Award-winning colorist Lez Rudge and veteran production and post-production executives Marcelo Gandola, Axel Ericson and Ed Rilli have joined forces to launch TWELVE, a post boutique for the advertising, film and television industry. The announcement comes on the heels of several projects under the TWELVE banner, including campaigns for Jagermeister, Comcast, Maybelline, and the NY Rangers.
TWELVE’s 4,500-square-foot space in Manhattan’s NoMad neighborhood features three DaVinci/Resolve color rooms, two Autodesk Flame suites, and a 4K DI Theater with a 7.1 Dolby surround sound system and 25-person seating capacity. Here, clients also have access to a suite of film and production services—editorial, mastering, finishing and audio mixing—as part of a strategic alliance with Ericson and his team at Digital Arts. Ericson, who brings 25 years of experience in film and television, also serves as managing partner of TWELVE.
“The response to what we are bringing to the entertainment and advertising landscape has already been phenomenal,” remarked Gandola, whose long career includes strategic operations and management positions. “We launched TWELVE to fill a void for agencies, brands and other content providers seeking a truly high-end boutique experience where you get one-on-one treatment.”
“In reflecting on all of our previous business endeavors, the individual ownership and integrity that each partner is known for bringing to every job is remarkable,” added Rudge. “TWELVE represents a chance for even more such ownership as we channel all of our energy and resources into pushing our craft and, ultimately, our client’s brand to the next level.”
Managing director Ed Rilli rounds out the partnership behind TWELVE. He will handle client relations, strategy, budgets and deadlines, among other deliverables for the business.
“Lez and I have a strong working relationship that goes back nearly two decades,” remarked Rilli, “while Marcelo, Axel and I bring different experience and strengths to the formula we envision for TWELVE’s success. Together, we make a powerful team.”
Rilli was previously head of production at Nice Shoes for 17 years. His long list of agency clients includes Hill Holiday, Publicis, Grey, and Saatchi & Saatchi, and projects for Dunkin Donuts, NFL, Maybelline and Ford.
Gandola was most recently chief operations officer at Harbor Picture Company. Other notable positions include: executive vice president at Hogarth; SVP of creative services at Deluxe Entertainment Services Group; VP of operations at Company 3; and principal of Burst @ Creative Bubble, a digital audio and sound design company.
On the creative side, Rudge was formerly a colorist and partner at Nice Shoes, with clients such as Revlon, Avon, Canon, GE and Dewar’s. Since 2015, Rudge has also been focusing on his directorial career. His most recent campaign for the NY Rangers and Madison Square Gardens—a concept-to-completion project via TWELVE—garnered more than 300,000 Facebook hits on its first day.
While TWELVE is currently working on short-form content, such as commercials and marketing campaigns, the company is making a concerted effort to extend its reach into film and television. Meanwhile, the partners also have a significant roster expansion in the works to fill its post facility.
“After all of these years on both the vendor and client side, we’ve learned how best to get things done,” concluded Gandola. “In a way, technology has become secondary, and artistry is where we keep the emphasis. That’s the essence of what we want to provide clients, and that’s ultimately what pushed us to open our own place.”
