Dress Code Hires Phil Linturn as MD

New York-based production company, Dress Code, has hired Phil Linturn as its managing director. Founded in 2006 by two creative directors, the studio has since curated a roster of directors across live action and animation who see the world through a designer’s lens.

Most recently, Phil was managing director and partner at creative studio Carbon, which he called home for the best part of a decade. Prior to that, he spent 10 years at Glassworks across London, Amsterdam and Barcelona, going from a Flame artist to COO in that time.

Starting as an artist before switching to production and management gave Phil a lasting, valuable insight into ‘effectively empowering creative teams’, he told LBB shortly after joining – a story he recognised in Dress Code’s founders/directors, Dan Covert and Andre Andreev.​

Attracted to their passion for the creative process, as well as Dress Code’s varied clients and work, Phil said that the company’s intentions to grow and diversify during a time when many are being cautious was what sealed the deal.

“Dress Code has done an incredible job of building a loyal foundation of coveted clients, going back years in some cases, with brands like Meta, Capital One, Google, CVS, IBM, Goldman Sachs and Rivian. These earned relationships have allowed them to create a diverse array of creative work that is hard to pigeonhole. For my role, this provides a really stable base on which to help them grow.”

He added, “In short, my role at Dress Code is to strategise the creative development of the company and implement sustainable growth. But, having spent most of my career at agile companies, I expect to wear a few different hats; I look forward to also being heavily involved in overseeing client relationships, hiring, marketing and team development.

Phil previously led the diversification and expansion of both Glassworks and Carbon, adding directorial capabilities, talent, marketing strategies and robust workflows. It’s this experience, mixed with his award-winning artist’s eye, that made Dress Code excited to bring him on board.

“Phil brings the rare perspective of a company leader who also has a background as producer, and artist,” said Dan Covert, Dress Code co-founder and director. “Him joining our team as managing director is a milestone of growth for our company and we are excited to see what we can make together.”

Phil joined at an exciting time, describing it as an “inflection point” for the industry. With new models and expectations arising daily, he said that Dress Code’s diverse skill sets and integrated solutions make it “best poised” to navigate this new landscape. “And our directors continue to make work that is fresh and relevant in today's market, which is ultimately what matters,” he added.

"A huge part of the draw for me," he said, "was working with Dress Code’s extremely talented roster of directors. In just my first few weeks here, I’ve already seen their awesome creative energy in pitches and the care that they take with every aspect of production."

Phil’s initial goals for his new role are simple: “creative and sustainable growth”.

“To achieve that,” he explained, “I’ll be working with the team on an ambitious but realistic sales strategy, a plan for creative expansion through roster development, and establishing some efficient workflows to ensure that Dress Code is staying ahead of the curve creatively and technologically in this rapidly-evolving landscape.

“All of this is to support our continued mission to produce work grounded in visual artistry, story and craft.”