Production house Superprime has signed filmmaker Sean Baker to its roster for U.S. commercial representation.
Baker is a director, cinematographer, producer, screenwriter and editor best known for his independent films Tangerine and The Florida Project. Tangerine, shot entirely on an iPhone 5S, premiered at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival and was released by Magnolia Pictures. It was nominated for four Independent Spirit Awards including Best Feature and Best Director, and four Gotham Awards including Best Feature (it won the Audience Award). His next film, The Florida Project, premiered at the 2017 Cannes Film Festival and was released by A24. The film was nominated for Independent Spirit Awards for Best Feature and Best Director, a Gotham Award for Best Feature, Willem Dafoe earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor and Baker was awarded Best Director of the Year by the New York Film Critics Circle.
The Florida Project introduces us to itinerant families living in Orlando budget motels a stone’s throw from Walt Disney World. The film’s POV, though, is in large part through the eyes of children—in particular a six-year-old girl named Moonee (portrayed by Brooklynn Kimberly Prince)—and their challenged existence becomes at times a fun-filled adventure akin to what might be worthy of exploits in the Magic Kingdom. The kids’ POV brings a light-hearted, almost magical entertainment to the story. But a remarkable balance is struck by Baker in that too much fun could have trivialized the plight of the working poor. Conversely a focus on these struggling families would run the risk of becoming preachy, making for an unsatisfying movie experience. Somehow Baker—who directed, produced, edited and co-wrote (with Chris Bergoch) The Florida Project—maintains the proper perspective, making an entertaining, wonder-filled film that at the same time creates an underlying empathy for those who are marginalized and vulnerable.
Baker is a graduate of New York University and wrote, directed and edited his first feature film Four Letter Words in 2000. His films Take Out (2008) and Prince of Broadway (2009) were both nominated for the John Cassavetes Independent Spirit Award, and Starlet (2012) was the recipient of the Robert Altman Independent Spirit Award, as well as another Cassavetes nominee. Baker was also the co-creator of the long-running American comedy series Greg the Bunny.
John Lesher, managing director of Superprime, described Baker as “a brilliant filmmaker, who delivers uniquely funny and deeply moving characters that always stun and inspire what’s truly human in all of us.”
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