Masters of the BRAND

Eight Communications is a master at the fine art of branding. We
mix the composition of the marketplace, the creative challenge of
competitors, and the unique selling points of the product or service
into a voice, an image and a winning attitude for the BRAND.

To learn about your company, your product or your services,
we begin with a white canvas. We listen to the sounds of your
communities through social networking. We paint your personal
style. We build your brand with fresh ideas.

We’re driven by the mantra that brands don’t respond to the market
because they want to, they move because they have to.
We are the movers.

Eight Communications … an integrated marketing communications
firm based in New York and London.

DONNA TORRANCE, Founder & President — has managed successful communications programs from both the agency and client sides for some of America’s most prestigious brands. After studies at Harvard, Donna began her career at Condé Nast …read more and later became Vice President of Marketing at The New Yorker. At Frankfurt Balkind during the years of its most rapid growth she acquired and managed key relationships with clients including MTV, Comcast, Johnson & Higgins, Kidder Peabody, The Limited, Victoria’s Secret, and Houghton Mifflin Publishing. In 1996 Torrance became Strategic Principal of The VIA Group LLC, establishing its New York office and directing a wide range of projects in both consumer and business-to-business sectors. She opened Eight’s studio doors in September 2001 and was quickly servicing clients including The New York Times, Victoria’s Secret, Maybelline, NIKE, and Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts.
And… she knows how to do an Eskimo roll in a kayak.

DAN ALTSCHULER, Managing Director — a native of Mexico, founder of La Barra Restaurant – an edgy hole in the wall restaurant in the lower east side serving Tacos and Ceviches; and founder of Bodhi Natural Snacks – a natural snack …read more company based in Texas. Prior to moving to New York, Dan lived in Mexico City, Paris, Boston and Houston and has extensive experience in strategy, branding and social media. He holds degrees from the Universidad Iberoamericana and Harvard University along with an MBA from the F.W. Olin Graduate School of Business at Babson College. Dan also completed photography courses at Parson’s School of Design in Paris as well as at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Mexico City.
He’s been an Apple aficionado since 1984.

MICHAEL CLIVE, Creative Director, Copy — has extensive experience both in communications management for corporations and as a public advocate for the arts, with credits ranging from marketing strategies for banking and insurance …read more clients to television scripts for Beverly Sills. Active in print and non-print media, he has developed marketing communications for many of America’s leading companies. His cultural writing appears on Classical TV.com and in publications for the Santa Fe Opera and the Pacific Symphony, and he played a central role in the successful, paradigm-busting launch of XM Satellite Radio. An acknowledged pioneer of the language simplification movement, Clive helped draft New York State’s Plain English Law and briefed President Jimmy Carter on the wording of government regulations. He holds master’s degrees in writing (The Johns Hopkins University) and journalism (Columbia University). His undergraduate studies were in architecture at Cornell University.
He makes award winning jams and preserves. Strawberry is the best.

SARAH HORNE, Vice President, Account Director — has managed significant branding and marketing campaigns in all media since the early 90s. Clients have included the retail, real estate, and pharmaceutical industries, but a constant has been financial …read more services, where — starting with branding for Solomon Brothers — her work has grown to include consulting on financial reporting and plain language disclosure for CIT and Wilmington Trust. She helped streamline the workflow processes for Loring Ward’s structured investing platform for its financial advisors. She also was the Account Supervisor on all of Bear Stearns advertising (print, radio, web, TV) in both trade and mass media. Most recently, she worked to support and build the Morgan Stanley brand, including the launch of the Morgan Stanley Smith Barney brand globally. The MSSB brand was developed in less than six months and included traditional brand strategy and development of the brand both to external and internal clients, spanning more than 1,000 offices and 40,000 financial advisors as well as print and web media. She has worked with Eight team members on various assignments throughout her career.
She cooks frequently for large parties using seasonal, fresh food.

MICHELLE SHEPHERD-BARRON, Creative Director, London — In developing plain-English statements, contracts and corporate literature, Michelle has earned the trust of industry leaders on both sides of the Atlantic. She wrote the first …read more simplified materials for Blue Cross Blue Shield, E.F. Hutton, American Express, PSE&G, and Welsh Water PLC, devising the strategies to ease the UK utility into privatization. Her communications program for Citicorp N.A. introduced America to the concept of ATMs and relationship banking. She has been a consultant to CEO’s and decision-makers providing communications strategies for clients including: Citicorp, Chase, Reuters, Sony, British Gas, British Petroleum, Philips, Johnson & Johnson and the United Nations. Her remit extends to the ‘royalty’ of both Hollywood and Holyrood: Michael Douglas, the Disney Corporation, Time Warner and HBO as well as the Prince’s Trust, UK and King Constantine of Greece. In Britain, where she was Creative Director at Burson Marsteller, she established the company’s financial advertising division and created a pioneering television sponsorship scheme, working closely with the ITV regulatory board.
She is a fashion blogger: www.whatiwaswearing.wordpress.com

JOHAN VIPPER, Creative Director, Design — a native of Sweden, founded StyleforEveryMood — one of Sweden’s hottest design agencies of the 1980s, with an international client roster that included Kosta Boda, Levi Strauss …read more of Scandinavia, Virgin Records Scandinavia, and others. Arriving in New York in 1989, he became a senior designer at Frankfurt Balkind, serving as principal designer on major client accounts including Time Warner, HBO, Paramount Pictures, HMV, Quincy Jones, Universal Studios, AMC, and Houghton Mifflin. In 1994 Johan joined MTV, where he was art director of the off-air creative group for three years. In 1997 Johan was hired by VIA as Design Principal of their New York office, where he headed the creative team for clients such as The Limited, Victoria’s Secret, Fraser Papers, and The New York Times. He joined Eight at its founding, and has been the creative director on all work since its inception.
He is a fine art photographer.

JULIE POWELL, Photo Editor, Videographer — started shooting Polaroids at age 12. She went onto study graphic design, photography and architecture at the University of Buffalo and Parson’s School of Design. Her career took off at Frankfurt Balkind…read more , shooting for such clients as Seagrams, QVC, Lifetime and Tishman Speyer. At Siegel and Gale as the web was growing she transitioned into shooting more portraits and man-on-the-street video. Julie’s light painting technique was featured in the Communications Arts Photo annual. In 2006 Julie joined Eight to shoot for the Meat Packing District and Converse. She excelled as the photo editor of Architect: The Work of the Pritzker Prize Laureates in Their Own Words gathering over 700 photos from the architects offices and various photographers around the world. Currently, Julie is shooting video for Women Who Changed America website: An Unfinished Journey.
And…she misses the Polaroid.