After 43 years as Ogilvy & Mather/Chicago’s anchor and biggest account, Hoffman Estates-based Sears cut the tie and gave its $640 million business to Young & Rubicam, effective Oct. 1. Both agencies belong to the London-based WPP Group.

Back in 1963, Ogilvy opened an office here and imported top Manhattan creatives and executives to service Sears. Y&R began sharing Sears billings in 1993.

Y&R handled the “softer side of Sears,” while Ogilvy handled hard goods, Kenmore, Die Hard and Craftsman brands.

FOR DRAFTFCB, 2011 will not start off with a proverbial bang, as S.C. Johnson, its major client of 58 years, plans to review its $1 billion marketing accounts for its entire global brand.

Draftfcb has handled advertising for many of Racine-based S.C. Johnson brands, including Pledge, Windex and Raid. Incumbents, which include RG/A, Ogilvy and Mullen, will be invited to participate in an agency review (gulp) early next year.

Stanley Cup-winning Chicago Blackhawks hit the ice in five innovative spots, created by Ogilvy & Mather and produced by One at Optimus and Optimus post. The dramatic new campaign captures individual player’s skills and passion while underscoring their commitment to “One Goal.”

Spots featuring Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane and Duncan Keith, are currently airing; two others will be introduced throughout t the season.

Elise and Gregg Jaffe were all grins as 75 friends, family, vendors, freelancers, and clients celebrated their Chicago-based Big Teeth Productions’ five-year anniversary as a one-stop production shop.

The husband-wife duo described their momentous occasion with one simple word ? surviving. “We’ve scraped and clawed and come out alive,” says Elise Jaffe. “We’re really proud.”

Big Teeth Productions (BTP) landed its first “real” Twitter job with deal-of-the-day Chicago phenom, Groupon, last year.

DIGITAL KITCHEN’S EXPANSION into all things digital started with the hiring of interactive heavy-hitter Jeff Brecker for the newly created position of executive producer/general manager. He starts June 21.

Brecker has been on the internet side of advertising since he entered the adbiz in 1996, after graduating from UW-Madison. He moved to Digital Kitchen from three years at Leo Burnett, where he’d been SVP/creative director.

HERE’S WHERE ALL THE MONEY WENT. Remember our outrage about a year ago when the Chicago 2016 Olympic went on a shooting spree to make visual presentations to the International Olympics Committee in the hope of being the Olympics city six years hence?

And remember how the Chicago 2016 Committee bypassed all but a few Chicago talents and brought in bi-coastal directors to direct those presentations?

And how the Committee, in the form of their ad agencies, twisted arms of local vendors to provide their services and equipment “voluntarily,” i.e., without compensation?

Young, aspiring agency creatives get a golden opportunity to show their stuff to a Who’s Who of Chicago advertising creative executives and recruiters at Portfolio Night 8 (PN8) May 8, at the Cobra Lounge.

Fittingly, the search for the new kids is again hosted by GERTRUDE, an agency specializing in marketing to 18 and 34-year olds, founded by Otis D. Gibson, its chief creative officer.

Gibson calls PN8 “the mother of all portfolio nights,” thanks to the 46 A-list agency CDs and creative managers expected to look and possibly hire the next generation of creative talent.

CHICAGOANS AT SUNDANCE expected this weekend at Park City, Utah include Fox TV’s Robin Robinson and Ch. 7’s Sylvia Perez, providing TV coverage of the festivities; Julee White, NBC director of strategic sales and marketing; RDS’ Megan Ross; Kevin Farley, brother of the late Chris; the IFO’s Betsy Steinberg and Todd Lizak, Mesirow Financial’s Les Coney and Christina and Mike McGrath of Lexis McGrath.

Since its arrival a few months ago, Resolution Digital Studios’ new, massive green screen has proven to one of the facility’s major assets.

The digital compositing backdrop, made of intense green chroma-key material is sized at 60-wide x 40-high, making it one of the largest green screen shooting spaces between coasts. The green screen is available for setup in Resolution’s cavernous 5,600-sq. ft. main stage.

