From B-Reel and Biscuit to RSA and Tool, Directors Are on the Move
MTV Director Seyi Peter-Thomson (seen here), who just landed at Station Film, is among over a dozen talents to announce new production homes so far in 2012.
From B-Reel and Biscuit to RSA and Tool, Directors Are on the Move
It's been a busy couple of weeks here at SourceEcreative. Since the start of the new year, no fewer than a dozen notable director moves have been announced at production houses in the US, the UK and Canada.
Directorial movement is a pretty standard thing, but it's impressive when SourceEcreative gets flooded with moves in such a concentrated burst of time. And while many of these may have well taken place prior to the end of 2011, the formal announcements have been coming in fast and furious.
So who's where, you ask? Well, we've got 'em all.
Tool Reunites with Tom Routson, Signs Benjamin Weinstein
At Tool of North America, two new directors have been signed; one actually isn't all that new. Director Tom Routson has rejoined the company, while Benjamin Weinstein has been added to the roster. Routson is returning after a one-year stint at Moxie Pictures. He's directed a slew of wildly popular and acclaimed ad campaigns, including work for Budweiser and Got Milk?, to name a few. His commercial work has garnered hardware at Cannes, Clio and AICP shows, and is included in the permanent collection of New York's Museum of Modern Art. Prior to joining the production world, Routson worked on the agency side of the business as a creative director at Goodby, Silverstein & Partners.
Weinstein, who's been added to the company's live action roster, has a reel that includes work for Sprint, FedEx and Burger King. Prior to directing, he worked at such top agencies such as Goodby, Silverstein & Partners, BBDO, Rethink and Taxi prior to launching his directing career.
Weinstein most recently directed Bachman & Turner's viral stunt that earned homepage appearances on LATimes.com, Buzzfeed.com and CollegeHumor.com, as well as a national TV appearance on George Lopez and a spot on TSN's weekly top 10 plays. His "We Don't Want Your Body" music video for the band Stars earned a spot on Yahoo's Top 20 videos of 2011.
Baillie Walsh Returns to RSA
RSA Films has announced the return of Director Baillie Walsh for commercial and music video representation in the US and UK. Walsh's work is a mix of dramatic, comedic and high style filmmaking, as shown from his earliest music videos for artists such as Massive Attack, Boy George and INXS, to his award-winning film for New Order. In the more recent past he has worked with Kylie Minogue for her hit "Slow," for which he won the CAD Awards' Best Pop Video of the Year. Most recently he teamed up again with old pals Massive Attack.
Walsh's film work includes "Mirror Mirror," which drew international acclaim and was selected for the Berlin and Toronto Film festivals and "Lord Don't Slow Me Down," a fly-on-the-wall look at the band Oasis. In 2008 his debut feature "Flashbacks Of A Fool," which he both wrote and directed and which starred Daniel Craig, was released worldwide by Miramax.
Past projects include the multi award-winning Levi's commercial "Taxi", and a dazzling hologram of Kate Moss projected into a three-meter high glass pyramid for an Alexander McQueen catwalk. More recently he's directed Eva Mendes for Thierry Mugler perfume, Ryan Reynolds for Hugo Boss, Daniel Craig as Bond for Sony Bravia and Jenson Button for Johnnie Walker's "Keep Walking" campaign.
Paul Gay Joins O Positive in the US
Director Paul Gay, whose work spans award-winning commercials, BAFTA-winning TV dramas and short films, has signed with O Positive for commercial representation in the US. Gay joins following the launch last summer of his London-based shop WaspFace, co-founded with longtime EP Tim Nunn.
"While Tim and I talked with some other strong companies about representation in the States, it really came down most to who we liked and trusted," explains Gay, previously repped by Hungry Man. "Tim and I also felt there was a commonality in how Jim Jenkins and David Shane, and their partners Ralph [Laucella] and Marc [Grill], viewed my work and its relation to the market there. We all have a similar breadth of experience in comedy and share a philosophy about doing good work. We click as people. It's a great fit and we couldn't be happier!"
"Paul does what's very hard to do, and that's find believable people to fill every role," says Jenkins. "At O Positive, we try to be very selective when adding a director, but Paul is such an exceptional storyteller and, above all, a good guy." "He's got such a great eye for the little small moments of behavior," Shane adds. "His work is effortlessly funny and always honest, not cheap. He never makes fun of his characters."
