FlickerLab, the New York-based design and animation studio, continues its expansion with the addition of Director of Animation Eric Merola to its creative roster, it was announced by Tammy Walters, Partner/Executive Producer.

In his new post, Merola will be responsible for the direction of animated spots and the creation of original content. He will also work directly with FlickerLab Founder/Creative Director Harold Moss as a creative partner on original properties, both live-action and animated.

‘We met Eric three years ago on a project he created called ?‚àö√ë‚àö‚â§Fly Boy.’s We immediately fell in love with ?‚àö√ë‚àö‚â§Fly Boy’s and Eric fresh and unique photomontage animation style. He’s got a dead on sense of humor that comes through in every frame of his work, and a visual style that stops eyeballs in their tracks. Eric also brings a tremendous collaborative energy to his work, as well as great concepts, which led to two additional original projects we have in development with him. Eric’s energy and creative prowess are true assets to the FlickerLab team,’ explained Tammy Walters.

In the year prior to joining the FlickeLab creative family, Eric Merola helmed Merola Productions LLC (New York, NY) and, as a designer, director, writer and animator, put his considerable talents to work for a number of New York area creative firms. For Curious Pictures he designed and directed a pair of original shorts for the Cartoon Network; For INTERspectacular he designed and directed two animated commercials for the 120 Not So Standard Features Volkswagen Passat campaign and created a network ID for the FUEL Network; For Red Moxie Merola directed and animated a show open for the WE Network “Hair Trauma,” to be released this coming fall; And, for FlickerLab, he directed and animated a fast moving promo for a new show on The Speed Channel, also to be released in the fall.

Earlier in his career, from 2003 to mid-2005, Merola freelanced as a graphic designer for Polo/Ralph Lauren advertising design department. At the same time, he worked as an animator/designer for FlickerLab, which was producing the ASIFA award-winning ‘Save The Republic,’ which Merola co-wrote, and a second MoveOn.org commercial, ‘Radical Rampage.’

He took a short hiatus, from 2002 to 2003, to produce additional episodes of his original animated series ‘Fly Boy’ which has been featured in Spike & Mike’s Sick & Twisted Festival of Animation and has been an underground Internet sensation, popping up on countless websites from Europe to Japan. It was during this period of time that FlickerLab began helping Merola pitch ‘Fly Boy’ and other of his original properties done in his signature animation style, photomontage.

Merola cut his teeth in the business working with a number of area agencies. Young and Rubicam commissioned him to create an animated campaign for Campbell Soup, which was broadcast in Times Square on the Reuters sign and won an ASIFA-EAST award. From 2000 to 2001 he was an art director at the TriBeCa-based agency Turf where, for print campaigns, he frequently was responsible for concepting, copywriting, directing photo shoots and overseeing final production on jobs. While there he also created animated segments for WABC-TV (7). At Young and Rubicam, from 1999 to 2000, he was a designer working on a variety of blue chip consumer products. And from 1997 to 1999 he was the creative director at the now defunct agency B-12 on Pete’s Brewing Company’s event marketing and point of sales promotions.

After college Merola freelanced as an art director at Trone Advertising and Coyne Beahme Advertising, both in Greensboro, NC. But it was the almost immediate sale of several dozens of his original surrealist, figurative oil paintings that convinced Merola to pack up his supplies and head north to New York City to continue his painting career. Once in Manhattan it was art direction and animation that captured his imagination.

On joining the FlickerLab team, Eric Merola stated, ‘I had the good fortune to work with FlickerLab before they formally asked me to join the company so I already knew how well we worked together. I love the attitude, the freedom, the friendly and creative environment here. Harold and Tammy are very nurturing of both my commissioned work and the original properties I am attempting to develop. It really a dream job.’

Eric Merola has already worked on several jobs under the FlickerLab banner including ongoing animations for a series of direct to DVD releases for ‘Hooked on Phonics,’ a complete graphics package for a new TV show, and a promo for A&E.

Merola studied painting and graphic design at East Carolina University School of Art (Greenville, NC). He is 33, married, and currently makes his home in Manhattan with his wife Kate.

About FlickerLab:
Founded in 1999 as a design and animation studio, today FlickerLab principals, long-term collaborators and strategic partners employ their skills, technology and industry experience on a variety of projects be they concept-to-screen development and production, or design and execution of commercials or broadcast promotions. In addition to high quality creative digital content development, FlickerLab works with clients to extend their project reach through advertising, Internet impact, online marketing, and merchandising.

The company portfolio includes high profile work for media and entertainment companies including A&E Networks, Bravo, Comedy Central, Discovery Home, Disney Channel, Lifetime, Lions Gate Productions, Michael Moore Productions, MTV, Nickelodeon, Planned Parenthood, The Cartoon Network and The WB, and product/service companies including Bassat Ogilvy, Continental Airlines, Grey Worldwide, Johnson & Johnson, McCann Erickson, Microsoft, Party City and Procter & Gamble, among many others.

FlickerLab is headquartered at 7 West 18th Street, 4th floor, New York, NY 10011. For additional information, or to see a reel, contact Managing Partner/Executive Producer Tammy Walters at [email protected] or by phone at 212 560-9228. Visit the FlickerLab website at www.flickerlab.com