In certain respects, industry standards have been systematically lowered. Keeping the doors open and turning a decent profit are enough to qualify in today’s era for being a commercial production house worthy of recognition. The recession, shrinking margins, slow payment from agencies and clients (SHOOT, 4/26, p. 1), the cost of properly launching directorial careers, litigation (see California’s timely payment lawsuit, SHOOT, 2/22 and 11/8, p. 1) and a protracted ad slump, which only recently has shown signs of resuscitation, make survival—much less flourishing—a seemingly daunting task at times for production companies.
However, there’s consolation to be found when looking at the top work generated by the production house community. As the most lauded spots during this year’s advertising awards season attest, clearly standards remain high. And it’s largely on the basis of performance at awards shows that SHOOT has compiled a rundown of the top production companies in the U.S. this year.
In alphabetical order, @radical.media, Anonymous Content, Harvest, HSI Productions, Independent Media, Morton Jankel Zander (MJZ), Partizan, Plum Productions, PYTKA and RSA USA, were among the most award-winning companies of this year.
Co-productions involving international work also played a part in SHOOT’s assessment of the awards season. For example, while its homegrown fare—including the original flight of short films for BMW—put Anonymous Content consistently in the winners’ circle in varied competitions, also scoring were its co-production endeavors with London-based Gorgeous Enterprises (repped by Anonymous in the U.S.). On a global scale, Gorgeous has been dominant in industry competitions this year, as reflected in the fourth annual Gunn Report (see story, p. 1).
While there was some drop-off in point tallies beyond SHOOT’s top 10 in the U.S., others included two companies perennially honored at awards shows, hungry man, which scored impressively at the AICP Show, and Headquarters. Rounding out the select field of 15 were The Artists Company, Biscuit Filmworks and Omaha Pictures.
Mini-profiles of the top 10 U.S. shops in ’02 follow.
@radical.media
The awards season has again been fruitful for bicoastal/international @radical.media this year. The company placed fifth in the running for the Palme d’Or at the Cannes International Advertising Festival. While at the AICP Show, @radical tied for the most wins scored by a production company, with six honors to its credit.
@radical director Frank Todaro did particularly well this year in the awards department, scoring a Cannes Silver Lion for his Federal Express spot "Great Idea," out of BBDO New York, and garnering honors at the ANDY Awards for Heineken’s "Lighter," out of Lowe, New York. Todaro also bagged a Bronze Lion for his Dunkin Donuts spot "Surprise," out of Hill Holliday Connors Cosmopulos, Boston.
Not to be denied at the Clios, @radial scored two silver awards with Tarsem’s "Beckham," via Almap BDO, Sao Paulo, and "Foosball," out of BBDO New York. Both spots were for Pepsi. Tarsem also saw Mountain Dew’s "Duo," out of BBDO New York, score big at the AICP Show.
Jon Kamen, co-proprietor, along with Frank Scherma of @radical, is demure when asked to what extent award show wins have helped his production company. "There’s no question that winning at various shows benefits us in terms of exposure," notes Kamen, "But ultimately what we’re proudest of is repeat business—people coming back to us consistently. That’s the award we’re most happy with."
Kamen wasn’t reserved about being recognized this year by SHOOT, however, "Next year is our tenth anniversary," Kamen relates, "So it’s nice after ten years to be in the top ten."
As a matter of policy, Kamen does not provide a comprehensive list of all directors on the @radical roster. In addition to Todaro and Tarsem, helmers repped by the company include the directing duo LeMoine. Miller, Rick and Steve, respectively, Gregor Nicholas, Errol Morris, Alan White, Ralf Schmerberg, Jeff Darling, Bruce Hunt, and Lenard Dorfman. Additionally, directors Peter Darley Miller, Andrew Becker, Andrews Jenkins and Brett Froomer all recently joined the company when @radical acquired Stiefel+ Company (SHOOT, 9/13, p. 1).
In addition to its New York and Santa Monica offices, @radical maintains offices in London, Paris, Sydney and Berlin.
—Brian Diedrick
Anonymous Content
If there were a production company conceived and built for piling up awards, it is bicoastal Anonymous Content. Formed in January 2000 by a group of executive producers and directors, many of whom had been with the now defunct Propaganda and Satellite, the company aimed for the top from the get-go.
"For a variety of reasons, we started this new multimedia venture built around a high-end commercial division," says Dave Morrison, executive producer and co-head—along with executive producers Andy Traines and the recently hired Lisa Margulis—of the commercial division.
