11 Dollar Bill, the innovative post-production studio specializing in creative design, editorial and finishing, celebrates its 11th anniversary this month. The company continues to expand a business model that has enabled it to successfully serve a national client base of top agencies and brands from boutique studios in Chicago, Boulder and North Carolina.
Specializing in design, editing, visual effects, and finishing services, 11 Dollar Bill has recently moved its North Carolina office from Raleigh to a modular studio in Durham and welcomed senior editors Ian Ogden and Stephen Berger to its creative team.
Managing Partner Lisa Effress recalls that 11 Dollar Bill launched in 2013 with the aim of creating a network of integrated studios and a team of diversely talented artists capable of tackling projects across all forms of video, film, digital and social media.
“We pioneered the concept of remote work before it was trendy,” Effress explains. “Our three offices share clients and collaborate on projects across state lines. We deliver great results by matching the best talent to the project. Our new Durham studio is a great example of why we’ve been successful. It gives us a physical presence in an important market, but it’s also designed to support remote work and flexible creative teams.”
Check out the 11 Dollar Bill portfolio
In Durham, 11 Dollar Bill has set up a production studio that can expand to accommodate the specific needs of each project.
“We saw an opportunity to move into a beautiful space that gives us the ability to add rooms for live sessions when we need them while also supporting the increasing amount of remote work we do,” says Josh Eggleston, managing director in North Carolina. “We work with clients both locally and across the country, often collaborating with our Chicago and Boulder teams, so flexibility is key.”
In Ogden and Berger, the company gains two senior editors with versatile skillsets and experience at top ad agencies, brands, broadcast networks, streamers and post houses, bringing even more expertise to the team.
Ian Ogden, based in Boulder, comes from notable agencies such as Droga5 and VMLY&R and has freelanced for top firms like R/GA, Hogarth, Wunderman Thompson, Bartle Bogle Hegarty, FCB, Havas Worldwide and many others. His network clients include ABC, Discovery, Nickelodeon, MTV, ESPN, Food Network and CNN. Recent credits include spots for Johnsonville, Caesars Sportsbook and Chase, as well as show opens for the NBA Finals on ESPN and Candidly Nicole on VH-1.
“Ian brings a lot to 11 Dollar Bill through the breadth of his experience and extensive client base,” says Effress. “We’ve always done a great job in attracting people who do great work and are also good people, and Ian fits that description. He is amazing.”
Having worked the past few years as a freelancer, Ogden says that he was looking for a permanent home where he would have the chance to tackle a variety of creatively challenging projects.
“The people here are awesome, and I love the work they do,” Ogden insists. “It’s exciting and a great fit.”
Stephen Berger, who’ll work from Durham, has been a top editor of commercials, music videos, short films and branded content for more than a decade, including time at the West Coast editing studios Final Cut and Cut + Run. He’s cut award-winning work for such clients as Absolut, Volvo, EA, Activision, Verizon, Microsoft, Miller Lite, BMW, Sprint, Disney, Samsung, Chevrolet and Logitech.
“The chance to bring in an editor of Stephen’s stature was very appealing,” notes Eggleston. “I also like the overlap we share in terms of directors and creative teams we’ve worked with. We come from similar backgrounds and share the same ethics. It seemed natural to have him become a part of our team.”
Berger looks forward to working with other members of the 11 Dollar Bill creative team in producing emotionally impactful work. “It’s easy for me to connect with good concepts,” says Berger. “I love the feeling of taking disparate material and weaving it into something that flows and feels good.”
11 Dollar Bill has also added assistant editor Alex Hughes to its staff in Durham. His credits include the ESPN series Alex Morgan: The Equalizer, the Ron Howard documentary Pavarotti and the YouTube series Breaking the Ice with Adam Rippon.
11 Dollar Bill’s recent work includes social campaigns for Dominos and Cabot Vineyards, commercials for Colorado Lottery, California Almonds and Popeye’s, and the documentary The Last Pass at Bandimere Speedway. It also co-produced the documentary For the Living, about cyclists retracing the liberation path of a 10-year-old Holocaust survivor. The film debuts October 20 that the Newport Film Festival.
11 Dollar Bill will mark its 11th anniversary with a celebration at its Boulder studio later this month.
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