I got the news from my buddy Frank "Ill Bixby" Dellario that his machinima crew the "Ill Clan" and the Electric Sheep Company, which acquired Ill Clan a year-and-a-half ago, are amicably splitting into seperate companies. Sounds like it didn’t make financial sense for the Sheep to retain the services of a full machinima team on staff now that they are moving toward more web-based projects. The Sheep will continue to contract out machinima work to Ill Clan. (For those that remember, I worked briefly for Ill Clan and the Sheep toward the end of last year.)
I can’t say enough good stuff about the quality and creativity of the work of Ill Clan, having seen how they work up close. If you need a digital video created for your company or non-profit, get in touch with Frank at frank@illclan.com. Machinimists are standing by!
The complete press release follows after the jump…
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media Contact:
Frank Dellario
718-599-2591
frank@illclan.com
The Electric Sheep Company and ILL Clan Agree to Split
ILL Clan Launches New Animation Studio – Joint projects with The Electric Sheep Company Continue
New York City, May 29, 2008 — After a highly successful 16-month run, virtual world content creator The Electric Sheep Company (ESC) and its critically acclaimed machinima animation division, previously ILL Clan Inc., have restructured to operate as distinct business entities.
"The Electric Sheep Company has seen an increased demand in Web-based virtual experiences, and our direction as a company has shifted to serve this demand for our clients and our own business initiatives," says Sibley Verbeck, CEO for The Electric Sheep Company. "This focus has limited the potential for ILL Clan to service the separate growing animation market that utilizes their skills and technology. We are pleased to be in the client roll with ILL Clan moving forward and look forward to the increased business opportunities this split represents for the crew at ILL Clan."
"Our tenure at the Electric Sheep was an incredible experience," says Frank Dellario, ESC’s former vice president of machinima and current president of the newly re-formed ILL Clan Animation Studios. "Their support enabled us to expand our expertise to a new level and add some of the world’s biggest entertainment and marketing companies to our portfolio."
ESC recruited the ILL Clan, then an independent company with nearly a decade of experience, as its exclusive machinima division in January 2007. Under the "Sheep" banner, the department flourished, producing landmark works for virtual-worlds clients, such as CBS, NBC, MTV, and IBM, as well as for television, including key animation sequences in two episodes of the primetime drama "CSI: NY" and a pre–Super Bowl commercial for "Two and a Half Men."
"It was a privilege to be part of that visionary organization," Dellario says. "Now, as we embark on this new phase, we are excited and honored at the opportunity to continue serving their machinima needs, as well as those of new clients."
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About ILL Clan Animation Studios
As the multiple award-winning ILL Clan Inc., the company has been creating machinima since 1998 for world-class clients such as CBS, IBM, MTV, Microsoft, NBC, SpikeTV, Warner Brothers, and more. Named "Machinima Masters" by Wired Magazine, the team renowned for pioneering the field will resume its longstanding tradition of excellence in providing innovative machinima content under the new ILL Clan Animation Studios moniker. To learn more, visit www.illclan.com or contract Frank Dellario at frank@illclan.com.
About Electric Sheep Company
The Electric Sheep Company (ESC) is the leading creator of 3D virtual world content and solutions specializing in providing software, interactive design, and integration and production solutions. Founded in April 2005 and headquartered in New York City, ESC is dedicated to the complementary tasks of bringing relevant social and information products to consumers, and helping major organizations find ways to use virtual worlds to realize operational, marketing and educational goals. Clients include AOL, MTV, NBC, Nissan, Sony, Reuters and many others. To learn more, visit www.electricsheepcompany.com.