Engine Virtual Film Company, a creative content and production house, has been launched by creative director/partner Gary Nueman. The new venture opens with a directorial roster that includes Nueman, Noah Harald, David Mahmoudieh, Scott McCullough, Kevin McVey, and Andrew Rydzewski. DJ Fox serves as director of brand development for Engine.
Already tapped for several projects prior to its official launch, Engine Virtual Film Company is currently writing and shooting a Hard Rock Energy campaign to be released in summer 2014, led by director McVey. Together, Nueman and McVey are co-writing/directing an Audi spot for digital agency AKQA. Director/writer Mahmoudieh is currently in development with Neve Campbell on a network series entitled Rain. Nueman also has a television show in development called Pop-Up Showdown, and is in the process of pitching it to a host of networks. Additionally, Engine was just awarded a branded entertainment assignment out of New York City with a high-profile celebrity and Mahmoudieh as both writer/director. The project includes two digital films, and production through postproduction and final delivery.
Under Nueman’s leadership, prior to launch, Engine Virtual Film Company has also developed informal partnerships with design & animation studios, edit houses, and other creative service companies that will serve clients both creatively and fiscally. ”This gives us the latitude to take almost any project pre-post,” he details. The company is also virtual, which Nueman notes gives them flexibility: “We can acquire space on an as-needed basis, which can translate into favorable economies of scale for our clients.”
Nueman has worked for agencies Saatchi & Saatchi and Goodby, Silverstein & Partners on brands such as Budweiser, Sprint, Comcast, Toyota, Hyundai, Got Milk, HP, Subway and the Drug Free America initiative. He has served in such capacities as integrated producer, writer and line producer. He also was exec producer at Goodby’s in-house GSP Post.
With a significant background shooting music videos for a wide range of musical genres, from Sublime to Megadeth, McVey has shot commercial projects for an eclectic group of global brands including Chrysler and Tommy Hilfiger. McVey’s prior production company affiliations include Propeller Productions, Lucid Media and Aerosol Pictures.
Director McCullough–who has just won an Addy Award for his Pepsi/SNL commercial entitled “Countdown to Now” as well as four 2014 Telly Awards for other projects–had earlier been with production house STORY.
Recently relocated to the States from the U.K., writer/director Mahmoudieh was strategically looking to join “a small, specialized company” when he found Engine Virtual Film Company. His past directing roosts have included ARP, ATP, Propeller and Blackwatch.
Director/DP Rydzewski recently helmed two pilots, including the CW pitch pilot, Apartment of the Dead, which caught the eye of Engine Virtual Film Company.
Director Harald has worked with brands such as Sony, adidas and Doritos. Noah has also won film festival awards and online acclaim, as well as garnered an MTV Movie Award nomination. He served as in-house director and head of post at Outfit Media Group and was on the directing rosters of Pollution Creative and Explorer Films.
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