Veteran executive producer Jonathan Miller has teamed with two up-and-coming directors, Judy Starkman and Steve Chavez, to launch Two Trick Pony, a Hollywood-based production house that also handles U.S. representation for several overseas directors, including a coterie of talent from Luscious International, Sydney. Two Trick Pony additionally reps France-based director Gil Bauwens to the American ad market.
The two prime “tricks” of the new venture, related Miller, are specializing in new directorial talent–namely Starkman and Chavez–while also making established international helmers available to the U.S. A third trick, he added, entails the conceptual prowess of the company roster, notably Starkman and Chavez. The latter is a freelance agency creative who earlier in his career served on staff at such shops as Ogilvy & Mather, Los Angeles, Rubin Postaer and Associates, Santa Monica, and Chiat/Day (now TBWA/Chiat/Day), Los Angeles.
Meanwhile Starkman created and helmed a short, “Klownin’,” which won a heavily contested Converse competition, earning a cash prize along with airtime on the MTV Networks. Converse originally put out a call for 24-second films–not commercials–that embody the Converse spirit. Starkman’s documentary filmmaking background pointed her in the direction of Tommy The Clown, an L.A. performer who has attained prominence in crumping and clowning, a form of hip-hop expression that combines aggressive tribal dancing with clown antics.
Tommy has organized performing ensembles, including inner city kids, who have achieved a measure of success and self-esteem on the performing circuit. Starkman read about Tommy, sought him out and placed him and his young colleagues in a stark performance environment for the Converse short. She also created and helmed another Converse spec film, a lifestyle portrait of a ceramics maker. Both Converse shorts have generated an industry buzz. And now Two Trick Pony is investing in an upcoming spec project designed to further showcase Starkman’s directorial talent.
Starkman met Miller a little more than a year ago, seeking his counsel regarding her breaking into mainstream spotmaking. At the time, Miller headed Los Angeles-based Mutiny Productions, the in-house arm of TBWA/Chiat/Day. Starkman said that Miller was consistently supportive and helpful, as she became involved in Group101 Spots. As chronicled in SHOOT, Group101 Spots is a collective that helps to develop aspiring commercialmakers through spec projects and feedback from established industry people.
Miller meanwhile exited Mutiny and served as West Coast executive producer for Southfield, Mich.-based Millennium Pictures for about six months. He then moved on to partner in Two Trick Pony.
Starkman’s first high profile professional gig was serving as a London-based foreign news producer. She later directed a U.K. series, Hollywood Men, comprised of four hour-long episodes (profiling such notables as former Paramount Pictures exec Robert Evans). Moving back to the U.S., she worked as a Los Angeles filmmaking correspondent on a Canadian TV series, which entailed her helming profiles of underground artists in Southern California. Then she served on staff for three and a half years at Channel One, the teen/youth network wired to classrooms across the country. She directed assorted teen-related and educational programs, telling relevant stories to teenagers in a positive, encouraging manner. Soon she dovetailed into directing promos for the network. Also during her Channel One tenure, Starkman directed Power of One, a storytelling project, which had her working with Leo Burnett USA, Chicago, on behalf of client and program sponsor the U.S. Army. Furthermore, while at the teen network, she directed four PSAs promoting the Hope For Youth Foundation, which were run through bicoastal/international commercial production house Hungry Man.
CHAVEZ
Chavez’s directorial reel includes work for Del Taco, THQ video games and Mail Boxes Etc. He continues to freelance as an agency creative, while building his helming career. His freelance agency endeavors span work for such shops as J. Walter Thompson, Detroit, Team One Advertising, El Segundo, Calif., Saatchi & Saatchi LA, Torrance, Calif., Publicis & Hal Riney, San Francisco and Grey, Los Angeles. His last agency staff position was at Ogilvy & Mather, Los Angeles, where he was senior partner/creative director.
Miller said his decision to start up Two Trick Pony was driven primarily by his belief in the talent of Starkman and Chavez. Reflecting upon his experience on both the agency (producing for Leo Burnett, Chicago, and FCB Chicago) and production house sides of the business (president of Image Point Productions, the former TV commercial division of Cannell Studios, Hollywood, and president of now defunct Harmony Pictures), Miller said his most gratifying endeavor was helping to develop directors. He reasoned that he could best focus on that pursuit at a small entrepreneurial venture like Two Trick Pony, where he is also involved in repping the directing roster, working in tandem with Chicago-based national director of sales Dan O’Brien.
That sales push also encompasses the directors from the aforementioned Sydney-based Lucious International, including Richard Gibson, James Holt and Damien Toogood. Spot credits for Twogood are Olympus, STA, Mitsubishi, Target and Coca-Cola, among others. Holt has helmed for such clients as Visa International, DHL, Nokia, Guinness, MasterCard and Air New Zealand. And Holt has directed commercials for the likes of Singapore Airlines, McDonald’s TDK, Motorola, Nokia and Visa International.
French director Bauwens’ current reel includes commercials for Ikea, DHL, Peugeot, Ford, Renault, Mercedes Benz, Harrah’s, Remy Martin and Volkswagen.