Bicoastal editorial house Beast has opened its doors with offices in New York City and Santa Monica. Native New Yorkers Paul Kelly, formerly of 89/NY, and Adam Schwartz, formerly of bicoastal Lost Planet/NY, are company partners and will spearhead operations on the East Coast; Igor Kovalik, formerly of Inside/Out, Santa Monica; and Paul Norling, newly arrived from FilmCore/Santa Monica, share partnership duties with managing partner/executive producer Valerie Petrusson on the West Coast. Prior to forming Beast, Petrusson helped to establish Inside/Out, and held staff positions at Crew Cuts, FilmCore, 2 Pop Editorial, and Red Car. Kevin Garcia, also from Inside/Out, rounds out the Beast roster. Executive Producer Amy Saunders, formerly of Consulate, is Petrusson’s counterpart in New York.
Schwartz has already cut Reebok and Brahma beer projects at Beast, both via mcgarrybowen/NY. Kelly’s new work includes Cingular (BBDO/NY), Toyota (Saatchi), Ford GT (JWT/DET), and Burger King (Crispin Porter + Bogusky), all of which are Beast assignments. Kovalik’s initial Beast assignments include a Buick campaign for McCann Erickson/DET, and Garcia has worked on ESPN Zone restaurants out of The Ballpark/LA, and Partnership for a Drug-Free America PSA via Dailey & Associates/LA. Norling was still honoring FilmCore commitments: Geico for The Martin Agency/Richmond, Va., and Sony out of McKinney/Durham, N.C.
Miller Arnold has signed on to represent Beast on the East Coast. The company is currently in the process of securing West Coast and Midwest representation.