Director John Zissimos, formerly of bicoastal/international Hungry Man, has joined Fools and Horses, the Los Angeles-based production house headed by owners/executive producers Shelly Townsend and Cyn Guzman, for exclusive U.S. representation in commercials.
A former creative director with TBWA/Chiat/Day, New York, Warwick Baker Fiore, New York, J. Walter Thompson (JWT), New York and San Francisco, and McCann Erickson, San Francisco, Zissimos has done award-winning creative work for such clients as Nissan, Nestle, Lipton and Amstel.
As a spot director specializing in comedy/dialogue, he has helmed campaigns and commercial projects for assorted clients, including Mike’s Hard Lemonade, Airborne, PG&E and the Inside Out Film Festival, all of which he wrapped as part of the directing team Zissimos+Rowan (in tandem with former agency creative colleague Greg Rowan).
Zissimos was repped by Hungry Man initially as a member of that directing duo and then as a solo helmer. Among Zissimos’ individual directorial credits are spot work for Major League Baseball’s San Francisco Giants, and his first two assignments under the Fools and Horses banner: a Sprint viral campaign that came out of Goodby, Silverstein & Partners, San Francisco, and the comedic tongue-in-cheek “Quick, Get that Dog Some ALPO” campaign from Fallon Minneapolis.
Zissimos observed that his agency background has proved invaluable when engaging in collaborations with creative and production teams.
“I know what it’s like to spend a year with a :30 script and at the one-yard line hand it off to a director. I know how hard that is so I try to make something good and bring to life these ideas.”
During his agency tenure, Zissimos directed select projects for clients, including Mike’s Hard Lemonade at McCann Erickson, San Francisco. That work set the tone for what turned out to be a successful campaign for several years running.
Zissimos rounds out a Fools and Horses directorial roster comprised of David Denneen, Fuzzi Galuzzi, Kai Sehr, Laurence Thrush, Francois Valla, and Erik Van Wyk.
Review: Director Jon M. Chu’s “Wicked”
It's the ultimate celebrity redemption tour, two decades in the making. In the annals of pop culture, few characters have undergone an image makeover quite like the Wicked Witch of the West.
Oh, she may have been vengeful and scary in "The Wizard of Oz." But something changed — like, REALLY changed — on the way from the yellow brick road to the Great White Way. Since 2003, crowds have packed nightly into "Wicked" at Broadway's Gershwin Theatre to cheer as the green-skinned, misunderstood Elphaba rises up on her broomstick to belt "Defying Gravity," that enduring girl-power anthem.
How many people have seen "Wicked"? Rudimentary math suggests more than 15 million on Broadway alone. And now we have "Wicked" the movie, director Jon M. Chu's lavish, faithful, impeccably crafted (and nearly three-hour) ode to this origin story of Elphaba and her (eventual) bestie — Glinda, the very good and very blonde. Welcome to Hollywood, ladies.
Before we get to what this movie does well (Those big numbers! Those costumes!), just a couple thornier issues to ponder. Will this "Wicked," powered by a soulful Cynthia Erivo (owner of one of the best singing voices on the planet) and a sprightly, comedic, hair-tossing Ariana Grande, turn even musical theater haters into lovers?
Tricky question. Some people just don't buy into the musical thing, and they should be allowed to live freely amongst us. But if people breaking into song delights rather than flummoxes you, if elaborate dance numbers in village squares and fantastical nightclubs and emerald-hued cities make perfect sense to you, and especially if you already love "Wicked," well then, you will likely love this film. If it feels like they made the best "Wicked" movie money could buy — well, it's... Read More