Press Release

Jà³n Stefà¡nsson, an award-winning commercial and music video editor whose credits include Virgin Mobile, Nike, ESPN, and Coca-Cola, as well as the American Legacy Council’s “truth” campaign, has joined FilmCore New York.
Stefà¡nsson’s arrival coincides with the formal launch of FilmCore’s New York location in an all-new, state-of-the-art facility in the Flatiron District. The company had been operating out of temporary quarters in New York since January.
Recently named one of the top editors in the advertising industry by both Creativity and Boards magazines, Stefà¡nsson joins a staff that also includes Editors Doug Walker and Keith Olwell, and Executive Producer Andrew Linsk. Walker will be dividing his time between New York and San Francisco, while FilmCore’s other Santa Monica and San Francisco-based editors are also available to cut in New York, and similarly, the New York staff is available for projects posting on the West Coast.
Linsk praised Stefà¡nsson as a top tier talent and a wonderful addition to FilmCore’s roster. “I have been a fan of Jà³n’s work since my agency days and he was on the top of my list to bring to FilmCore,” he said. “He is a gifted and versatile editor, and the caliber of his work is totally in sync with the level of talent we want to offer to the advertising community.”
Even operating out of temporary quarters, FilmCore New York has been extraordinarily busy. Paul Norling, from the company’s Santa Monica office, recently traveled there to cut a campaign for Geico and the Martin Agency. Olwell recently completed work on a Microsoft package, through FilmCore San Francisco, and is currently editing the climactic episode of Nike’s long-form basketball series Battlegrounds, produced for MTV via Wieden & Kennedy. Additionally, Olwell recently worked out of FilmCore San Francisco on a campaign for Mitsubishi.
Stefà¡nsson called FilmCore an irresistible opportunity to both further his editing career and to help build a company. “Opening a new office is always exciting but in this case we’re building on the strength of a company that has been in business for a long time,” he said. “That will give me an opportunity to tackle any task and serve my clients better.”
Stefà¡nsson arrives at FilmCore from Cosmo Street, New York, where he established himself as a premiere commercial editor. His work there included a campaign for Virgin Mobile and Fallon that picked up a One Show Award and a Silver Lion at Cannes last year. (He has also cut Virgin Mobile work for San Francisco agency Leagas Delaney.) The “truth” ads that he cut for American Legacy Foundation (Arnold Worldwide and Crispin Porter + Bogusky) have also won numerous awards, including Andy and One Show awards. He has collaborated with such directors as Tom Kuntz, Brian Beletic, Lance Accord and Paul Hunter. Additionally, Stefà¡nsson has cut broadcast promos for HBO, ESPN, MTV and Fuse, as well as music videos for such artists as Common, PJ Harvey, Tricky and Wyclef Jean.

Stefà¡nsson says that while each spot requires an individual approach, his attack is generally methodical. “I watch every single frame that has been shot and then start culling,” he said. “During that process, I’ll get ideas and might try things out on a whim. Often something will emerge that forms the backbone of a piece, but each script and each idea inherently guides the process.”
In addition to his commercial work, Stefà¡nsson has cut several branded content projects for Wieden & Kennedy. He has also edited documentaries and recently cut a short narrative film, directed by Michael Karbelnikoff of HKM.
“One of the attributes that I enjoy about my job, is the variety of projects that I have encountered,” Stefà¡nsson observed. “Generally I am attracted to projects that are smart. I like smart people, smart ideas, smart executions and smart deliveries, and, thankfully, I’ve come across smartness quite often.”
FilmCore New York’s new office launches with three editorial suites, with a fourth suite planned to open in the near future. Each suite is equipped with an Avid Adrenaline editing system and connected to an Avid Unity server. The facility’s ultimate capacity is far greater as its uniquely open floor plan allows for any room in the facility to be converted for editorial use. “We can wheel an Avid into any corner, plug it into the network and be editing in minutes,” Linsk said.

According to Linsk, the space is meant to be aesthetically pleasing while providing a relaxed creative work environment. “We designed the space to show that we care about design,” he said. “It’s hard to make a space that is beautiful, functional and comfortable, but I think we have achieved it.”