor that comes through in every frame of his work, and a visual style that stops eyeballs in their tracks. Eric also brings a tremendous collaborative energy to his work, as well as great concepts, which led to two additional original projects we have in development with him. Eric's energy and creative prowess are true assets to the FlickerLab team.
Merola helmed Merola Prods. and put his considerable talents as a designer/director/writer/animator to work for a number of New York-area creative firms. For Curious Pictures, he designed and directed a pair of original shorts for the Cartoon Network. For INTERspectacular he designed and directed two animated commercials for the 120 Not So Standard Features Volkswagen Passat campaign and created a network ID for the FUEL Network. For Red Moxie Merola he directed and animated a show open for the WE Networks HAIR TRAUMA, to be released this coming fall. For FlickerLab, he directed and animated a fast moving promo for a new show on The Speed Channel, also to be released in the fall.
From 2003 to mid-2005, Merola freelanced as a graphic designer for Polo/Ralph Laurens advertising design department. At the same time, he worked as an animator/designer for FlickerLab, which was producing the ASIFA Annie award-winning SAVE THE REPUBLIC, which Merola co-wrote, and a second MoveOn.org commercial, RADICAL RAMPAGE.
He took a short hiatus, from 2002 to 2003, to produce additional episodes of his original animated series, FLY BOY, which has been featured in Spike & Mike's Sick & Twisted Festival of Animation and has been an underground Internet sensation. It was during this period of time that FlickerLab began helping Merola pitch FLY BOY and other of his original properties done in his signature animation style photomontage.
Merola cut his teeth in the business working with a number of area agencies. Young and Rubicam commissioned him to create an animated campaign for Campbells Soup, which was broadcast in Times Square on the Reuters sign and won an ASIFA-EAST award. From 2000 to 2001 he was an art director at the TriBeCa-based agency Turf where he frequently was responsible for conceptualizing, copywriting, directing photo shoots and overseeing final production on jobs. He also created animated segments for WABC-TV (7).
At Young and Rubicam, from 1999 to 2000, he was a designer working on a variety of bluechip consumer products. From 1997 to 1999 he was the creative director at the now defunct agency B-12 on Pete's Brewing Co.'s event marketing and point of sales promotions.
After college, Merola freelanced as an art director at Trone Advertising and Coyne Beahme Advertising, both in Greensboro, North Carolina. After selling several dozens of his original surrealist, figurative oil paintings, Merola headed up to New York City to continue his painting career. In Manhattan, art direction and animation that captured his imagination.
Founded in 1999 as a design and animation studio, today FlickerLabs principals, long-term collaborators and strategic partners employ their skills, technology and industry experience on a variety of projects, be they concept-to-screen development and production, or design and execution of commercials or broadcast promotions. In addition to high quality creative digital content development, FlickerLab (www.flickerlab.com) works with clients to extend their project reach through advertising, Internet impact, online marketing and merchandising.
The companys portfolio includes high profile work for media and entertainment companies, including A&E Networks, Bravo, Comedy Central, Discovery Home, Disney Channel, Lifetime, Lionsgate Prods., Michael Moore Prods., MTV, Nickelodeon, Planned Parenthood, The Cartoon Network and The WB, as well as product/service companies, including Bassat Ogilvy, Continental Airlines, Grey Worldwide, Johnson & Johnson, McCann Erickson, Microsoft, Party City and Procter & Gamble.
