SANTA MONICA—Executive producer Jonathon Ker, with extensive experience on both the production house and ad agency sides of the business, has teamed with Don Block and Rich Carter, executive producers at the longstanding GARTNER, to launch production company Tight. The new venture is a sister shop to GARTNER and opens with director Iain Mackenzie. At press time, Tight was moving into its own newly built space adjacent to GARTNER’s Santa Monica headquarters.
While Ker’s prime focus is Tight, he will be available to GARTNER as well. Similarly, Block and Carter figure to be involved in Tight’s development, with Ker taking the lead role on that front. "Management is so key in today’s marketplace," said Ker. "That’s largely what drew me here—the chance to work closely with Don and Rich, two people I respect, in shaping a company, its brand and directors’ careers."
Ker and Mackenzie have been together since last September, working informally under the a.proteii banner, which is part of Santa Monica-based hybrid agency/production house Amoeba. A.proteii will continue as the in-house production arm for Amoeba, but sans any staff directors. Meanwhile, Ker plans to remain active as a creative at Amoeba, collaborating with its founder and creative mainstay Len Fink.
Mackenzie and Ker have already proven to be a prolific pair; their most recent jobs at a.proteii included Lincoln Financial for Martin/Williams Advertising, Minneapolis, and Gatorade for Element 79 Partners, Chicago. The latter, titled "One World," is this week’s SHOOT "Top Spot" (see p. 12).
Currently in the market for other directors to complement Mackenzie, Ker said he envisions the Tight roster remaining "tight," meaning boutique-sized. "When a shop maintains a large number of directors, things become too unwieldy. I don’t see how you can pay the proper attention to building directors’ careers that way," he related.
Earlier in his career, Mackenzie—who’s come to be known for his narrative and visual prowess—was with now defunct Piper Productions and then Ritts/Hayden for U.S. representation. The latter shop was acquired by bicoastal HKM Productions in ’03 and briefly became Last Night … At HKM. After a short stint there, Mackenzie eventually hooked up with Ker.
KER
Meanwhile, Block sees Ker as positively impacting both Tight and GARTNER. "Being able to tap into someone of Jonathon’s experience is a great asset," remarked Block, citing as an example the directorial team of Chris Riess and Amy Hill, a.k.a. Riess/Hill, who signed with GARTNER earlier this year (SHOOT, 3/24, p. 1). Earlier in their careers, Riess/Hill worked closely with Ker at the since closed Palomar Pictures. "When Chris and Amy heard that Jonathon was becoming part of the family here, they were delighted to renew that relationship and to have the opportunity to again access him as a resource," said Block.
Ker has a track record for helping to develop directorial talent, first at the now defunct U.S. spot division of U.K.-headquartered Limelight, and then at Palomar, which he co-founded in ’92. Ker exited Palomar in ’02; the company closed nearly a year later (SHOOT, 3/14/03, p. 1). Prior to launching Limelight stateside in ’87, Ker was head of TV at ad agency Bartle Bogle Hegarty, London.
After Palomar, Ker connected with Fink at Amoeba, where they have teamed on varied projects, including campaigns for Fandango, the advance remote movie-theater ticketing service that consumers can access via the Web and over the phone. "Clubbing," one of the commercials in last year’s Fandango campaign, earned SHOOT "Top Spot" recognition (7/4-17/03, p. 10). Fink and Ker were the creative team on "Clubbing," which was directed by Breck Eisner.
GARTNER’s spot directorial roster consists of James Gartner, Ray Dillman, Raymond Bark, Riess/Hill, Martin Canellakis and Michael Apted.
GARTNER and Tight have the same representation on both coasts: staff director of marketing Andrew Hall on the West Coast, and independent rep Phillip Alden of Claire.Alden Partners, New York, on the East Coast. The production houses have different indie representation in the Midwest, with David Wagner handling Tight, and Renee Case repping GARTNER.
