Initiative will become accessible to entire creative community
RESIDENCE, the director-in-residence initiative that aims to bring underrepresented voices into the commercial production community, announced today (1/18) that it will expand beyond Goodby Silverstein & Partners (GS&P) in 2023. Founded by Jennifer “JP” Patterson while she was at GS&P, RESIDENCE will become an independent organization based in Los Angeles with the mission of serving the broader ad community.
This evolution allows RESIDENCE to work with more brands and agencies and broaden its mission to create brand storytelling opportunities for historically underrepresented filmmakers, as well as to ensure authenticity in brand messaging earlier on in the creative process.
RESIDENCE’s inaugural cohort launched in 2022 with 12 directors, all of whom completed the three-month curriculum and were also put forward for paid GS&P-client projects, including films for Capri Sun, Sam Adams and the Smithsonian.
“This program was a huge success and, in many ways, exceeded my expectations,” said Patterson. “Brands have a responsibility to tell stories representative of the communities we live in. I love the spirit of innovation we’re seeing in the industry right now, and it is the right time to scale the program to the next level and widen our connections to more brand and agency partners. It’s a dream to steward and lead a program that empowers underrepresented talent.”
Jeff Goodby, co-founder and co-chairman of GS&P, shared, “We were so proud to partner with JP to launch RESIDENCE at GS&P. We soon realized the program is much too big an idea for GS&P to house exclusively. RESIDENCE has the potential to remake the industry for the better, and we know it has to grow beyond our walls in order to effect real change.”
With the upcoming launch of RESIDENCE’s second cohort in 2023, Patterson is focusing on creating bespoke programs for brands and curating director talent to meet the briefs that grow out of those programs. Patterson is currently in talks with partners for 2023 and plans to launch this new cohort of directors in the spring. FREE THE WORK was the inaugural-class launch partner and is now collaborating with Patterson on director selection for the upcoming class, and program opportunities.
“JP is empowering underrepresented filmmakers in new ways, creating a model for change,” added Margaret Johnson, chief creative officer of GS&P. “We look forward to watching RESIDENCE scale in order to overcome the important challenges this industry faces in advancing underrepresented filmmakers.”
To learn more about RESIDENCE, Patterson can be contacted here.
Great Guns Signs Director Finn McGough
Great Guns has signed commercial, documentary and drama director Finn McGough for representation in the U.S., Middle East and Asia.
McGough’s commercial portfolio features a wide array of brands spanning Volkswagen, Marks & Spencer, McDonald’s, E45, Shredded Wheat, Lloyds, Budweiser, and more. His appreciation for human stories shines throughout--for McCain, he crafted a heartfelt celebration of all types of diverse families; for Nokia, he followed a day in the life of the oldest active hockey player; for Cancer Research UK, he uncovered the way children are influenced by cigarette packaging, earning a Bronze Arrow and Silver Clio. In addition to further British Arrows accolades, McGough has also won a D&AD Pencil and two APA Top 50 accreditations.
As a documentary director, McGough has traveled across continents, making Lonely Planet guides in Kenya and Italy, and even being blindfolded and dropped in Azerbaijan for Channel 4’s Lost adventure series. His subsequent observational BBC films, The Professional Charmer and Summer With The Johnsons, picked up a PRIX EUROPA for Best Non-Fiction Film and a Royal Television Society Breakthrough Talent nomination.
In the drama realm, McGough was nominated for Best Film and Best Cinematography at the Rushes Soho Shorts Festival for his short Flak, based on a story by Alan Sillitoe.
McGough said of Great Guns, “Their reputation as a global producer of fine and varying work says it all, so I’m looking forward to exciting times ahead (and to finally having a drink at their London pub--bonus!)”
Michel Waxman, managing executive producer at Great Guns in the U.S., added, “Finn’s passion for incredibly relatable storytelling... Read More