Heckler has appointed an executive creative director. And not just any ECD, the creative leader who branded Baz Lurhmann’s The Great Gatsby – in 3D, has worked on brands such as Warner Bros, Lexus, Coke, SBS, Telstra, Australian Open, Nike, Socceroos, VH1 Hip Hop Music Awards, MTV, Sass & Bide and Absolut Vodka, and has won a string of international awards including New York Type Directors Club, D&AD and Cannes Lions, LIA, Award Awards, Caxton awards.

Luca Ionescu is the ECD with a bonus – he is also an established typographer – who intends to turn Heckler’s creative growth into a surge.

Ionescu comes with a wealth of experience and a high level of craft across a wide range of media. He was the founder of Like Minded Studio, which has delivered exceptional artistic endeavours across design and culture for more than a decade. He also brings to Heckler a long list of collaborations and associations within the arts.

As well as his work on The Great Gatsby, Ionescu was also responsible for the Tiger Translate brand design and for assisting with the curation of artists for the project, which ran for nearly 15 years across Asia and the Middle East. He designed the opening titles for Netflix series, Dirty Money, and has strong links with public projects such as the City of Sydney beautification project. Outside design work, Ionescu has been an enthusiastic leader in art shows and events. He curated his first show in 2002 when he brought graffiti artist, Futura 2000, to Sydney, attracting huge crowds. He has also become a publisher, creating Refill magazine, which profiled artists from all creative disciplines.

Ionescu’s passion lies across motion graphics, titles and directorial work, but his new goal is to help the Heckler team to push the boundaries of creativity and experimentation and drive new thinking, for which he will work with Heckler’s co-founders. He will also work with the in-house creative and production teams across experiential, design, motion graphics and film as well as leading an exciting new offering within the region.

Will Alexander, Heckler co-founder and executive producer, commented, “We’re delighted to have someone with Luca’s experience join us. 2019 is shaping up to be a standout for Heckler and having him on board at a time when we’re ramping up our creative offering and expanding into new markets means there’s plenty of opportunities to get his teeth stuck into.”

Luca Ionescu

Ionescu added, “Heckler’s reputation of working collaboratively with creative and production partners and just the sheer pool of talent here made it an easy decision for me when Will came knocking. There’s a lot happening and I’m looking forward to helping the business continue to produce truly world class work.”

https://vimeo.com/321126209