BIGFISH: Swimming with the Tide

Robert Gold, co-founder of production company BIGFISH opens up about changing times, creative young Berliners and the importance of finding out what bores the internet generation

While the influx of creative people to Berlin over the last 20-something years has seen various production companies follow from other cities to serve their needs, that wasn’t the case with BIGFISH, explains co-founder and executive producer Robert Gold. “We opened BIGFISH because we’re Berliners. I think we are the only real Berlin production company. I wouldn’t say they (other production houses) don’t think like Berliners, but we were born here, it’s our city, so we see it in even more of a different way.” And he believes that it’s the perfect breeding ground for creativity. “It’s a very important place for advertising in Germany. It’s becoming more important (than Hamburg) as the agencies here do more great stuff.”

Sixt of the best

Gold started the company with MD Uwe Spiller in 1998, before they were joined by exec producer Andrea Roman three years later. Since then, they’ve striven to stay at the front of the film industry and in early 2000 they established NETFORCE, a department specialising in viral films. The more successful projects to come from NETFORCE include Olympus’ Pen Story, which earned 3.5 million views, the successful mockumentary Rampenfest, and a hilarious low-budget music video spoof for car hire giant Sixt, which helped relaunch the career of its star, singer Matthias Reim, who poked fun at his own bankruptcy. It was directed by Warwick, one of the impressive list of directors BIGFISH reps, which also includes local talent Frieder Wittich and The Vikings. They also have exclusive representation of Hungry Man’s roster and a strong relationship with Epoch.

But after several years NETFORCE was reintegrated with the main business because, “the advertisers think 360 degrees now and so do we, because there’s no reason to keep things separate,” says Gold. “We think of ourselves as filmmakers first but we have to communicate in a different way than is traditional because we have to communicate on the internet and through 360 degrees, so we’re not a traditional production company.”

Finding a formula

When it comes to a great online campaign, Gold admits to not knowing the secret formula for success. “To be honest I think we are all still learning and trying, and with every campaign that works we learn more and with every campaign that fails we learn too.” He’s also sure that a lot can be gained from the younger generation. “Twenty-three-year-olds can come up with ideas and people will listen because they grew up with the internet, they grew up with games. I didn’t, so I have to listen to them and what they like and what they find boring.”

Whatever the secret formula is, BIGFISH got it right for the Meister vs Meister campaign for Mercedes through Scholz & Friends, which reaped seven ADC nails this year, including a gold. A team of legendary German footballers travelled the country in a Mercedes Sprinter taking on teams of tradesmen at the beautiful game and the footage was watched online by fans.

Despite his company’s success in online forms, Gold says he’ll never turn his back on TVCs. “I will always appreciate a very well told story and I think TVCs are the shortest way of selling an emotion.”

A learning curve

But he does feel that the two can be better integrated. “The times are changing in the ways of buying and selling and we are in the middle of it. We still have to communicate smart and intelligent and exciting, but we cannot do it without the agencies. They have to concentrate on it and they have to learn too, and not all of them do right now.” Nevertheless, he adds, “everybody is learning – it’s a very exciting period.”