“It’s not a permanent fixture,” says Diane Mercurio, Resolution’s marketing director.

An international campaign for local Navteq, which powers Google Maps and supplies technology to many popular GPS production, has pushed three-year-old Big Teeth Productions into the high-end video marketplace.

The Big Teeth campaign, a series of videos for the Navteq website and retailer training, is the company’s first consumer-targeted spots after a history of B-to-B-centered marketing.

THE SHOW DEPARTMENT founders/owners president Lee Faclis and vice president Jeff Facklis will host a gala, invitation-only silver anniversary party for clients, colleagues and friends Thursday night at its Fulton Street facilities.

The AV equipment and supply rental service was founded in 1983 and has grown substantially to become one of the nation’s biggest companies.

Total number of employees among The Show Department and Resolution Digital Studio divisions numbers nearly 100.

Chicago voiceover veteran Pat Duke bested more than 100 New York actors to win the role of one of advertising’s oldest and most famous icons: The “Kool-Aid Man,” who famous breaks through walls shouting, “Oh, yeah!” whenever summoned by thirsty children.

Duke’s “Oh yeah!” will resound on four TV spots from Ogilvy & Mather, New York, bowing in February.

Duke is thrilled with his latest assignment. “This is a big deal,” he says Duke, speaking from New York where he spent the month auditioning and recording.

PATRICK SWAYZE stars as an unorthodox but effective FBI agent who trains a new na?ve young partner (Travis Fimmel) while being pursued by an Internal Affairs team in in “The Beast,” which has begun three weeks of shooting in Chicago.

Directed by Michael Dinner, “The Beast” is one of four pilots being produced by Sony Pictures Television, for A&E, its first original scripted drama series since 2002.

Although it looked like “The Beast” would shoot in Toronto, Chicago got the green light the end of November that the city would serve as the story’s locale.

THE FOUNDATION post house expanded this week by moving into a full, 6,000-sq. ft. floor with seven editing rooms at 200 E. Ohio, from 2,800-sq. ft. and four editing rooms in the same building. That’s mighty impressive for being in business for just 18 months.

Owned by ace editor James Lipetzky and his wife, Samantha Hart The Foundation employs 10.

COLIN COSTELLO’S COMEDY sitcom pilot, “Friends like These,” was picked up by Black Family Channel’s new show, “Pilot Central,” debuting in October or November.

“PRISON BREAK” has broken out in full-scale shooting of 12 episodes of the Fox TV series at Joliet prison and Chicago locations. The series stars Dominic Purcell and Stacy Keach. On the set: Production manager Frank Conway is also filling in for producer Gary Brown who was temporarily called away. Shows are budgeted at between $3 to $6 million per hour. First episode will air Aug. 29.

THE OTHER JOLIET MOVIE, “You are Going to Prison,” won’t be around to confuse you.

Veteran agency production executive Monna O’Brien was named president of Swell, one of the city’s top six post houses, owner Mike Topel announced.

O’Brien spent 19 years with Ogilvy & Mather as head of broadcast production and executive producer before leaving in 2004 to freelance.

In her new position, O’Brien said her immediate focus is “to reshape and revitalize the company by having the right people in place.” She leads a company with billings of $7.5 million and a staff of nearly 50.

THE ONLY U.S. MEDIA LION awarded at Cannes this year went to Oprah for the much talked-about giveaway of more than 200 Pontiac G6 cars to Oprah Winfrey’s studio audience, engineered by GM’s media-planning agency, Publicis Groupe’s GM Planworks, Detroit. It was the only U.S. entry among more than 1,000 in the category to win a Lion.

ROGER EBERT’S STAR DEDICATION on the Walk of Fame in Hollywood Thursday was studded with stars, fellow movie columnists and friends of the critical icon.

A NEW AD AGENCY called Houlihan Madison Most has been formed by Kevin Houlihan and Brad Most, for many years with the Chicago Creative Partnership. While HMM is clientless at the moment, it will compete for the former CCP Blue Cross account. Houlihan had been CCP president and chief creative officer; Most was head of client services. The Madison in their name is a nod to New York’s ad street.