"But with the idea that we could do content in any medium—features, music videos, et cetera," adds Traines.
It was, after all, Anonymous Content—and director David Fincher—that Fallon Minneapolis turned to when it produced the original series of short films grouped under "The Hire" banner, and shown on BMWfilms.com. That package of shorts—directed by A-list feature filmmakers—won multiple awards, including best-of-show honors at the One Show; several AICP honors; as well as campaign gold at the Clios.
"The Hire" series blurred the lines of content and media. In keeping with its "high-end" mission, Anonymous director and partner David Fincher turned to big name movie directors like Guy Ritchie and the late John Frankenheimer to helm the shorts. (Fincher executive produced "The Hire" films.)
The other big award winners for Anonymous were in co-production with Gorgeous Enterprises, London, which has a reciprocal representation agreement with the company. The Frank Budgen-directed Nike spots, "Tag" and "Shade Running," out of Wieden + Kennedy, Portland, Ore., topped most of the major awards shows. "Tag" earned the Grand Prix at the Cannes International Advertising Festival, and both spots, along with "Tailgating," directed by Tom Carty, won honors at the One Show, the AICP Show, Cannes, the British Design and Art Direction (D&AD) awards, the Clios and the ANDYs.
"The majority, if not all, of our directors who do commercials aren’t necessarily straight-up commercial directors as much as filmmakers who do commercials," Morrison says. "If there is any company philosophy [at Anonymous], it is to work with the most interesting and best talent and give them as many different options as possible, and try to run a business at the same time."
Traines and Morrison credit founder/partner Steve Golin with much of the company’s success and reputation. "Right now, he’s in New York producing a film with Michel Gondry [of bicoastal/international Partizan] and Jim Carrey," Morrison says. "He brings a lot to the party. It rubs off on a lot of the directors involved."
Both executive producers value the awards heaped on the company and its directors. "I don’t think you can measure it in dollars and cents, but it’s always great to be recognized by your peers as doing really superior work," Traines says.
"If you win awards," Morrison adds, "that means you’re doing the best work, and we have the highest-end directors in the business who expect to be doing that work. It’s just a validation of that and, hopefully, a promise for the future."
—Bill Dunlap
Harvest
Harvest, which was started by director Baker Smith and executive producer Bonnie Goldfarb in March 2001, made an impressive showing on the awards circuit this year. The company’s winning package was a three-spot campaign for FOX Sports out of TBWA/Chiat/Day, San Francisco, comprising the ads "Nail Gun," "Boat" and "Leaf Blower." The commercials, which show what happens to items haphazardly assembled during the baseball playoffs, earned honors at the Cannes International Advertising Festival, the AICP Show, the Clios, The One Show, the British Design & Art Direction (D&AD) Awards and the ANDYs.
Goldfarb believes that Harvest’s impressive showing is a result of the Santa Monica-based company’s small size. In addition to Smith, Harvest represents directors CJ Waldman and Frank Samuel. "We are very conservative in the way we manage our money," explains Goldfarb. "We have set up a business model in which we have very low overhead. We don’t have offices in London, New York, or Paris. Larger companies have a large payroll, which is dependent on gross numbers. And satellites tend to fragment the brand.
"We are not in business to manage an overwhelming and unwieldy infrastructure of masses of staff employees," Goldfarb continues. "We have purposefully designed our offices to house a kitchen where everyone meets for lunch, music is constantly flowing through speakers throughout the building, and yoga is offered twice a week at no charge to staff or freelancers. This atmosphere has allowed not only our directors but also our agency and client friends to feel relaxed and welcome."
Besides size, flexibility is a crucial in Harvest’s success. "You have to be flexible as a company, to give and take with each and every board that comes in," she says. "You have to be able to read [the requirements of] the boards, to read the client, to read the agency, and to know how to produce the commercial. That’s a reflection of the times: prep is shorter and you have to be cognizant of how you’re scheduling your directors. That’s how we got FOX Sports. Besides the financial and artistic considerations, we were able to accommodate the client on the schedule."
—Tom Soter
HSI PRODUCTIONS
HSI Productions has grown dramatically since it opened its doors over 16 years ago—from a one-director shop to a an operation with 20 directors (of commercials, music videos, features, and other projects) and over 60 employees—but one thing that hasn’t changed is the company’s concern for quality and diversity.
