Television Commercial Producers Elect National Officers for 2004

The Association of Independent Commercial Producers (AICP) has namednew national officers for 2004. At a meeting of the organization'sBoard of Directors, Mark Androw of The Story Companies (Chicago, NewYork, Los Angeles) was elected chairman of AICP, which representscompanies that produce television advertising. Mr. Androw headed aslate that also included Frank Stiefel of @radical.media (New York,Santa Monica, Sydney, London and Paris), as vice chairman, and SallyAntonacchio of The Artists Company (New York, Los Angeles, Toronto) astreasurer. The chairman and vice chairman serve one-year terms; thetreasurer is a two-year term. Mr. Androw succeeds Al Califano of A-ListLLC.

Other officers of the 32-year-old trade organization include RobertL. Sacks of Kane Kessler, AICP's secretary and legal counsel, and AICPPresident and CEO Matt Miller, who is appointed to office.

Mark Androw, Chairman: Mr. Androw is executive producer and one ofthe founders of The Story Companies. Starting with what was originallycalled Chicago Story, the company brought a novel approach to thecommercial industry by enabling New York and Los Angeles-baseddirectors to work in Chicago as if they were local talents. Thatformula proved to be a winner, as Chicago Story quickly becameChicago's largest commercial production house. The company has beenhonored three times by the city's Screen Magazine asProduction-Company-of-the-Year. Mr. Androw went on to replicate itssuccess elsewhere. Today, the group of companies in New York, Chicagoand Los Angeles is called The Story Companies and Mr. Androw isexecutive producer for six directors spread across the country. Anative of Chicago, and licensed to practice law in the State ofIllinois, Mr. Androw got his start in commercial production while stillin school, working as a line producer and production manager at Freese& Friends. He later served as that company's executive producerbefore leaving in 1989 to found Chicago Story. Mr. Androw served twoterms as vice chairman of AICP, following eight years during which hewas national treasurer. He also served as president of the AICP MidwestChapter for one term and has been a member of the chapter board formore than 20 years.

Frank Stiefel, Vice Chairman: Mr. Stiefel, executive producer andexecutive vice president at @radical.media, headed Stiefel + Co tillSeptember 2002, when the firm he'd established in 1986 was acquired by@radical.media. During its existence, Stiefel + Co won multiple awards,including Cannes Lions, Clios and the AICP Show, and produced over 1500commercials. In addition, Mr. Stiefel produced three short subjectfilms, which were honored at numerous film festivals, among themfestivals in Berlin, London, Toronto, and Edinburgh, as well as theSundance Film Festival and the Telluride Film Festival. For AICP, hehas served on the East and West boards, was president of the EastChapter, is a past national chairman as well as a past chairman of theAICP Show, for which he also served on the Board of Governors. In 1998,Frank Stiefel was appointed to the Santa Monica College FoundationBoard, of which he is currently president. In addition, he teaches acourse at Santa Monica College called "The Commercial."

Sally Antonacchio, Treasurer: Sally Antonacchio has been with TheArtists Company for the past 13 years. She began as controller, waspromoted to CFO, and is now vice president. An active member of theAICP/East Board during the same period, Ms. Antonacchio is also a pastpresident of the East Chapter, served on the AICP National FinancialCommittee for six years and has been a member of the AICP ShowCommittee since the Show's early days. In addition, she has headed fundraising committees including the annual East holiday events, which haveraised in excess of $100,000 for AICP/East and an equal amount for theProgram for Children and Adolescents with AIDS at the New York WeillCornell Medical Center of New York Presbyterian Hospital. A frequentinstructor for the AICP coordinator training program, Ms. Antonacchioalso led the research committee that developed standards for theproduction company employee handbooks.

Founded in 1972, the AICP represents, exclusively, the interests ofUnited States companies that specialize in producing commercials onvarious media-film, video, computer-for advertisers and agencies. TheAssociation serves as a strong collective voice for this $5-plusbillion industry, addressing its many audiences within the advertisingcommunity, business circles and government offices; disseminatinginformation; negotiating labor agreements; developing industrystandards; and providing education on elements of production. The AICPhas offices in New York and Los Angeles, as well as regional officesacross the country.