A Very Small Office

A Very Small Office (AVSO) was opened by Creative Director/Director Mikon van Gastel and Executive Producer Saffron Case in the spring of 2005. Saffron and Mikon have sought to create a company that takes projects from the creative development stage all the way to final completion.

Both Mikon and Saffron come from Imaginary Forces, where the duo built and headed the New York design company. At AVSO, they bring to the production process an expertise in graphic design, filmmaking, new media and architecture, with an openness to embracing new forms of collaboration and emerging technologies.

Mikon is noted for his original and diverse projects from MoMA's electronic signage, IBM Centers for Innovation, to a media installation at BMW World in Germany. Over the past four years he has been directing major campaigns for (among others) Ford, Dove, Heineken and Target.

Since 2005, AVSO has expanded both its director roster and design resources. The team was joined in 2006 by the versatile talent of Paul Schneider in Chicago. His work reflects a diverse background in storytelling, design and visual effects. Paul's credits at AVSO range from campaigns for Budweiser, Discover Card and IBC to beauty work for Olay.

In 2007, the team was joined by director Vincent Haycock, whose work moves fluidly between film, art, music videos and commercials. Aside from having directed spots for Sony, Nike and Infiniti, his most recent credits include a graphically innovative campaign for Ford F150 trucks; and a web-based campaign for Fairfield Inn hotels.

To complement AVSO's talented director roster, Saffron and Mikon opened the design and animation company Offspring in the Fall of 2008, fulfilling Saffron and Mikon's initial goal to establish a creatively-driven company that unites the diverse talents of directors, designers, animators and visual effects artists with inspiring clients to take projects from conception to completion in a variety of media.