Director Thom Higgins has left bicoastal RSA USA after two and a half years to join bicoastal M-80, part of the Stoney Road family of commercial production companies owned by Michael Romersa.
The move reunites Higgins with M-80 executive producer Gregg Stern. The two formerly worked together for a few years in the mid-1980s, at the now defunct U.S. division of BFCS (which continues to maintain its London facility). At that time, Stern ran BFCS’ New York office.
Higgins said that he has been on hiatus from spot directing during the strike against the advertising industry being waged by the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (AFTRA). During that time, he related, he turned his attention to other interests, such as architecture, racing cars and spending time with his kids.
"I was reevaluating what was happening with the industry," explained Higgins. "My feeling is that the strike certainly isn’t helping but I don’t think it’s just the strike. I don’t see agencies going at the speed they used to, producing the amount of work they used to."
Higgins talked with a number of other production houses over several months. Ultimately, he opted to join M-80, not only because of his longtime friendship with Stern, but due to the confidence that head of sales Tom Korsan and New York-based reps Amy Jones and Lori Youmans inspired in him.
"They really impressed me with regard to how they’re adapting to what is happening in the year 2000," noted Higgins. "So we set up an aggressive new [marketing] plan."
Higgins and Stern said they share similar ideas about business—namely, one has to be smarter nowadays about how to get work and how to shoot it. "I think you’ve got to be tough and smart and figure out where the work is in different areas," Stern observed. "You can’t just count on it out of any one place in this country; a good board could come out of Des Moines, Iowa. It’s everywhere. One of our directors is doing a job right now out of Amsterdam, so you have to think internationally."
"With [Korsan, Jones and Youmans] as a support, plus Greg’s willingness to go into heavy treatments on projects … and for us to be able to have personal relationships with clients—which is what I bring to the table—I think it’ll be pretty good," concluded Higgins.
Higgins began as an agency creative in the ’70s, with stints at such shops as McCann-Erickson, Young & Rubicam and Ogilvy & Mather, all in New York, and DSP in London. He began directing some of his own spot projects, such as RC Cola and Hershey’s, at O&M. In ’85, Higgins launched his directorial career by joining BFCS in London, and was made a partner the following year. Soon thereafter, he returned to New York, where he teamed with Stern.
After BFCS, Higgins partnered with director Leslie Dektor in Hollywood-based Dektor Higgins & Associates (now Dektor Film), where he remained for nine years. In March ’98, he went over to RSA USA, a move based in part on his longtime friendship with the company’s then-president, Bruce Martin (now president/executive producer at Los Angeles-based shop No Prisoners).
Emphasizing that he’s had wonderful experiences at all of his previous companies, Higgins said he felt it was time to affiliate with a producer-run company such as M-80. "That is what I’m looking for in the year 2000," he stated. "I want someone who has experience on the business side equal to what I have in my shooting."
Known for work marked by storytelling and humanity, Higgins was nominated for the ’97 Directors Guild of America (DGA) commercial director of the year award (SHOOT, 2/13/ 98, p. 1). He received the recognition on the strength of three entries: "Love Note" for Weyerhaeuser via Price/McNabb, Charlotte, N.C.; "Basketball" for Oreo via FCB/Leber Katz Partners (now FCB Worldwide), New York; and "Generations" for Ford via Wells Rich Greene (now Wells BDDP), New York.
Among Higgins’ more recent directorial credits is "Neighbor" for Serta via Doner, Southfield, Mich. In it, animated sheep are forced to find a new home after a former insomniac buys a Serta mattress; London-based Aardman Animations produced the animation (SHOOT Top Spot, 8/4, p. 14). Earlier this year, Higgins also helmed a four-spot package for American Airlines via Temerlin McClain, Irving, Texas, as well as spots for Shell Oil’s safety campaign out of Chernoff/Silver and Associates, Columbia, S.C.
Higgins joins an M-80 directorial roster consisting of Jim Tozzi, Tenney Fairchild, Doug Taub and London-based Simon Levene. The company is repped on the West Coast by Korsan and on the East Coast by Jones and Youmans. M-80 is investigating Midwest representation.
