Industry visionary Sam Swisher has signed with Sugarhi as the company’s new Managing Director and partner. Co-Founder of WoodShop Studios, a successful production company specializing in food, beverage and product, Swisher’s creativity and passion for production led to a career-long mission to perfect quality, craftsmanship, content development and repeat, long-term, client experiences. At Sugarhi, Swisher joins Co-Founders and long-time collaborators, Director/DP team of Jake Banks and Florian Stadler, well-known in the industry as Jake + Flo.
“Florian and I couldn’t be more excited to bring on such an experienced Executive Producer to oversee our sales teams and work with our clients,” expresses Banks. “Sam has been a real expert in the tabletop food and beverage world for over a decade. This move couldn’t come at better time at Sugarhi, as we are moving from a small startup to a premium ‘go-to’ creative solution in the industry. Sam brings the perfect balance of innovation and experience to each aspect of the production process. Sam's track record for success speaks for itself.”
According to Swisher, he has had a lot of respect for Jake’s talent over the years. “What’s the expression? If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em?” offers Swisher. “Jake is an award-winning creative specializing in motion design, animation, visual effects and live-action production. Or, as I like to say, a ‘creative unicorn.’ Sugarhi should be seen as an award-winning, creatively-driven production company that will undoubtedly prove to be a value add for both agencies and brands alike. With little to no overhead, we can shoot and do postproduction from anywhere in the world. We are perfectly positioned as a one-stop-shop for unparalleled visual freshness. We feel like we have developed the delicious recipe for creating and delivering captivating brand campaigns rooted in all kinds of crave-able, lick the screen-type, moments.”
Sugarhi has wasted no time in continuing the creative process. The company recently finished a beautiful, conceptual commercial for Calphalon cookware, the campaign design for the launch of Michelob’s new Organic Hard Seltzer, and the creative campaign for Budweiser’s new 2021 Patriot Cans, as well as three individual campaigns for the American chain of fast casual restaurants. Denny’s and Zaxby’s returned to Sugarhi as repeat clients.
Both Banks and Swisher have expressed their anticipation for future collaborations and are ready to tackle key goals moving into their new partnership, which include: pushing what is creatively possible, continually elevating the company’s portfolio, and building relationships with clients and brands. They plan on introducing the multidisciplinary “one-stop shop” and Director/DP team to clients across the globe, fortifying their live-action and post-production capabilities, and most importantly of all – having fun while doing so.
Sugarhi Co-Founder and Cinematographer Florian Stadler also looks forward to having Swisher onboard. “Adding Sam to the mix is the trifecta and as exciting as it gets. Combining Sam's years of experience as a leader in the tabletop/food world, Jake's vast experience in design, live-action and lifestyle, along with our deep and diverse shooting experience will be transformative. I can’t wait to see the results from this amazing recipe and share it with our current and future client,” concludes Stadler.
About Sugarhi:
We have found the perfect recipe for creating brand campaigns rooted in crave-able moments. Sugarhi features the director team of Jake + Flo (Director Jake Banks and DP Florian Stadler) and Managing Director Sam Swisher. The company is a one-stop shop of unparalleled visual freshness. Merging true, creative passion with experience in the craft of shooting food and beverage, we serve up crave-able, drool-worthy, cinematic shots that re-envisions food imagery through a proudly New School lens. So what do we do exactly? We combine live-action tabletop and live-action performance into visually dynamic designed-based campaigns that make an instant bold impression on any platform. We’ve lent our vision to some truly iconic brands, and we’re endlessly excited by the idea of using our fresh, modern design sensibility to invigorate food and beverage imagery of all kinds. Bright, hard lighting, dynamic camera moves, epic slow-motion shots, naturalistic outdoors imagery and lifestyle footage...we’re always pushing what’s possible in the food + bev realm, and our emphasis on color and composition ensures that the product is always seen from a fresh perspective. At Sugarhi, we also pride ourselves on being versatile and flexible. We can shoot onstage or on-location anywhere on the planet! Post-production happens all under one roof, whether it’s a design-driven project mixed with live-action or a campaign that includes TV, social, and print content. We house a range of talented artists who are always pushing each product and campaign further, creating consistently innovative content that takes food and beverage to the next level. www.sugarhi.tv
