Director Vance Malone and producer John Marx, two longtime collaborators, have partnered to launch Blue Label Productions. For over 15 years, Malone and Marx have teamed on jobs for brands including Chevy, Subaru, McDonald’s, Partnership to End Addiction, Nestle, Bayer, Ohio Anti-Smoking, Kentucky Lottery, Three Musketeers and many others. Blue Label Productions recently wrapped its first job–for Western & Southern via creative agency Curiosity.
“The time was right for us to launch Blue Label Productions,” Malone said. “The pandemic has changed the way production is done and we’re applying the best practices to what we’re doing here. Our focus is putting every ounce of the budget on screen, minimizing the overhead costs and clutter often associated with doing business with traditional production companies. We are lean, flexible and have an incredible global network enabling us to do what we do best–share memorable stories through well-crafted commercials and content audiences remember.”
Malone cultivated his artful aesthetic as a still photographer in high school, then cut his teeth in production with a bootstrap mentality, directing many projects for Nike, adidas and Goodwill while he was based in Portland. He segued to narrative-based storytelling after moving to Los Angeles, where he first worked with Marx on Ad Council’s “Cheerleader,” a job out of Hungry Man which went on to garner a Cannes Lion.
Malone’s Sundance documentary short film The Poodle Trainer enjoyed much success on the festivals circuit, picking up honors at the Toronto Worldwide Short Film Festival, AFI/Silverdocs, Full Frame, Cinema Eye, Red Rock and Gen Arts. The Poodle Trainer was the third short from Malone that debuted at the Sundance Film Festival–the others being Ocularist which got a special recognition award at Sundance, and the well-received Losing Lusk. The Poodle Trainer introduced us to Irina Markova, a Russian poodle trainer who has a transcendent relationship with her dogs. Ocularist profiled renowned medical illustrator Fredric Harwin who blends science and art to make customized acrylic eyes. And the poetic Losing Lusk shared a bittersweet story about a young man who had to leave his small Wyoming hometown of Lusk in order to make a living in the big city.
Malone’s body of work–marked by evocative performances and stylish visuals–spans commercials, shorts and other varied forms of content. Prior to forming Blue Label Productions, he was most recently repped in the ad arena by Raucous Content.
Producer Marx meanwhile has a track record of delivering productions of all sizes and logistics. Like Malone, Marx brings a formidable combination of expertise and passion for film craft and the business of production. Over the past 20 years, he’s produced commercials for a long list of acclaimed directors–Mike Mills, Kinka Usher, Bryan Buckley and Paul Hunter, to note a few–in collaboration with many of the industry’s most well-respected production companies such as PRETTYBIRD, Station Film, Crossroads and Motion Theory, among others. Marx has also worked on feature films such as Malignant, Godzilla vs. Kong and Pacific Rim.
“Vance and I have spent years working together at various production companies nurturing tight bonds with clients and agencies,” Marx said. “The two of us have always thrived creating return business through hard work and dedication. As a team, we’ve worked in nearly every department on the technical and creative sides of the film crew which gives us a vast understanding of how to solve problems and focus on realistic solutions, be it in bidding, prepro or on shoot day.”
Jeff Warman, chief creative officer and partner at Curiosity, which just completed the aforementioned Western & Southern job produced by Blue Label, shared, ““I’ve had the absolute pleasure of working with Vance and John for many years and with different agencies, and they just have a rare magic that’s nearly impossible to find in production. With each project, not only does the whole process run smoothly and turn out incredibly, but Vance and John inevitably become the favorite production partner of both the creative team and the client.” Warman noted that the Western & Southern project was another “where the client had that typically great experience.”
Freelance executive producer Kathleen Torres, who agency produced a recent McDonald’s campaign directed by Malone and produced by Marx, commented: “We worked with Vance and John for McDonald’s and had several spots to shoot over multiple days. I just remember how Vance’s attention to detail was key to ensuring success for each spot. All the things you rely on a director to do–casting, locations, wardrobe, shots, performance–Vance nailed. My creatives had such a great collaborative relationship with them both, we worked together several more times for different clients.”
