Synthetic Pictures has taken on commercialmakiing and branded content representation in the U.S. for docu-style storytelling director Jeff Feuerzeig, winner of Sundance’s top documentary directing honors for the feature The Devil and Daniel Johnston.
“As a company with such strong Austin roots, it makes sense that Jeff is now working with Synthetic,” said Allison R. Smith, executive producer at Synthetic Pictures. “Jeff has directed so many exciting projects, but he is forever linked to Austin’s indie rock legend Daniel Johnston.” Feuerzeig also collaborated on another project with Austin’s own Mike Judge on his series Mike Judge Presents: Tales from the Tour Bus, which even further strengthened Feuerzeig’s ties to the creative hub.
“They really get me as a director,” said Feuerzeig of Synthetic’s creative leadership. He and company founder Justin Corsbie cemented the partnership over strip mall Thai noodles at one of Anthony Bourdain and Jonathan Gold’s favorite haunts on L.A.’s eastside. “I came out of the early punk and indie music underground, inspired by The Maysles, D.A. Pennebaker, and the American Indie Film movement. It was obvious they have a shared love of that indie ethos that makes for an instant creative shorthand.”
Feuerzeig has directed notable branded campaigns for clients such as Google, HBO, Nokia, VICE, Samsung, IBM, and RBC Bank. He’s also amassed an impressive list of entertainment directing credits including: AUTHOR: The JT LeRoy Story acquired by Amazon Studios, released theatrically, and nominated in 2017 by the Writers Guild of America for Best Nonfiction Screenplay; The Real Rocky for ESPN’s acclaimed “30 for 30” series; and HBO Presents Backstories, an animated nonfiction series profiling the creators of HBO hit shows Game of Thrones, The Righteous Gemstones and Barry.
Smith said, “Jeff is a creative force. We believe his talents are most fully realized when he gets involved early, collaborating with creatives during the concepting phase developing ideas around his unique creative approach of blending visual and audio media.” Feuerzeig has become known for his docu-style narratives that often mix live action, 2D and 3D animation, still photography, sound design, and other art forms to create a kaleidoscope of storytelling and imagery.
Feuerzeig was formerly with Reverie Content and prior to that, Green Dot Films. His new home, Synthetic Pictures is an award-winning production house specializing in commercials, branded content, and filmed entertainment. The company has worked with clients including Ford, Nissan, Starbucks, Shell, Amazon, Samsung, Infiniti, Dairy Queen, Burger King, P&G, Kellogg’s, and Vegas Tourism. Synthetic’s indie feature film Hard Luck Love Song was released in theaters nationwide in fall 2021 by Roadside Attractions and Lionsgate. Founded in 2002, Synthetic Pictures has offices in Los Angeles and Austin. Feuerzeig joins Synthetic’s diverse roster of live action directors, accompanied by visual effects division SP/FX.
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 XR’s 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 he’s 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.
Rossano’s 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 company’s creative talent network. Rossano’s career includes serving as an exec producer at Hungry Man for about 11 years, right from that company’s 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