Directors Shona Auerbach, who has made a major splash with her feature film debut, Dear Frankie, and Jim Weedon, an accomplished spot editor who’s successfully diversified into helming, have joined Santa Monica-based GARTNER for their first formal representation in the American ad market.
Both Auerbach and Weedon are with The Bare Film Company, London, a shop formed last summer by partners/managing directors Helen Hadfield and Claire Sims. GARTNER gains a European production foothold via Bare, in addition to repping two of its directors stateside. Conversely, GARTNER executive producer Don Block noted that Bare can tap into GARTNER for production support and resources when shooting in the U.S.
Auerbach first made a name for herself with the short film Seven, which gained recognition at several venues, including the British Short Film Festival and the British Film Festival. Based on the success of that short, she was approached to do commercials. Auerbach went on to establish herself as a spot director, with European credits for such clients as Whiskas, Bold, Baci, SWEB and Proximus. Prior to Bare, she was with its two predecessor U.K. companies, including Bliss, which were also under the aegis of Hadfield.
Given her prowess in performance-driven fare, Auerbach got the chance to direct Dear Frankie. The low-budget U.K. film has gained considerable acclaim, receiving a standing ovation at Cannes and an audience award for best international feature at the Los Angeles Film Festival. The most recent accolade came last week from the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA), which named Auerbach a nominee for the prestigious Carl Foreman Award signifying special achievement by a British director, producer or writer in their first feature film.
Miramax chieftain Harvey Weinstein saw Dear Frankie on the festival circuit last year and became a major champion of the bittersweet film, in which a Scottish single mother fakes the existence of a seagoing husband for the sake of her deaf, nine-year-old son. Miramax is slated to release Dear Frankie in the U.S. in early March. The movie premiered in European theaters last week.
The film’s pending American release and a recent commercialmaking endeavor make the time opportune for Auerbach to now make her first foray into the U.S. market via GARTNER. Not only does the theatrical rollout of Dear Frankie figure to generate further momentum for her career, but she also is coming off of a three-spot, Bare-produced MasterCard campaign for McCann-Erickson, London. Word is that some of that people storytelling work for MasterCard could gain airtime in the U.S.
Auerbach said she was drawn to GARTNER’s company reel, which features people-based, performance-driven advertising. “It just felt like my work fit right in with what the company’s directors were doing,” she related.
WEEDON
While he too gains his first directorial representation in the U.S., Weedon is no stranger to the American market in that he has edited commercials for stateside and European clients. He continues to by repped as a spot editor through Final Cut, London and New York. Weedon started his career at The Whitehouse, London (which has since added offices in New York, Chicago and Santa Monica), as an assistant editor and then was promoted to editor. In 2001, he joined Peepshow, London, and moved over to Final Cut in late ’03.
Much of his current editing work entails spots helmed by feature filmmakers. Weedon recently wrapped a NetZero assignment directed by Joe Carnahan (Narc) for Bernstein Rein, Kansas City. Among Weedon’s other credits are multiple collaborations with filmmaker Ridley Scott (Gladiator, Thelma and Louise) of RSA Films, London (including Barclays for BBH, London), as well as an Allstate job helmed by Sam Mendes (American Beauty) for Leo Burnett USA, Chicago.
Weedon credits directors Ridley and Jake Scott (for whom Weedon has also cut) with encouraging and being supportive of his diversification into directing. Weedon in fact began helming spots in-between editing gigs at RSA Films. He also gained early recognition for There Was A Man, a short film that won a BBC New Directors Award in ’02. Weedon continues to be involved in shorts, including In the Corner, which is currently on his directorial reel.
After a couple of years at RSA, Weedon moved over to Bliss in ’03, which became Bare. Among his directing credits are spots for X-Box game Splinter Cell 2 out of McCann-Erickson, London, UNICEF for TBWA, London, Nike via Wieden+Kennedy, Amsterdam, and The Guardian for BMP/DDB, London.
GARTNER’s Block said he was drawn to “the visual energy” of Weedon’s shorts and commercials, including Nike’s “Heroes.”
Weedon has cut virtually all of his directorial projects and hopes to do the same in the U.S. market whenever possible. Beyond the continuity such a dual role brings to the work, Weedon thinks that as both director and editor he can help make jobs more cost effective in these budget-challenged times.
Auerbach and Weedon join a GARTNER directorial roster that consists of James Gartner, Ray Dillman, Raymond Bark, Martin Cannelakis and the team of Chris Riess and Amy Hill. Block and Rich Carter are GARTNER’s executive producers. GARTNER also maintains a sister shop, Tight, headed by executive producer Jonathon Ker. Tight’s directors are Iain Mackenzie and The Brothers Strause.