By Robert Goldrich
Below are profiles of a dozen leading helmers who have made a major impact on advertising and marketing. These profiles are followed by Creative Perspectives, a look at new directorial talent that bears watching. And check out Cinematography Chatter in our Columns section in which cinematogrphers offer insights into their working relationships with directors.
At the time we were putting the finishing touches on this issue, we had also earnestly embarked on our fifth annual New Directors Search, which will culminate in SHOOT’s fifth annual New Directors Showcase, a major event that will take place at the Directors Guild of America Theatre in New York on May 23. The ties between the spring Directors Series and our new talent competition are strikingly evident in the pages that follow.
For one, David Gray of Hungry Man was included in our 2005 New Directors Showcase. This January he was nominated for the DGA Award recognizing the best commercial director of ’06. In less than two years he went from being at the DGA’s Manhattan venue as part of our Showcase to appearing at the DGA Awards in Los Angeles as a nominee.
Gray is profiled in our Directors Series section as are former SHOOT Showcase helmers Yael Staav of Reginald Pike, Aaron Ruell who recently joined Biscuit Filmworks and John Immesoete of Backyard Productions and sister shop Seed. Via the latter, Immesoete created and developed three series for the recently launched online entertainment network bud.TV, underscoring the opportunities that are emerging for talented industry artisans.
Speaking of bud.TV, this issue’s coverage of up-and-coming directors in the feature titled “Creative Perspectives” includes the team of Don & John of HSI Productions who recently scored their first big ad industry helming break with episodes of The Arrogant Fake British Rich Guy and Guided Meditation With The Billy Lama, which are both series out of DDB Chicago for the ambitious Budweiser network. Don & John are former agency creatives, a background prevalent in our spring crop of new directors.
And our search for new talent isn’t confined to Directors Series editions or the New Directors Showcase. Virtually every issue of SHOOT provides exposure for emerging artisans. For example, in this week’s “The Best Work You May Never See” gallery, we feature a spec spot conceived and directed by Nir Bashan, a promising newcomer who recently signed with BeachHouse Films.
Indeed among our most enjoyable pursuits is having a hand in uncovering new talent. In that light, we hope you enjoy this special issue and we welcome your feedback at rgoldrich@shootonline.com
SCHROM x Yacht Club and Be Electric Studios Launch Electric XR for Virtual Production
SCHROM x Yacht Club, a full-service live-action, tabletop, and postproduction company, has teamed with Be Electric Studios, a soundstage, equipment rental, and virtual production company, to launch Electric XR, a virtual production collective.
Industry veteran Thomas Rossano will lead the new venture, which provides advanced virtual production solutions across multiple facilities. He brings over 25 years of experience in live-action, tabletop, postproduction and talent curation to enhance Electric XRโs offerings as a resource for brands and agencies, as well as other production companies in need of virtual production solutions. Additionally Rossano continues to serve as EP at XR New York (XR-NY), a role heโs held since December 2022. SCHROM x Yacht Club originally established XR-NY to help provide XR services for third-party rentals. While XR-NY will continue to function independently for SCHROM X Yacht Club, it now operates under the Electric XR umbrella.
Rossanoโs expertise spans producing live-action commercials, branded content, interactive and experiential content. In addition to leading Electric XR, he holds responsibilities at SCHROM x Yacht Club which include driving business development, collaborating with sales reps and expanding the companyโs creative talent network. Rossanoโs career includes serving as an exec producer at Hungry Man for about 11 years, right from that companyโs inception. He then went on to become a partner at Station Film where he also had a lengthy tenure. Later he was a partner at PRISM. Then after the pandemic hit, he became a freelance EP for nearly two years, looking into opportunities in virtual production, which led him to XR NY and now Electric XR. Over the years, he has produced high-profile... Read More