Great Guns, the seven-year-old, London-based production company under the aegis of managing director Laura Gregory, has teamed with Santa Monica-headquartered Stoney Road to launch Great Guns in the U.S. Tom Korsan, a former executive producer of bicoastal Bedford Falls, one of the Stoney Road commercial production houses owned by Michael Romersa, has been named managing director/executive producer of the Great Guns stateside operation, which maintains offices in Culver City and New York.
The newly formed shop opens with a roster that includes three U.S.-based helmers, as well as several directors from Great Guns’ U.K. lineup. The latter contingent consists of Luke Forsythe, Johnny Maginn and Michael Fueter, as well as the directing duos of Who (Liam Kan and Grant Hodgson) and Daddy (Jake Knowles and Jeff Ford).
Forsythe, Maginn, Fueter and Who are well established in the European ad market, with assorted credits. For instance, Who’s endeavors include spots for Peugeot and Camel via Euro RSCG, London, as well as music videos for The Beautiful South. Meanwhile, Daddy has burst onto the U.K. spot scene since coming aboard Great Guns last September. Daddy’s Ford was a creative at BBDO in Australia, while Knowles had been known for his television ID work as both a staffer and freelancer for MTV Europe and U.K.’s Channel Four. After collaborating on a TV project last year, Knowles and Ford decided to come together as a directing team. Already via Great Guns, London, Daddy has turned out European jobs for Volvo, M&Ms and Lakerol breath mints, as well as a recent expedia.com spot for the Swedish market.
The U.S.-based directorial roster for Great Guns consists of Tim Ward, Jim Manera and Kevin Bourland. Ward is making the transition from agency creative to spot director. He formerly served as an associate creative director at BBDO New York. During his tenure there, he directed some projects on the side, including a Nike spot for Goodby, Silverstein & Partners, San Francisco, and a spec piece for Wells Fargo Insurance on behalf of McCann-Erickson, San Francisco. Via bicoastal Great Guns, Ward has just helmed the first projects under the new company banner: a Rubbermaid spot via Martin/Williams Advertising, Minneapolis, and a Wescor Realty assignment for Cramer-Krasselt, Phoenix.
Manera is coming over from Santa Monica-based The Joneses. At press time, he was wrapping a prior commitment to that shop, and was slated to embark on his first Great Guns job—a McDonald’s assignment for Los Angeles agency DavisElen. Manera is perhaps best known for his ongoing Chevrolet Trucks work, out of Campbell-Ewald Advertising, Warren, Mich., which include the currently airing spots that show large-scale, bigger-than-life Chevy trucks in construction site and ranch settings. Manera’s move to Great Guns also represents his reuniting with Romersa. Earlier in his career, Manera directed for seven years via Bedford Falls and its predecessor shop, Michael/ Daniel Associates.
Bourland is a well-known spot actor who is making the transition to directing. Prior to Great Guns, he was repped via Random/Order, Culver City. Bourland’s directorial work is largely dialogue and actor/performance-driven fare.
Additionally, Great Guns will handle U.S. representation for director Gord McWatters of Spy Films, Toronto. McWatters’ recent work includes "Static Electricity House," a humorous spot for The Alliance to Save Energy, out of DDB Seattle. "Static Electricity House" made SHOOT’s "The Best Work You May Never See" gallery (SHOOT, 1/19, p. 13).
NEXT STEP
Gregory felt that the time was right for Great Guns to take the next logical step in its progression by firmly establishing a stateside operation as opposed to being repped in the U.S. via another company. Having known Romersa for nearly seven years, Gregory related that "I’m a great fan of Michael, and when he suggested teaming on forming Great Guns in the U.S., it seemed like perfect timing." Gregory noted that she also felt simpatico with Korsan, which added to her comfort level about making a major commitment to the U.S. market.
Previously, Great Guns had been repped stateside for commercials via bicoastal Basecamp Entertainment. Gregory stated that Great Guns still maintains a relationship in longform development with Basecamp.
Korsan noted that Stoney Road gains not only top-level directing talent via Great Guns, but also a strong European production foothold, which has become a necessity given the global nature of the business. "The actors’ strike last year caused a significant amount of production to leave the States," observed Korsan. "Great Guns puts us in a better position to accommodate our agency client needs in Europe."
The Great Guns relationship is the latest in a series of expansive international moves by Stoney Road. Recently Stoney Road shop Reactor Films entered into a reciprocal representation/ production support agreement with Saint Cloud, France-based commercial house The Gang Films (SHOOT, 3/9, p. 1). Stoney Road’s Romersa also formed a sales/production association with No Guns Pictures, which maintains offices in such markets as Madrid and Barcelona, as well as in South America (SHOOT, 2/9, p. 18).
Great Guns’ U.S. sales force is starting to take shape. Rich Newman and Sue Rosen of Rich Newman & Associates, Chicago, are handling the Midwest. Carolyn Hill and Michelle Stuart of New York Office cover the East Coast. Korsan is in the process of securing West Coast representation. Additionally, directors Manera, Ward and Bourland will be handled by Great Guns, London, for European spots.
