Backyard has signed comedy/performance director and former agency creative Greg Bell for U.S. commercial representation. Bell comes to Backyard from Epoch Films, before which he was a partner at agency Venables Bell & Partners. He is currently embarking on a campaign for NYC-based DeVito Verdi.
As a director, Bell is known for an intelligent brand of comedy that celebrates the humorous and peculiar side of humanity. His work spans such clients as Google, Toyota, Kraft, Firstbank, Carl’s Jr./Hardee’s and Old Navy.
After graduating from the Advertising Program at the University of Texas, Bell landed his first job at Cliff Freeman & Partners, where he helped create seminal comedy campaigns for Little Caesars and Staples. Next, Bell moved to Goodby Silverstein & Partners, where he concepted breakthrough work for the Netflix, Got Milk, HP, Starbucks and Discover Card, among others. Bell then co-founded his own San Francisco-based agency, Venables Bell & Partners in 2001. He sold his ownership in the agency in 2010 to focus on his directing career. Bell earned inclusion into SHOOT's 2011 New Directors Showcase.
Over the course of his 15-year agency career, Bell’s work has been recognized worldwide, and two of his campaigns have been included in USA Today’s Best of the Decade. His spots can also be found in the Clio Hall of Fame and in the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art in New York.
Backyard is led by president/partner Blair Stribley, managing director/partner Chris Zander, VP/executive producer Kris Mathur, and partner Tom Duff and his partners at Optimus.
SCHROM x Yacht Club and Be Electric Studios Launch Electric XR for Virtual Production
SCHROM x Yacht Club, a full-service live-action, tabletop, and postproduction company, has teamed with Be Electric Studios, a soundstage, equipment rental, and virtual production company, to launch Electric XR, a virtual production collective.
Industry veteran Thomas Rossano will lead the new venture, which provides advanced virtual production solutions across multiple facilities. He brings over 25 years of experience in live-action, tabletop, postproduction and talent curation to enhance Electric XR’s offerings as a resource for brands and agencies, as well as other production companies in need of virtual production solutions. Additionally Rossano continues to serve as EP at XR New York (XR-NY), a role he’s held since December 2022. SCHROM x Yacht Club originally established XR-NY to help provide XR services for third-party rentals. While XR-NY will continue to function independently for SCHROM X Yacht Club, it now operates under the Electric XR umbrella.
Rossano’s expertise spans producing live-action commercials, branded content, interactive and experiential content. In addition to leading Electric XR, he holds responsibilities at SCHROM x Yacht Club which include driving business development, collaborating with sales reps and expanding the company’s creative talent network. Rossano’s career includes serving as an exec producer at Hungry Man for about 11 years, right from that company’s inception. He then went on to become a partner at Station Film where he also had a lengthy tenure. Later he was a partner at PRISM. Then after the pandemic hit, he became a freelance EP for nearly two years, looking into opportunities in virtual production, which led him to XR NY and now Electric XR. Over the years, he has produced high-profile... Read More