AMY LIKUS, former Optimus editor joined Outsider editorial? SMS Productions moved to 1229 N. North Branch after a dozen years entrenched at 676 N. LaSalle. Phone, 312/440-8963, Email, smsrss1327@aol.com? Caption and Subtitle Services is the new name of Terry Thomas’ former Christian Captions.

NBC’S RENEWAL OF “ER” for two more seasons means continued work for local crews. Roger Anderson’s Sterling Films is essentially the show’s local producer.

After a six month search, J. Walter Thompson named Tony Wallace as director of broadcast production. He joined the agency Nov. 29 after 14 years at FCB as senior producer.

A former editor and director, Wallace headed FCB’s Coors production team.

Working with Wallace in broadcast production are executive producer Carolyn James, senior producer Adrienne Daniel “and a ton of freelancers,” Wallace said. He also oversees video studio manager Dean Campione, editor Mike Berg and audio engineer Johnny Z.

Michigan Avenue could get a much needed big business boost if luck is with Cramer-Krasselt pitching the $200 million Kia Motors America account, and if Arby’s places its $15 million business with Euro RSCG, one of eight agencies it’s checking out. Also: The White Sox is looking for a new agency; Hoffman York currently has the account.

Leaving Michigan Avenue in January will be English WPP-owned JWT and Ogilvy & Mather, which will settle into new Merchandise Mart offices. Address doesn’t have the same cachet, but you can’t beat the economies of scale.

AT THE POST. Filament Post has officially replaced Spots BME as the name of Bruce Frankel’s editing house. “I wanted it to be a new company, now that we’re adding new people and incorporating new ideas,” he says. New addition is Matthew Egan formerly with Cutters for seven years. “I can see him becoming one of the best editors in the city,” enthuses Frankel … New Daily Planet president is Scott Marvel , VP/editor, who’s been with the company for 15 years.

A whirlwind two-and-a-half day visit to New York ad agencies to promote commercial production in Chicago was “an unqualified success,” said AICP Midwest president Mark Egmon.

The Story Companies’ Mark Androw, national AICP chairman, the Illinois Film Office’s diversity officer Joyce Davis and Egmon made the trip last week. It was motivated by the local AICP’s feeling that getting the word about the wage tax incentive to commercial producers would help encourage new business, Egmon said.

Expect Mark Androw of the Stories Companies to preside over national AICP. Running unopposed, Androw will be only the second AICP president in its 30 year history not from L.A. or N.Y.

BBDO Diane Jackson head of broadcast production, replacing the long-tenured Chuck Sheldon. She was executive producer on Energizer at DDB and also produced on other accounts.

Frankel boosted Michael Strip to VP/GCD, responsible for Coca Cola and Jose Cuervo accounts.

Still no word as to whether or not “Weather Man” is a go.

GIULIANI SPEAKS HERE. Yes, the former New York mayor and 9/11 hero Rudy Giuliani will be the keynote speaker for the Dec. 3 Off the Street Club’s annual holiday luncheon, thanks to host Ogilvy & Mather. Annual holiday luncheon will be at Sheraton Chicago Hotel & Towers. For tickets, call 312/856-8312 or Email otscholidayluncheon@ogilvy.com.

UP FOR TOURISM. Six Chicago agencies are semi-finalists for the DCEO’s $12 million tourism account. They are: J.

DAVE CARLSON’S Bucktown Pictures has formed a strategic alliance with sales rep Tom Buyssler’s Hi Road Productions, with an eye towards expanding its commercial work. Bucktown is a full service house that recently produced two Insight.com spots that aired during ESPN’s “Insight Bowl.”

Hi Road specializes in animatics, live tests and storyboards, and represents illustrators, graphic designers and editors throughout the U.S. It’s located at 2 E.

JWT president Barry Krause

New J. Walter Thompson president Barry Krause Monday settled into the corner office on the 25th floor of the 900 N. Michigan Building, overlooking the Michigan Avenue he has known intimately for 26 years.