On the quality front, the bicoastal company had a strong showing at this year’s awards shows. Nike’s "Freestyle," directed by Paul Hunter via Wieden+Kennedy, Portland, Ore., scored honors at the AICP Show and the Clios. Gerard de Thame, who directs via HSI and Gerard de Thame Films, London, earned honors at the AICP Show for Mercedes-Benz’s "Modern Ark," out of Merkley Newman Harty|Partners, New York; additionally, Aquafina’s "Summer Heat," directed by Irv Blitz, also scored well at the AICP Show.
The key to such quality, explains company founder/president Stavros Merjos, is diversity. In addition to working on commercials, music videos, graphics, and features, HSI has a new print division (in association with Smashbox) called Mercury Artist Group. In July 2002, HSI signed a two-year, first-look pact with New Line Cinema, and two months ago, it opened Exposure, a music video and commercial company based in London.
"Diversity makes us stronger," Merjos says, noting that HSI draws in new clients who want multitalented directors. He cites the versatility of his helmers as a selling point, since they are as at home shooting commercials as they are at crafting original concepts, a common practice in the music video world. In addition, Merjos believes the breadth of work in which HSI is involved is a corporate strength because it helps amortize costs over a range of projects so "we are not dependent on one job or one industry."
The awards are nice, Merjos adds, but it is the work—and the repeat business—that tells the tale. "Attention is good in any way you can get it," he notes, "but the best way is to have an amazing commercial. People don’t give you as job just because you won an award."
—Tom Soter
Independent Media
"It’s not about telling people what they want to hear; it’s about listening," says Susanne Preissler, who heads up Independent Media, Santa Monica, a company that represents feature directors for select spot projects. "If you really listen to the director, the client, and the agency, you can’t go wrong. That’s how you’re successful."
Independent Media was certainly successful with a Toyota Celica package directed by Chris Smith through Saatchi & Saatchi LA, Torrance, Calif. The Toyota commercials garnered honors at the One Show, the AICP Show, the Cannes International Advertising Festival, as well as the ANDY awards.
One spot in particular, "Dog," won the bulk of the awards and honors. The ad is simple in execution: it shows a pooch "chasing" a Celica. The ad’s twist is that the car is parked; after the dog runs right into the auto, the copy deadpans: "Looks fast."
Smith, who directed American Movie and Home Movie, is part of a roster of more than a dozen directors that includes Ed Burns (She’s the One, Sidewalks of New York); Alfonso Cuaran (A Little Princess, Y Tu Mamá También); Scott Hicks (Snow Falling on Cedars, Hearts in Atlantis); Doug Liman (Go, The Bourne Identity); John Singleton (Shaft, Baby Boy); and Terry Zwigoff (Crumb, Ghost World).
Does Preissler, who launched Independent in 2000, think the awards raise Independent’s profile? "I think it raises Saatchi’s profile," says Preissler, who praises the Saatchi creatives who worked on the campaign. "Winning the awards probably made people more aware of our company. You hope it generates more business.
"To me winning is delivering something that is really good," she continues. "When you get the recognition, that’s icing on the cake."
—Fred Cisterna
Morton Jankel
Zander
What do directors like so much about bicoastal/international Morton Jankel Zander? Partner/executive producer David Zander won’t tell you. "If I told you, then everyone reading this would know." But over the last twelve months Morton Jankel Zander’s (MJZ) talent roster has gone through a growth spurt on par with Dr. J’s most awkward adolescent years.
Six of MJZ’s fourteen directors were signed since November of 2001, and are among some of the top names in the business. After the closure of Propaganda and Satellite, directors Dante Ariola, Spike Jonze, and the directorial duo Kuntz & Maguire—Tom and Mike, respectively—joined MJZ. Earlier this year, director Clay Williams came to MJZ from Crossroads Films, bicoastal and Chicago, after he and his former partner, Chuck Bennett of the directorial team Chuck & Clay, decided to pursue solo careers. (Bennett remained at Crossroads.) And most recently, Fredrik Bond left Harry Nash, London, to sign with MJZ’s new U.K.office. The remainder of MJZ’s directorial roster comprises Rocky Morton, Annabel Jankel, Sean Thonson, Kier McFarlane, Craig Gillespie, Jonathan David, Victor Garcia and Marcus Nispel.
