Hafner Heads for Cutters, Dictionary

Chris Hafner Joins Cutters and Dictionary Films in Chicago

He's ready to roll: Chris Hafner is now at Cutters and Dictionary Films.

Cutters, Inc. has announced the addition of Chris Hafner to its editorial roster.  At the same time Hafner, who got his start behind the camera, will be joining the directorial roster of Dictionary Films, Cutters' affiliated production company.  Hafner joins Cutters from Ringside Creative in Detroit, which was recently purchased by Cutters and Steve Wild earlier this year.
 
The move marks the first roster change since the acquisition, but as Hafner states, "the only thing that's changing is my home address." The timing of the acquisition was perfect for Hafner, who has expressed interest in a move to Chicago to be closer to family members. "I couldn't be more thrilled to join up with such an amazing group at Cutters, and am even more thrilled to not have to part from the Ringside family I know and love."
 
Hafner's career began when he was still a student at NYU's Tisch School of the Arts. Before he graduated he'd already earned six Emmy nominations, winning two of them for anti-drug PSAs that he wrote, directed and edited.  He was hired straight out of his position as an Assistant Editor at New York post facility RVI to edit a 2-hour DVD titled "Live and Loud" for Ozzy Osbourne.  The video quickly went gold, and Hafner was off on the road with the rocker to direct a multi-camera, multi-performance 35mm concert piece for the tour's opening act, Prong. This project launched Hafner as a music video director.
 
At the same time, Hafner founded a post production company in Santa Monica called Brass Knuckles Editorial.  While there he both edited and directed videos for such artists as Tommy Lee, Lil' Kim, Fred Durst, Nickel Bag, Cypress Hill, No Doubt, Snoop Dog, Nirvana and Tupac Shakur, to name a few. He also began editing TV commercials, lending his talents to work for such advertisers as Microsoft, Gap, Best Buy, Heineken, and Target. But the biggest connection Hafner made while at Brass Knuckles was to become the editor of choice for Doner/Detroit's Mazda work.
 
Hafner's involvement with Done and Mazda presented him the opportunity to be closer to his family in the Midwest, and in 2006 he joined forces with Doug Cheek to rebrand GTN as Ringside Creative in Detroit. "Chris has been a huge part of the Detroit community for many years, and we're happy he won't have to change that," states Tim McGuire, Founder and President of Cutters. "But we're also very excited to introduce him to the Chicago community, as well as bring him back to L.A. under the Cutters' brand."
 
"You know there's always that one person you know you can count on when the project is going to be an absolute beast, and Chris is that person," says Kurt Kulas, Director of Integrated Production at Campbell Ewald. "He doesn't avoid the tough stuff. Instead, he jumps in and then surprises the hell out of you." Adds Michael Corbeille, Creative Director at Goodby, Silverstein & Partners in Detroit, "Editing with Chris is an experience I highly recommend.  He brings a wealth of experience and possesses a unique ability to find visual solutions for any project."
 
"Chris being able to stay within the Cutters/Ringside organization and move to Chicago is a great win all around," says Craig Duncan, Executive Producer of Cutters. "His current won't lose their 'go to' editor, and clients in Chicago will gain a new creative partner. We're really excited about this, and think everyone else will be, too."

While Hafner got his start directing in music videos, his directing style and talent made him a good fit for commercials. As a result, he'll also be joining Cutters' affiliate Dictionary films as a director. "Chris brings a clear talent with music-driven shooting to our roster," notes Dictionary EP Megan Maples, "but he's also quite talented with live action performances. I think Chris helps round out Dictionary's director offering."

Published 27 May, 2011