Executive producers Carl Swan and Lizzie Schwartz have teamed to launch Community Films. The new venture opens with a directorial roster consisting of Seth Gordon, Jared Hess, Michael Patrick Jann, Matt Smukler and Pam Thomas.
Swan and Schwartz previously served as exec producers at Hello! and Moxie Pictures, respectively. Community’s lineup includes directors who were formerly with those two houses as Smukler and Jann were with Hello, and Gordon, Hess and Thomas had been repped by Moxie.
Smukler is a prolific spot helmer. Commercial and TV director Pam Thomas has credits that include Sex and the City and Desperate Housewives. Jared Hess directed such features as Napoleon Dynamite and Nacho Libre. Gordon’s endeavors include the documentary King of Kong and the comedy feature Horrible Bosses. And Jann has Reno 911 and Drop Dead Gorgeous among his credits. Hess, Gordon and Jann additionally have considerable spotmaking experience.
Together, Swan and Schwartz have more than 30 years experience producing commercials, web films, shorts, music videos, and features. Swan served as executive producer at Hello! and predecessor house HKM for 10 years. Earlier he served as head of production at Harmony Pictures.
Schwartz worked with producer Cary Woods at Miramax on features like Scream and Citizen Ruth, before going on to executive produce at Moxie Pictures for 15 years.
Community has already turned out several spots, including Smukler-directed fare for Robitusson via Grey and McDonald’s out of Moroch; a Pam Thomas-helmed job for Amica from agency Cronin & Company; and a Hess-directed assignment for Direct Auto and agency Cramer-Krasselt.
The production company’s sales team consists of Reprizent (Michael Arkin, Anna Triggs, Taina Torres-Wirth) on the East Coast, MJ Companies (Marguerite Juliusson) in the Midwest, and Amy Jones on the West Coast. Community is repped in the U.K. via London production house Independent.
Directorial roster includes Seth Gordon, Jared Hess, Michael Patrick Jann, Matt Smukler, and Pam Thomas
Director Ayse Altinok Joins Good Times For U.S. Commercial Representation
Director and writer Ayse Altinok has joined commercial production company Good Times for U.S. representation. Altinok has directed campaigns for Nike, Horizon Milk, Larabar, Jose Cuervo, Unilever, Mavi Jeans, Boots, Lumene, and more.
A former art director at Wieden + Kennedy in Amsterdam and Portland, she approaches each project with careful consideration, analyzing the end goal as a first step and uncovering meaningful moments along the way. Her work features a cinematic, dreamlike quality and elevated aesthetic.
“Having the right chemistry and karma is very powerful and that’s what attracted me to Good Times, and also timing,” said Altinok. “It’s a place where I can continue to push myself as a filmmaker and try new things, whether it’s for a traditional commercial spot or a high concept art project and everything in between.”
“I’ve worked with Ayse for 20 years and she’s super talented. She’s great at finding gems in stories that would otherwise be overlooked, and her aesthetic is phenomenal,” noted Bernadette Spear, executive producer at Good Times. “She can also empathize with creatives, because she’s lived in that world and understands what our clients face and knows how to support their vision.”
Throughout her career, Altinok’s work has won many industry accolades, including awards from The One Show, Clio, Art Directors Club, AICP, and the ANDYs. In 2016, she was nominated for a D&AD Next Director Award for her short film A Day at the Mall Reminds Me of America, a motion poem. Her first short film, 2009’s Hortum was an official selection of 11 film festivals worldwide and won the Special Jury Prize for Best Drama at the Amsterdam Film Festival.
Outside of her short... Read More