According to interviews with the directors themselves, they appear to like MJZ’s devotion to the commercial format. "David Zander is focused on commercials—that’s where the company’s real passion lies," said Williams in an earlier interview with SHOOT. "I liked the way [Zander] was running the company," reported Bond upon making his decision to go with MJZ. And Jonze, at the time of his signing, said, "It seems like David Zander is twenty-four hours a day thinking about commercials. That’s the company’s focus. They’re not trying to be or do something else. I wanted that at this point in my career."
"We’ve tried to make it all about the work." notes Zander, "We’ve tried to do the right work, do a good job and work with our agency clients as our partners."
The result is a strong year for MJZ at the awards shows. Mercedes-Benz’s "Better," directed by Garcia for Merkley Newman Harty|Partners, New York, was honored by the AICP Show. And "Birthmark" for Budweiser, directed by Kuntz & Maguire, out of DDB Chicago, scored well at the Clios. "It is hard to determine whether [winning awards] brings us more work," relates Zander, "but I would assume it does. I think it helps people be aware of each individual director and as a result of that, our company."
—Adam Remson
Partizan
Stephen Dickstein, principal/ executive producer of bicoastal/international Partizan, sees the economic downturn of the last two years working to his advantage. By maintaining a solid and reliable business, he believes shops like his are now in demand. "As things have gotten tighter, the people who can innovate and work within the parameters of a stressful and demanding situation are more desirable," he notes. "And that is the good news for a lot of us who are in the business of being partners with agencies and being consistent and trusted suppliers. That was, in some ways, less esteemed in a time when you could introduce ten directors at the same time or a kid out of college could start a dot-com and get a national spot on the Super Bowl."
Despite the changes currently occurring in the advertising industry, Dickstein feels that the key to a successful business hasn’t changed at all. "I think that the rules are exactly as they have always been—to manage talent, to court the best work, produce the best work, and give directors the best opportunities that they can have to help them grow over the long term," he notes."[A company should also be able to] provide agencies with the creative service and production support that cultivates confidence in your company. What has changed is things have intensified over the last two years. There is more competition for a smaller pie."
Partizan fared well on the awards show circuit this year. The directing collective Traktor saw its work for Mike’s Hard Lemonade, out of Cliff Freeman and Partners, New York, earn recognition at the Clios, while Earthlink’s "Privacy," out of TBWA/ Chiat/Day, Los Angeles, received honors at the AICP Show.
Dickstein has a love/hate relationship with honors. "Awards are a wonderful recognition of what you have done and I don’t want to diminish them, [but] I think there is a comfort level that is created by directors and companies that have a tradition of doing award-winning work," he explains. "We all know that what you did last year, if it is positive, is good for what you might do next year. But the worst thing you can possibly do is to believe that [award wins] mean entitlement. Anybody who is worth anything in this business works their asses off."
Partizan’s directorial roster consists of: Traktor, Gondry, Alex & Martin, Antoine Bardou-Jacquet, Melanie Bridges, Frederico Brugia, Eric Coignoux, Geoffroy de Crecy, Paul Goldman, Mathias Hoenne, Jim Hosking, Jaume, Lance Kelleher, Eric Lynne, Dominic Murphy, Doug Nichol, Numero 6, James Pilkington, Suse Uhlenbrock, and Chris Robinson. In addition, Robinson’s music video house Robot Films, New York, according to Dickstein, also has an unofficial affiliation with Partizan. Directors at Robot include: Jessy Terrero, Risa Machuca, W.D. Hogan, Kevin Defraidus and Vin Rock.
—Adam Remson
Plum Productions
"Generally, I don’t think awards translate into return of business," says Chuck Sloan, co-founder/president/executive producer at Plum Productions, Santa Monica. "There are, [however] some exceptions."
Sloan cites two instances where awards did make a difference: Jeep’s "Snow Covered," helmed by Plum co-founder/director/DP Eric Saarinen via Bozell, Detroit, which won the Grand Prix at Cannes in 1994; and Land Rover’s "Orbit," also directed by Saarinen, out of GSD&M, Austin, Texas, which scored honors at this year’s Association of Independent Commercial Producers (AICP) Show in the production, production design and visual effects categories. (Sloan and Shelby Sexton served as executive producers on the ad.)
"Those two [spots], in particular, had a tremendous effect on [Saarinen’s] career," says Sloan, who, along with Saarinen, founded Plum in 1981.
