Executive producer Peter B. Williams and the directorial duo The Norman Brothers (Keith and Kipp Norman) have launched production company Dreamboat. The new venture has evolved through a reworking and rebranding of their prior roost, Norman Brothers Productions.
Unlike traditional shops, Dreamboat operates on a semi-exclusive model, prioritizing directors’ active involvement in projects rather than binding them to exclusive contracts. The inaugural Dreamboat production is a collaboration with Deep Eddy Vodka and agency McGarrah Jessee. The production company brought together a team to work on the job, including director Jessica Batson, whom Dreamboat knew through her celebrated short film, Exquisite Things.
Dreamboat’s roster of nonexclusive talent includes Batson whom the company is marketing in the West and Texas. In the Midwest she is with production house Method and Madness. The Dreamboat directorial lineup also includes David B. Godin, Heinz Köbernik, Will Slocombe and Lanre Danmola who are not signed exclusively anywhere. Also on the Dreamboat roster are: Kess BD who’s affiliated with Sweet Rickey, mostly in the Boston/Northeast market, and formerly with Backyard; Erica Silverman, who has been promoted by Red Productions but now not signed exclusively anywhere; Effy Kawira who is repped by Howdy Gang in Minnesota, but non-exclusively; and Mac Eldridge, not signed exclusively but previously with Backyard. Dreamboat additionally has director Ryley Burghall exclusively in the U.S.
As an artist-founded studio, Dreamboat has built a supportive and collaborative collective featuring a diverse mix of storytellers. Prioritizing relationships and teamwork, the production company seeks to create a vibrant ecosystem where directors can excel as contributors on their own productions and as co-creators for the collective benefit.
“Our nautical motif kind of merges the concepts of ‘life at sea’ with ‘being a total babe,’ which we thought was fun, funny, and true of our ambitions. The way we look at it is this: We offer the fun and adventure of a pirate ship, along with the many comforts of a pleasure cruise,” said Keith Norman.
“We take the work seriously, but ourselves decidedly less so,” Kipp Norman added. “The thing I’ve always loved most about filmmaking is that it’s a team sport–it comes down to people, and their abilities to lift one another up throughout the process. Our intention is to create a place where we can rise together. Dreamboat means traveling to new places with people who share that same sense of adventure.”
EP Williams and The Norman Brothers have been a part of campaigns for State Farm, Anheuser-Busch, Kraft, Nintendo, Porsche, Subway, and Floor & Decor, among others. Williams noted, “We always strive for the kind of collaboration that comes from really listening and asking meaningful questions. It’s about being additive versus competing over ideas, to create an environment where people get enjoyment out of the process. We believe that’s where the best work thrives, and this first project [for Deep Eddy Vodka] expresses it perfectly.”
Also central to the Dreamboat team is Analu Moscoso, a Brazilian-born associate producer. Dreamboat is represented by Lisa G. & Co. + Blush on the West Coast, Perry Tongate in Texas, Sharon Swanson in the Midwest, and Kelly Flint and Sarah Lange from New York-based firm Strike-This for the East and Southeast.
