Covert Continues US Expansion With 104 NICKELS

Covert Continues US Expansion With 104 NICKELS

Brie Clayton January 28, 2025

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Covert has signed CG storytelling duo 104 NICKELS for exclusive US representation. Founded by Anthony Nitkowski and Nicholas King, 104 NICKELS creates content that defies the boundaries of reality through human-VFX interactivity and photorealism. The director duo has created campaigns and viral social content for brands such as Oakley, Max, and Under Armour while working with star talents such as Jake Paul, Patrick Mahomes, Dennis Rodman, Angela Sarafyan, David Guetta, and Chiara Ferragni.

Based in the UK, Covert expanded into the US market in 2024, appointing Executive Producer Nick Litwinko to lead the remote VFX and post-production house's stateside operations. The partnership is structured to enable 104 NICKELS to focus on pitching, concept development, and VFX supervision while creative execution runs through the Covert pipeline.

I can't think of a better partner than 104 NICKELS to expand our footprint in the US market, says Litwinko, whose extensive entertainment and advertising experience includes leadership roles at MTV Networks, Psyop, Blind, Alkemy X, and Nice Shoes. They're the perfect one-two punch, especially in the social content space where Nicholas is a CG/VFX maverick, and Anthony is a big-picture strategist and storyteller. By tapping into Covert's talent and resources, we're excited to help them create big moments on social media for our brand clients.

Nitkowski and King met while working on a viral teaser campaign for Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes' launch of his Signature Series Oakley sunglasses. Replacing the typical influencer/celebrity product seeding and unboxing videos, the glasses were delivered via the Contrail Delivery Service, a hyper-realistic drone spacecraft that dropped into Arrowhead Stadium with photorealistic magnificence. It was Mahomes' best-performing organic piece of content of all time.

Together, they have created a string of viral moments, partnering with celebrities and brands like Ice Box, Dennis Rodman, Nessly, Bryan Johnson, Fedez, Kush Papi, and more.

Whether it's dancing robots or a high-tech cigar implant in Dennis Rodman's arm, 104 NICKELS' forte is juxtaposing lo-fi moments with high-quality VFX. Their work appears as if it were recorded on a mobile phone but with photoreal elements that feel out of this world.

We have always loved that real' factor, where you have to do a double take and watch two, three, or even four times just to figure it out, King elaborates. That's the kind of content that creates buzz and shareability. The comments section usually goes crazy, with people wondering if it is real. How did they do this?'

As a creative strategist, Nitkowski emphasizes that 104 NICKELS' work is more than just visually arresting content - it's about the story and crafting messages that align with a brand's strategy and contribute to a greater campaign narrative.

Every project at 104 NICKELS starts with a focus on the message - what it is and how it connects to a brand's strategy or overarching campaign, explains Nitkowski. That level of storytelling ensures every creative decision feels purposeful so we can really connect with the audience.

Nitkowski began his career at Nickelodeon in 2014 before moving to Day One Agency, where he developed creative strategies for clients like Chipotle, Nike, and American Express. He then worked as a creative strategist at Game Seven, contributing to campaigns for Nike, Jordan, and Spotify. Later, at Highsnobiety, he advised C-suite executive teams at brands like Coach, Puma, and Adidas Originals. Nitkowski founded creative agency 104 Claremont, working with clients such as Tinder and Oakley. This foundation laid the groundwork for 104 NICKELS, which emerged as a natural evolution when he partnered with King.

King has been creating stunning visual effects since 2009. Before forming 104 NICKELS, he ran his own post-production service with a small freelance team. While doing this, he also created VFX-driven content under the name @NICKELS, which gained a cult following - and the attention of his future 104 NICKELS partner. Before that, King spent over a decade at Optix Dubai, rising from CG Artist to Head of CG, working on commercials, branded content, music videos, and films. King also made his mark on the VFX industry at large with his innovative approaches to crowd simulation, eventually earning an Emmy for his contributions to the Maya plugin Golaem.

The Covert partnership is huge for us - something we've wanted to make possible since 104 NICKELS launched, concludes King. I have a trusted history working with [Covert Partner] Max Murphy and Nick Litwinko with Covert lending VFX support on a past project. We've stayed in touch ever since, collaborating whenever possible because they've got this powerhouse army of super-talented VFX artists behind them.

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