Uppercut Ed-itorial, a Minneapolis-based creative editorial boutique, has added Charley Schwartz to its roster.
Schwartz comes over from Fischer Edit, Minneapolis, where he had been a staff cutter for the past six years. He previously worked at Los Angeles-based Straight Cut, from 1993 to ’95. This was preceded by a yearlong stint at the now defunct City Post, which was one of the first creative editorial shops in Minneapolis.
Over the years, Schwartz has cut a number of spots for Fallon, Minneapolis. Among these is "Gatherings" for United Airlines, directed by Bob Richardson of bicoastal Morton Jankel Zander; "Surgeon" for Holiday Inn Express, directed by Jeff Gorman of JGF, Hollywood; and "Gum Chewing" for Timex, directed by Geoff Posner of London-based Academy Commercials (SHOOT Top Spot, 6/4/99, p. 14).
Another Schwartz-edited Fallon spot—"Tag & Track" for the University of Minnesota football team, the Golden Gophers—was honored in the low-budget category at last year’s Association of Independent Commercial Producers Show, which premiered at the Museum of Modern Art, New York. The spot was co-directed by Jerry Pope of Two Popes, Minneapolis, and Fallon group creative director Scott Vincent (SHOOT’s The Best Work You May Never See, 10/15/99, p. 17).
big catch
In Schwartz, Uppercut lands the editor it had actively been seeking over the last few months. Uppercut executive producer Darren Larkins said the shop had conducted an extensive search for new talent in the New York and Los Angeles markets before finding the ideal candidate much closer to home. Moreover, the signing represents a professional reunion for Schwartz and Larkins, who had worked together at Fischer Edit until Larkins departed that company to join Uppercut in late ’98.
Larkins said he has always had high professional regard for Schwartz’s abilities, as do Minneapolis agencies. While best known for comedy/dialogue projects, for which Minneapolis shops like Fallon and Campbell-Mithun have typically hired him, Schwartz is by no means confined to that genre, said Larkins. He cited a Fetal Alcohol Syndrome PSA called "Interviews" that Schwartz cut for Initio, Minneapolis.
Larkins noted that Uppercut editors Dave Henegar and Bert Cambridge have quickly established themselves in the Minneapolis market. The executive producer observed that when Henegar and Cambridge have competed against someone, it generally has been against Schwartz.
According to Larkins, he was at LAX airport preparing to fly home after a recruiting trip earlier this year when he ran into Schwartz, who had also been in California, speaking to editorial houses. "We just got to talking and said, ‘Why haven’t we done this already?’ and we worked it out a couple of weeks ago," Larkins explained.
Schwartz had been considering returning to California, he told SHOOT, but opted to remain in Minneapolis based upon the top-notch creative work that the local market supplies. "I figured I could get my hands on better projects by sticking around here, because there is such a good talent pool at the agencies," added Schwartz. "I really do like the clients I work with here."
Uppercut also appealed to Schwartz because of the opportunities for change that it offered. "I wanted to work in a new environment with new people," he explained, "to rededicate myself to this job and reinvigorate myself … and [Uppercut] is a kind of new-ish enterprise in town."
At press time, Schwartz was completing his final project at Fischer Edit: a Mervyn’s campaign out of Martin/Williams, Minneapolis. Sales are handled in-house at Uppercut, where Schwartz is already booked on two jobs out of Carmichael Lynch for undisclosed clients, reported Larkins.
