NEW YORK — Executive producer Toni Lipari and editor Stephen Jess (pictured) have launched Wax (www.wax.tv), a new boutique film editorial company and creative collective. The studio is based in a Chelsea loft and will align itself with a different charity each quarter as part of a philanthropic effort.
Lipari was previously the executive producer at NO6. Before her transition into post production, she worked on the agency side as an executive producer at McCann-Erickson New York and senior producer at Young & Rubicam New York. Jess’s prior experience includes staff film editor positions at Whitehouse Post and Lost Planet. Editor Joe Dillingham is also on the Wax roster and has worked on projects for Samsung, Reebok, NBC Sports and Optimum.
“When Steve and I first partnered together, something that was important to both of us was that Wax be a company that not only tells great stories, but also somehow gives back to the world,” Lipari explained. “We have the rare opportunity to craft our identity at the onset as being a versatile company in the market. Ultimately our goal is to assemble a collection of artists where ideas will be conceived and fostered all within a creative environment.”
Wax partners Jess and Lipari
“We are creating a brand where talented people want to work as part of a collective, each bringing their skills to different parts of the same project," Jess adds. “Our first partnership is with TheBrigade, a VFX and animation company helmed by Sean Broughton and Dave Dimeola. Their cloud-based workflow introduces a new way to bring world class VFX and CGI to our clients in a very flexible way."
Each quarter, Wax will donate a percentage of its profits to a worthwhile cause. The company’s first philanthropic partnership is with artist Seth Casteel’s One Picture Saves a Life, a Website that provides animal shelter staff and volunteers with the resources to successfully groom and photograph shelter pets for adoption. The site is allied with the GreaterGood, an independent charitable organization that helps people, saves pets and improves the planet.
At the studio’s launch event, Casteel was in attendance with seven photographs from his new book, “Underwater Puppies.” Prints were put up for silent auction, as was a commissioned photo shoot by Casteel. The event raised close to $12,000 for the charity.