Advertising in today’s fast-paced, multi-platform world requires quick, outside-the-box thinking and a war-like mentality.

That’s why when it came time for Reel FX to spin off its advertising arm, the Dallas company named it ATK PLN, short for Attack Plan.

Reel FX headquarters in Dallas’ Deep Ellum.

“It really exemplifies the stance we want to take as we’re going forward in the advertising agency,” said David Bates, managing director of the new Dallas-based firm. “It paints a really good picture of our brand personality and the work that we do. People are wanting stories behind brands now.”

ATK PLN will have 32 dedicated employees between its offices in Dallas, Hollywood, and Montreal. Reel FX will still be the parent company with its headquarters in Deep Ellum.

The segmentation allows ATK PLN to focus on advertising while Reel FX makes movies and Flight School, another sister company, works with augmented and virtual realities and other experiential content.

This also makes it clearer for the clients, many of whom are large advertising agencies that represent some of the biggest brands out there.

They brought on Jose Gomez, the founder of Shilo, as creative director for ATK PLN. His goal is to make quality experiences that are platform agnostic.

Executive producer Jim Riche (left), executive creative director Jose Gomez, and managing director David Bates of ATK PLN.

“The medium and delivery method can always change,” Gomez said. “Our main focus is that we realize that over the course of the last 10 years, just about every industry has been disrupted by the internet and the delivery methods that people have become accustomed to have all changed. We want to provide standout experiences and content for any delivery method.”

ATK PLN CAN PULL TALENT FROM REEL FX, FLIGHT SCHOOL

All three companies can rely on the talents of the other, if needed.

“We do have a dedicated team, but the team can grow based on the needs of any particular project.”

Jim Riche

Jim Riche, executive producer for ATK PLN, said this gives the company flexibility when needed.

“We can pull quality animation teams when necessary or experiential designers,” Riche said. “We do have a dedicated team, but the team can grow based on the needs of any particular project.”

Gomez acknowledges that the younger generation is turned off by traditional advertising.

“It needs to resonate across all platforms,” he said. “We build magical experiences for our clients. Things people would be entertained by. The experiences that we work on are much more thought out and curated.”

FIRM HAS ALREADY DONE WORK FOR AT&T, FORD, MANY OTHERS

ATK PLN has made advertisements for AT&T, Mercedes-Benz, Ford, Anheuser Busch, Verizon, HBO, Fox Racing, and Chevrolet, just to name a few. Click here for examples of ATK PLN’s work.

Its animation work with Warner Brothers Animation Group stands out with promotions for the LEGO Ninjango Blu-ray that feature the villain, Lord Garmadon, and the LEGO Batman spoof on the Real People Real Chevy ad campaign.

“I am excited about how this forward-thinking team will continue to evolve with the changing market.”

Jim Riche

Each person on the three-person leadership team brings their own experiences to the table.

“When I joined David Bates at Reel FX almost two years ago we created a vision to elevate the company to the next level, challenging the status quo of the advertising community to offer a new, unique approach to creative problem solving,” Riche said.

“Bringing on Jose Gomez and his creative vision to our team at ATK PLN is allowing us to turn our ideas into reality. I am excited about how this forward-thinking team will continue to evolve with the changing market.”