"Orbit" features a series of soaring 180-degree camera moves that show the Land Rover Discovery in various settings around the world. The shots are linked by transitions where the camera seemingly plunges into earth or water only to re-emerge in various locations around the globe. The overall effect is truly spectacular.
In addition to Saarinen, Plum’s directorial roster includes Dana Christiaansen, Adam Cohen, Jan De Bont, Luca Maroni and Bob Rice.
Awards may be able to boost business, but generally speaking, how does a production company do well in a tough economy? "What we’ve done with Plum is try to maintain high quality and a low overhead," says Sloan. "We have a long range point of view. Today, it’s a benefit for us. We didn’t plan this economy; [our model] just works in the economy. We’ve been able to sustain a good profit every year, and have for twenty-one years."
—Fred Cisterna
PYTKA
It’s a little funny somehow that a commercial production company that is among the most honored in the annual awards frenzy each year doesn’t really make a big deal out of them.
It doesn’t have to. PYTKA, the Venice, Calif.-based home of director Joe Pytka, doesn’t need to tout the fact that its commercials have won, one year or another, every award earmarked for that kind of filmmaking. That’s because PYTKA is Pytka, and Pytka the director already has his pick of the best boards the agency community has to offer. And he’s always working. Executive producer Tara Fitzpatrick doesn’t have to pitch Joe Pytka.
Unlike most other production companies owned or controlled by top directors, PYTKA has virtually always been a one-man show. It’s been that way for about 30 years now, says Fitzpatrick, one of only a handful of full-time staffers at PYTKA.
"He’s so busy doing his own work I don’t think there is time to bring in more directors," she says. This past awards season, Pytka scored for Disney’s "Pillow Talk" out of Leo Burnett USA, Chicago, the post–9/11 "New York Miracle" PSA campaign from BBDO New York and ConAgra Foods’ Feeding Children Better Foundation PSA campaign from Bartle Bogle Hegarty, New York.
PSAs have always been a large part of Pytka’s work because they often contain the kind of writing and message that makes them stand out from the usual boards that come across his desk.
"No matter what kind of spot it is, it’s the writing that attracts him," Fitzpatrick says. Pytka’s most recent work is for Cole Taylor Bank in Chicago and Burnett. "It’s a small job because it’s regional," Fitzpatrick says, "but he’s doing it because it’s beautiful writing by guys he knows. And it’s funny."
—Bill Dunlap
RSA USA
Don’t tell bicoastal RSA USA managing director Jules Daly that award show recognition isn’t important. "In London, it’s always been integral for a production company to win awards," asserts Daly, "And here in the U.S., [award show wins] are becoming more and more important."
Daly ought to be happy with her company’s performance on the awards front. RSA USA had a solid run this year, with director Jake Scott’s Nike ad, "Move," out of Wieden+Kennedy, Portland, Ore., winning the Emmy for best primetime commercial, while Laurence Dunmore’s "Belly Button" spot for AT&T out of Ogilvy & Mather, New York, garnered honors at the AICP Show. Additionally, RSA USA produced the second round of "The Hire," the Internet-based short film series for BMW out of Fallon Minneapolis.
"The Emmy was a big win for Jake," notes Daly, "It proves what one spot can do for a director: He was already [first rate], but ‘Move’ brought him the sort of attention he might not have gotten otherwise."
In addition to Jake Scott and Dunmore, the RSA USA directorial roster comprises: Ridley Scott, Tony Scott, Luke Scott, Jordan Scott, Chris Cunningham, Adrian Moat, Dawn Shadforth, 4 1/2, Carl Erik Rinsch, Johnny Hardstaff, Jim Weedon, Peter Bloomfield, John Schwartzman, Tom Dey, the mono-monikered Angel, Hugh Johnson, Acne, Erick Ifergan, Jim Sonzero, Hype Williams, Regan Cameron, Thomas Job, Nick Livesy, John Marles, Mark Nunneley, Jack Price, Barry Skolnick, Richie Smyth, Ballie Walsh and Ronnie West.
RSA USA came into being in 1986, when director Ridley Scott expanded his 18-year-old London production company to include a stateside operation. Today, Scott and company have a bicoastal presence in America, and continue to maintain a commercial production shop in London under the RSA Films banner. The Scott family additionally runs the feature and broadcast production company Scott Free. Also part of the RSA family are sister music video shop Black Dog (which maintains an affiliation with spot/ music video house Little Minx), and Top Dog, a division that represents feature filmmakers for select spot assignments.3
