Goodby Silverstein & Partners (GS&P) has launched RESIDENCE, an artist-in-residence program established to further the agency’s commitment to content innovation while creating opportunities for historically underrepresented voices. This next-generation artist set will foster unprecedented collaboration and look to rewrite the playbook for how brands, agencies and storytellers collaborate with one another in a rapidly evolving content ecosystem.
Each RESIDENCE cohort will include 12 directors in three rotations per year. The inaugural class launches on June 13 in partnership with Free the Work, a curated talent-discovery platform for underrepresented creators. It includes filmmakers such as Shaandiin Tome, winner of the best short documentary for Long Line of Ladies at the 2022 SXSW; Kadri Koop, cinematographer for On the Line: The Richard Williams Story, which premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival; and Shadae Lamar Smith, will.i.am’s former creative director.
“GS&P has always had a strong maker culture, and this is an industry-first program that also happens to be a recipe for killer new work,” said Margaret Johnson, chief creative officer and partner at GS&P. “Filmmaking for today’s audiences requires a different kind of storytelling. It’s time to go beyond our own perspectives to amplify fresh voices to reflect the increasingly changing world we live in and to get to an even deeper level of authenticity in our storytelling.”
The program will help break down longstanding barriers between new and emerging talent and major brands. The directors will participate in workshops, roundtables and creative conversations with leaders in the production community who share the program’s mission to promote inclusive storytelling.
“RESIDENCE is real-world content by real-world filmmakers, and I am thrilled that GS&P is committed to both diversity and being a true partner to the production community,” said JP Patterson, director of film content and partnerships at GS&P and creator of RESIDENCE. “In order to connect with today’s audiences in the rapidly evolving content space, we need to be constantly innovating, and RESIDENCE is a stage on which diverse artists can shine and bring that spirit of exploration and courageous thinking forward.”
Patterson is a Los Angeles-based production veteran who has built and led award-winning creative production studios for agencies and brands worldwide–notably at Intel. With GS&P, Patterson also oversees GS&P Films, the agency’s in-house content studio. RESIDENCE will be led by Patterson who is joined by Sophie Zelon as RESIDENCE program manager.
