McGurn gives Clutch Studios deeper range of services

Kevin McGurn

With the acquisition earlier this month of veteran editor/director Kevin McGurn’s 200 Stories Tall post company, Clutch Motion Studios has been formed as a division of photography and graphic design Clutch Studios.

The acquisition gives Clutch a platform for integrating its artists, CGI services and stages into project projects as we continue to evolve into a best-in-class content creation studio,” says Mark Leger, Clutch Studios’ managing director.

Located in the West Loop, Clutch Studios occupies 15,000-sq. ft. over a floor-and-a-half floors, with stages, offices and a new editing suite for McGurn. Its staff of 30 includes photographers and motion design and visual effects artists.

Leger and McGurn had known each other from work McGurn had delivered to Leger when he was previously the president of marketing agency Fathom Chicago and stayed in touch.

“Mark and I had often talked about the evolving content landscape and our similar service philosophies,” McGurn says.

But during an inordinately busy eight months of non-stop work, McGurn realized his small company, which worked with freelancers or subcontracted to other companies, had reached its capacity. “Partners were needed to support our efforts,” he says.

“I realized it was time to add new resources, such as Clutch’s motion and graphic design and special effects. We began talking about how an acquisition could benefit both of us.  We closed the deal in mid-March and I moved in April first from my space at Tree Studios.”

A massive project started last Halloween and delivered in mid-December, McGurn and a second editor, cut and handled post requirements for 40 web pieces for Tomy Toys, via John Catescreative director at Cates Collaborative, and former producer at Second City Communications, the theatre’s corporate services division.   

Cates had developed characters for the toy company’s web series,  titled “The First Years,” aimed at one-to-three year olds, with some of the pieces running up to two-minutes.  To date the series has enjoyed more a half million hits. 

Simultaneously, McGurn had handled post for Ogilvy’s  eight spot Sargento Cheese campaign, that was filmed in New Zealand for its winter scenery, and that wrapped in February. 

Being with new and now full-service Clutch Motion Studios, says McGurn, “means we can build together and bring a deeper range of storytelling services to all of our clients.