Group101Spots–the three-year-old Los Angeles-based program that has had a hand in discovering a variety of up-and-coming directors through the making of spec spots–is now spreading its wings to the East Coast. Earlier this month, Group101 held its inaugural Big Apple meeting, hosted by editorial house the now corporation, New York. The Manhattan session drew some 150 people, including aspiring directors, and a slew of potential collaborators, including copywriters, cinematographers, editors, graphic artists and composers.
The directors participating in Group101Spots’ first East Coast initiative are: Jordan Alport, Ariel Danziger, Kevin Frech, Kevin Johnston, Paul Kamuf, Travis Kopach, Chris McKenna, Jody Lauren Miller, Crystal Moselle, Julian Pugsley, Raafi Rivero, David Yosha and the helming duo of Zack Resnicoff and JC Khoury.
During the recent Manhattan meeting, they had the chance to talk with director Larry Shanet, a.k.a. Kranky, an alumnus of Group101Spots, Los Angeles. Kranky turned out spec fare at Group101 that helped spur on his career, leading to his signing with Crossroads Films, bicoastal and Chicago, for the U.S. market, and Toronto-based Shooters for Canadian representation. Questions asked of Shanet by the directors centered on choosing the right scripts, and how to best go about building their reels and marketing themselves.
As with the directors that have passed through the Los Angeles program, Group101Spots will require each New York helmer to create one spec spot every thirty days for six months. The directors present their spec commercials at a monthly meeting for review by other directors as well as production company executives and agency staffers. Through critiques and advice, these gatherings give the directors insight into improving their spots as well as opportunities to network.
According to director/executive producer Dina Mande, the founder of Group101Spots, the startup meeting in Gotham was most productive. She noted that scripts for prospective spec projects were submitted from such New York agencies as DDB, Grey, J. Walter Thompson, Ogilvy & Mather, McCann-Erickson and G Whiz. The Group101 directors were also introduced to assorted New York venders that offered help and discounts, including TCS, Version2, wild(child), DuArt, Blue Rock, Big Sky Editorial, Jump, Mad River, Company 3 and The Mill.
Meanwhile Mande, who’s a partner in the recently formed commercial production house Subliminal in Burbank, Calif. (SHOOT, 9/9, p. 1), continues to maintain the Group101Spots program in Los Angeles, which has 12 directors in tow for its latest go-around. Group101Spots’ goal is to help directors fashion reels that will actually get them work, eliciting interest from agencies, clients and prospective production company roosts. There are also directors who are looking to redefine themselves. For example, Mo Husseini of Subliminal is currently reshaping his directorial reel via Group101. He is an established director, having been repped for work via cYclops, New York, and prior to that kaboom, San Francisco. However, his helming endeavors have largely been in visual effects-driven fare given his extensive experience as a technical director for Lucasfilms’ Industrial Light+Magic. Now through Group101, Husseini is focusing on projects that demonstrate his prowess in character development and storytelling.
For more info, log onto www.group101spots.com