Gay counts popular hour-long TV dramas among his directing credits as well, including episodes of the BAFTA-winning, contemporary teen drama "Skins." On the show he worked closely with an untried teen cast to elicit convincingly authentic performances about provocative subjects, with a cast featuring lead actors Nicholas Hoult ("A Single Man") and Dev Patel ("Slumdog Millionaire"). Gay also directed episodes of the BBC2 mini-series " Desperate Romantics," Peter Bowker's darkly comedic Pre-Raphaelite drama billed as "'Entourage' with easels."
Director Mike Maguire Joins Biscuit Filmworks
Biscuit Filmworks, whose Noam Murro was just nominated again for a DGA award for his commercials work, has signed the noted comedy and performance Director Mike Maguire.
A seasoned talent, Maguire in the past year has completed notable campaigns for Allstate (part of its "Mayhem" series), SportsBets, Tostitos, Bundaberg, Rold Gold and more. "I have huge respect for the directors on the Biscuit roster," he says. "The company is serious about advertising and respectful of the business and clients that they service. Everything about Biscuit is thoroughly considered, which you can see in their body of work."
"We're thrilled to have Mike on board," adds Biscuit Managing Director Shawn Lacy. "He's a great talent and his visual style, work ethic and approach to directing make him the right fit for us."
Maguire has extensive industry experience, having worked as an ACD at Goodby, Silverstein & Partners prior to launching his directorial career. Previously he was represented by such companies as Propaganda, MJZ and The Directors Bureau. His work has received numerous awards at top industry competitions and festivals, including The One Show, Cannes Lions and D&AD. He's represented for commercials by Biscuit globally with the exception of Canada, where he's repped by Suneeva.
OPC Signs James Haworth
Toronto-based production company OPC is pleased to announce that director James Haworth has joined their roster for Canadian representation. His career launched with a bang in 1998 when he directed his first TV commercial for The Vegetarian Society via Euro RSCG London. The spot's comedic style won him huge critical acclaim and landed his name in the D&AD annual. The awards haven't stopped coming; Haworth has gone on to direct award-winning work for Toyota, Crime Stoppers, Best Buy and SportChek, as well as notable work for Sprint, McDonald's and Whiskas.
Haworth's comedic sensibility ranges from the subtly observed to the more irreverent and random, even physical. A former performer himself, he's known for his unerring choice in casting and his ability to draw out unique, memorable performances from his talent.
Haworth is repped by Hamster Publicite in France, and via Hungry Man in the US and UK.
MTV Director Seyi Peter-Thomas Joins Station Film
Station Film has added Director Seyi Peter-Thomas to its roster. He brings a decade of experience at MTV producing, directing and writing on some of the network's biggest commercials, branded content and PSAs.
Highlights of Peter-Thomas's work include his campaign for the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards; an epic take on "West Side Story," it featured Russell Brand, Taylor Swift and Katy Perry, and received Promax BDA Gold, Creativity and CTAM Awards. Peter-Thomas has also collected an Emmy for work on the Kaiser Foundation's Condom Factory PSAs, and was featured in SHOOT Magazine's 2010 New Director's Showcase.
"I'm really fascinated by visual storytelling with a comedic edge," says the director. "I think of each piece of work as its own small film. The challenge is to create a world that is familiar to the viewer but somehow different and compelling."
"I began my career at MTV in promos and know first hand how resourceful the network is," notes Station Film Partner/EP Michael Di Girolamo. "MTV keeps its finger on the creative pulse, and so many talented directors have started there, guys like Mark Pellington and Kuntz and Maguire. I feel that Seyi is the next director to follow in the tradition."
HOME.Corp Adds VFX Maven Nick Davis
HOME.Corp, the UK and US-based production company, has added VFX Director Nick Davis to its roster for worldwide commercials representation worldwide. Davis has an impressive collection of award-winning feature film credits, such as conceptualizing and creating VFX for the Oscar-winning "The Dark Night," "Charlie & The Chocolate Factory" and the first two "Harry Potter" films.
Davis's career in the film industry kicked off after he moved to the US to work for the VFX company Introvision, where he worked his way up from the bottom to become their leading VFX supervisor. While there he oversaw VFX for the 1993 drama "Fearless" and produced for the Academy Award-winning film "The Fugitive."
Following Introvision Davis decided to go solo, working on a number of low budget features to test his talents as screenwriter, first assistant director and second unit director. In 1995 he returned to the visual effects world, supervising on the films "Batman Forever" and "Chain Reaction." He moved back to the UK a year later to supervise "The Avengers" and "Entrapment," and subsequently found himself the VFX master behind the first two films in the colossal Potter franchise.
