With the official announcement that production executive John Noble will head design/live action company Eyeball here, the company has the distinction of being the only New York-headquartered production company to open and operate a Chicago branch.
The 15-year old company based in SoHo offers conceptual design, live action, production, visual effects, editorial and motion design.
Eyeball executive producer/partner Ben Spivak says that the company has enjoyed “tremendous growth over the last several years – 2011 being a banner year” and they wanted to expand to the Midwest for some time.
When they learned that John Noble was available, “As a high profile industry pro, we felt he was the perfect choice to lead the Midwest, and the timing was just right when he became available.”
“This was also perfect timing for me,” says Noble, Eyeball Chicago’s executive producer/general manager, who officially came aboard Jan. 3. Most recently he had been the executive producer at One at Optimus, leaving last September, and earlier had been an agency producer at the Martin Agency, DDB, BBDO and Chiat Day.
He had worked with Eyeball since his former producing days at Element 79 and had been talking to them for a while about joining.
Plans to open an office by early summer
Working remotely and bidding several jobs right now, Noble says he is looking for available “brick and mortar” space in the River North media hub and also in the West Loop. “With finding and rebuilding a facility, I’d say we’ll probably be rockin’ and rollin’ by early summer.”
The office will be staffed with creative directors, some designers and a support staff. “There will be no problem finding talented people who would love to fit into a model like ours, which is unique for Chicago,” he says.
Noble and the Eyeball team believe that the Chicago and Midwest market provides them with a great growth opportunity. “We feel this market is completely untapped. And with the combination of high design and live action continually evolving, we feel Eyeball is a perfect fit for Chicago’s creative needs.”
Noble also will promote Eyeball’s services to clients in the Midwest, Southeast and Texas. Eyeball also has a Seattle office and eventually will open in L.A.
