Expanding their production capabilities, Los Angeles-based HELLO! announces the formation of a new Integrated Content division. Industry vets Ko Kawashima joins as Head of Integrated Content and Chris Kraft as in-house Producer. Ko brings her branding and marketing expertise to run the day-to-day operations of HELLO!’s new division. Kraft steps in to produce branded content and music projects for HELLO!, bringing extensive experience in music videos, documentary features, webisode series and live concert films for the likes of Metallica, The Rolling Stones, REM, Ben Harper, Jennifer Lopez, John Mayer, Mountain Dew and Nike. He also won a MTV Best Pop Music Video Award in 2000 for N’Sync’s famed “Bye Bye Bye” video.
Says HELLO! EP Carl Swan, “Ko and Chris have the expertise to make us a legitimate player in interactive advertising and long-form music projects. We can now tackle campaigns with major online components and 3D concert films and spots.”
A former artist manager who represented iconic Icelandic singer Bjork during Post, her only album to go Gold in America, Ko Kawashima has spent the last 19 years as a serial entrepreneur with an emphasis in the marketing, branding, and philanthropic services sector. She launched Asylm Marketing, one of the first word-of-mouth national pop culture oriented street teams in the country; Asylm became the agency of record for Seiko Spoon, was a key component in launching the first Sony Playstation, and worked with such brands and artists as Wired, Electronic Arts, Warner Bros. Records, Interscope Records, Sony Music Group, Radiohead, Smashing Pumpkins, Bush, and many, many others. She later started the brand strategy firms agitprop media group and BPM (brands+music), whose clients included Ketel One Vodka, Converse, Nike, Peer Music Group, loll designs, In Ticketing, and Namaste Interactive. Agitprop integrated Converse into the 2004 Coachella Festival, seeding performers with gear, hosting product demos co-branded with URB Magazine, and webcasting the festival events to nearly 1 million viewers.
Ko started her professional career with executive roles at A&M Records, and Virgin Records.
Chris Kraft came up through the music video production ranks in the 1990’s. His first producing endeavor was a live music video for Joan Jett and L7, re-working the Runaways “Cherry Bomb;” he has since produced over 100 music videos for nearly every major label and artist. He has also produced live concert specials for The Rolling Stones, Offspring, Yolanda Adams, Cyndi Lauper, Keith Urban and Loggins and Messina to name a few, as well as the CBS TV Special “Michael Jackson: Number Ones,” Audioslave’s MTV Special “Live on Broadway,” and the Amex “Jam Sessions” for A&E featuring Alanis Morrisette, Black Eyed Peas and John Legend. In 2005, Kraft produced Korn’s “Live at Hammerstein” which was broadcast live in select theaters throughout the US and Canada.
In the film world, Kraft line-produced the World Cup Soccer 2007 documentary “The Power of The Game”, directed by Michael Apted; it shot on 5 continents and took almost 2 years to complete. In 2008, he teamed up with director Paul Andresen to shoot the feature documentary “A Family Underground” about the Insane Clown Posse’s fan base, called The Juggalos. Andresen and Kraft then collaborated to shoot the Blazing Saddles-inspired feature comedy-Western, “Big Money Rustlas,” which stars the Insane Clown Posse; the future cult classic premiered in January this year.
Kraft is currently in post-production on a series of six 5-minute webisodes sponsored by Mountain Dew entitled “Will and The Ruins,” soon to be released.

ABOUT HELLO!
Launched in June 2008, HELLO! is an innovative boutique production company sprung from HKM/Rockfight, combines international directorial talent with highly regarded industry vets running the Commercial, Music Video, and Integrated departments. Its compelling roster of directors has already produced fresh, award-winning work for top brands such as Apple, M&Ms, IKEA and HBO. HELLO! is diverse enough to take on any producing challenge, saying “hello” to each new creative challenge and growing its brand with integrity. Check out their website designed by modernactivity in London: www.helloandcompany.com

Greet the HELLO! commercial roster: Didier Barcelo, Amy Berg, Evan Bernard, Daniel Börjesson, PR Brown, Rey Carlson, Mark Gilbert, jacobsbriere, Michael Patrick Jann, Vincent Jerome, Michael Karbelnikoff, Walter Kehr, Jacob Marky, Alexandre Moors, Syndrome.

Joy@HELLO!: Mehdi Norowzian

Music video roster: David Barnard, Evan Bernard, PR Brown, Dick Carruthers, Andy Huang, Garth Jennings, Asa Mader, Alexandre Moors, Aaron Platt, Kai Regan, Syndrome, Martin Weisz.

Academy@HELLO!: Kim Gehrig, Jonathan Glazer, Nick Gordon, Tom Haines, Corin Hardy, Brothers Quay, Lynne Ramsay, Si & Ad, Walter Stern, Martin de Thurah.
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