B-Reel Adds Patrik Bergh in UK and US
B-Reel Films, the production arm of the US and European-based digital production shop B-Reel, has added Director Patrik Bergh to its roster in the US and UK. Bergh, who is based in London and was previously with Partizan, has received recognition for his commercials for Volkswagen, Nissan, Ford and the BBC.
"B-Reel Films is an extremely creative company that is doing great work, both in commercials as well as in digital and integrated," Bergh says. "They're young and enthusiastic and feel like a company that's going places, and that gives me the opportunity to be a part of something new and exciting. Joining them as they establish the London office seemed like the right challenge at the right time for me, and has given me a new level of enthusiasm."
Having been previously represented by B-Reel Films in Sweden, joining in the UK and the US was a natural progression for the director. "Patrik is well known in London for his work," says Pelle Nilsson, EP of B-Reel Films in LA. "His experience in commercials, coupled with his enthusiasm for new opportunities in the industry, makes him a fantastic fit for B-Reel Films."
Nola Pictures is Cooking with Greg Ramsey
Nola Pictures has bolstered its directorial roster with the addition of food and tabletop director Greg Ramsey, who comes over from Curious Pictures. As a director Ramsey has embraced the digital age, combining innovative post-production techniques with live-action footage to create work that mixes the best capabilities of both.
His showreel includes campaigns for Carrabba's Italian Grill, Boar's Head, Del Taco, Taco Bell, Burger King, KFC, Ziploc, Canon, Minute Maid, Electrolux and Reeves Foundation. His award-winning Fruitopia spots are part of the MoMA's permanent collection. He has built strong relationships with MMB Boston, BBDO New York, Doner Detroit, Draftfcb Chicago, Dentsu, and BBH Shanghai.
"I was drawn to the fact that Nola is a small and focused company that invests greatly in its directors and understands all aspects of the advertising business," Ramsey says. "It's important to align yourself with a shop that understands the industry's changing dynamics."
Outside of the ad space, Ramsey directed, shot and edited a fundraising film for the Grace Children's Foundation which involved shooting in Shanghai and Beijing as well as with spokeswoman and narrator Meryl Streep in New York. He's also directed feature film trailers and second units, with work for "Men in Black," "The Patriot," "The Paper" and "'Blown Away" to his credit.
Lair Adds Evan Mathis
LAIR, the New York-based design and production boutique, has added Director Evan Mathis to its roster. Mathis's creative talents have taken shape in a variety of roles; he's worked as a director, creative director, photographer, designer, and art director. "Like me, the team at LAIR is very much into more than just making spots," says Mathis. "They're looking to craft great visual styling, branding and promos—all with a point of view, a statement to make, and a story to tell."
Mathis previously worked as an art director in the then-nascent industry of DVD motion menu design, producing titles for Warner, Fox, Sony and MGM releases. This marked the beginning of his passion for motion branding and identity. In an effort to move his work beyond the entertainment world, he moved to New York in 2002 to take on clients in fashion and cosmetics such as L'Oreal, DKNY, Anna Sui, Coty and more.
His work next began to naturally shift back to entertainment, working on network brands, show launches and identity for some of the most recognizable names in television entertainment. Mathis was a key part of the team at USA Network that launched the "Characters Welcome" brand, and he's recently completed brand strategies and design initiatives for ABC, TNT, and Discovery.
Greenpoint Pictures Captures Nick & Ben, Rodney Ascher
The Brooklyn, New York-based Greenpoint Pictures has added Director and Animator Rodney Ascher and the directing team known as Nick & Ben.
The LA-based Ascher first worked with Greenpoint back in October when he directed the Converse "I'm a Goner" music video for Anomaly. The video, which features Matt & Kim, Soulja Boy and Andrew W.K. as zombies, received notable press buzz, including being named Adweek's Ad of the Day, and was singled out by Creativity, New York Magazine and Rolling Stone. His latest project is a feature film called "Room 237," which will premiere at Sundance in the New Frontier category. "Room 237" is a subjective documentary feature exploring Stanley Kubrick's "The Shining" and its hidden meanings. Ascher's past work includes TV commercials, short films, music videos and a pair of pilots he says the world just wasn't ready for.
Also joining Greenpoint is Nick & Ben, AKA Nicholas Carbonaro and Ben Leavitt. The pair have directed for brands such as Kodak, Google, AT&T, Virgin Mobile, GE, Atari, Ronzoni and HBO's "True Blood," as well as music videos for Warner Brothers and EMI. Nick & Ben's wide range of directing capabilities and hands on approach make them a perfect fit for Greenpoint Pictures, says the company's Director of Sales Jordana Freydberg.
Published 17 January, 2012
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