R27.CREATIVELAB / Blogspot

Promotional elements and opening reel for 2007 FIRST BOARDS AWARDS.

Stardust founder and creative director Jake Banks was born in England, the son of English painter David Banks and film editor Ellen Arnold. Relocating at an early age, he grew up in Venice, California, and eventually began to study fine arts. As a student at LA's Otis College of Art and Design, his graphic design and animation interests soon took him in a new direction. Graduating from Otis in 1995, Jake's entry into LA's marketplace for new designers coincided with the desktop design revolution which put the power of programs like Adobe After Effects into designers' hands. As a result, his independent contributions to the emerging field of motion design helped to shape the first offerings of most major LA motion graphics companies. Landing in 1998 as one Fuel's first designers, Jake became an integral part of the company as it established its reputation as one of the country's most prolific motion graphic and commercial production companies at that time.



In 2000, he began taking on numerous independent assignments directly from agencies, leading to the launch of Stardust in May of 2002. Opening its New York studio in late 2003, the company has earned PROMAX and BDA Awards, and had its work honored in the Visual Style category of the 2005 AICP Show, which is now part of the permanent collection of New York's Museum of Modern Art.

A past presenter at numerous American Institute of Graphic Arts (AIGA) events, Jake was also a main presenter at the 2005 and 2006 Boards Summits' professional development seminars on the subject of motion graphics. Today, Stardust is an award-winning creative production company, specializing in motion design, animation, visual effects and live-action production. Stardust's Santa Monica and New York studios continually redefine creativity for commercial, on-air, music video and in-store presentations.