We’ve been busy on the production front, from new Fidelity spots with Boston’s Arnold agency to a new European campaign for Opel Insigna with McCann Frankfurt and a new branding initiative for Check N Go with Cincinnati based Sunrise Advertising.

As excited as we are about the recent work, we’re even more excited about a few new developments here at iV, including a new audio branding initiative that we’ll be rolling out in the next couple months.

We're working to create more opportunities for an open dialogue on how to use audio in more innovative and effective ways as part of an overall branding strategy. At the moment, we’re literally traveling the world, interviewing the creative heads from some of the most influential advertising agencies in the business. Soon, we’ll be sharing those conversations with you, exploring a myriad of opinions on the importance of music and sound in the marketing/branding equation.

Stay tuned!

We’re proud to announce that FlickerLab’s “The Wild Life” was selected as a Finalist in the prestigious Prix Jeuness 2010, hosted by the city of Munich, Germany. We’re grateful, too, for the opportunity to play a creative part in "The Wild Life," providing the score and theme song for each of the episodes

“The Wild Life” is an animated series created to teach children about the importance of doing our part to stem the environmental abuse that has taken its toll on our climate. The uniquely themed show also uses GO RealTime Animation software that enables each show to be animated in real time. The breakthrough technology reduces the time and expense usually associated with an animated series.

It's wonderful for us to be involved in a project that is being recognized not only for the quality of its production, but for the positive impact it can have in the lives of children and, hopefully, for our planet.

Thanks, FlickerLab!

Chaos and creativity are inherently linked together. As Picasso was fond of pointing out, every act of creation is also an act of destruction. Chaos has a way of destroying the familiar – and in the process clearing the way for us to connect the dots in new and exciting ways.

Recently, much has been written and opined about the role of technology in creative chaos, particularly in the worlds of music and media. Old business models have been obliterated. New companies emerge. And there are other companies that are casualties in the process.

To that end, we extend our sympathies to our friends at Boards magazine, who have been so helpful to us not only through the competitions and conferences but through the inevitable friendships that have formed through those connections. We regretted the news that the magazine is ceasing to publish.

We wish you the best. And hope that through the Chaos, each of you will find new ways to create and thrive both personally and professionally.

We’ll miss you…but we’ll see you on the other side.

One of the things we love about iV is that it exists as the hub of a creative community, comprised of talented composers, artists, engineers, musicians, marketers and entrepreneurs. We not only work together, but we continually look for ways to connect with others both in and outside of the “iV circle.”

The relationships that form here at iV often lead to other opportunities. That’s the case with Aja Emmanuel and Reavis Mitchell, two talented artist/composers who are a part of our iV “stable” of hip hop creatives.

Their like minds met for the first time over a cup of coffee at iV a few years ago As a result, they formed “Beat Kangz,” with the goal of creating and marketing the hottest street-ready beats for hip hop writers and producers. Today, they’re celebrating the growing success of Beat Kangz Electronics with the launch of Beat Thang : a virtual beat machine that is quickly becoming a favorite of hip-hop producers everywhere.

Even with their success, they remain an important part of our iV family, continuing to contribute to a variety of commercial projects.

That’s the bigger picture for us and the driving force of our company: the support and opportunities that grow out of our connections with each other. It’s the giving, the taking and the giving back that are part of the creative cycle that not only defines iV, but Nashville, too.

Kerstin Arndt, Creative Director for KNSK, Hamburg, needed a piece of original music that would carry the visuals of a new spot for their client, German fund manager Union Investment.

Kerstin wanted something that was both "song driven" and "on brand" for the campaign. The spot itself was beautifully filmed by Berlin production company JO!Schmidt and directed by Martin Schmidt. With a great story and matching visuals for inspiration, we dove in to create the perfect mix of emotion and lyrics to serve as the soundtrack.

The resulting composition (which featured Nashville based independent recording artist Heather Bond) worked so well that both agency and client soon asked iV/iV2 and Bond to record a full song version to be made available for download.

The response to the visuals and the music was so strong, in fact, that KNSK and Union Investment decided to go one step further and create a full length music video. Weaving some of the footage from the commercial into a storyline written and directed by Andrej Gontcharov, the video was shot in Berlin and featured Bond, who was flown from Nashville to Berlin for the shoot. Beyond the inclusion of some of the visuals from the broadcast commercial, and the iconic "blue door" that was the centerpiece of the Union Investment campaign, no other client branding was part of the final long form video.

You can take a look at the full :60 spot here. Catch the full length video on on YouTube . The music video and full length song were also available for download at the Union Investment website.

Thanks to Kerstin, KNSK and Union Investment for thinking outside the box...and opening the "blue door" for us to such an exciting creative opportunity.