Big Deahl Productions, a Chicago-based production house featuring partner/tabletop specialist David Deahl, has expanded with the addition of tabletop director Mark Klein.
Klein comes over after 10 years at Chicago-based Peter Elliott Productions. The move reunites Klein with executive producer Noreen Szeluga, who came over to Big Deahl in February after leaving Peter Elliott Productions last fall.
After earning a bachelor of fine arts degree in film from the University of Illinois, Chicago, Klein operated his own still photography studio, Mark Klein Photography, for around three years. When he joined Peter Elliott Productions, Klein initially worked as a grip and camera assistant. Six months later, he began doing lighting and gaffing, which led to his eventual transition to director in ’96.
"It was a great place to learn," said Klein in reference to Peter Elliott Productions. "Everybody warned me, though, that it would burn me out because they shoot all the time. It finally caught up with me ten years later; we were booked months in advance. But that pace helps you develop your skills, and helps you act more intuitively."
He began looking for a new roost in order to gain a measure of autonomy. Describing Elliott as a mentor, Klein said he’d found it hard to get out from behind his shadow while working there. "I just needed that independence," said Klein, who added that the production dynamic at Peter Elliott Productions was altered after Szeluga departed.
Although he had considered opening his own tabletop studio, Klein ultimately opted against it, as it would have been an expensive proposition. When Szeluga called and invited him to check out Big Deahl, Klein was interested.
"On one hand, I didn’t want to get myself into another situation like at Peter Elliott, where I’d be at a production company competing with other tabletop directors," said Klein. "But David [Deahl’s] style is very different from mine; he does more of what he calls lifestyle tabletop, where people interact a little more. My style tends to be a little bit more energetic, romantic and intimate; I try to bring out the wonderful qualities of whatever it is I’m shooting. I think that in terms of stylistic differences and different approaches … it’s going to broaden the appeal of shooting at Big Deahl."
Moreover, he said, Big Deahl offers a top-notch facility with three large shooting stages and a lot of room for expansion. Szeluga added that the company’s goal is to build it into a "tabletop mecca" similar to that of Peter Elliott Productions. She noted the Deahl and company co-owner Rosemary Deahl chose the name Big Deahl Productions because they foresaw having multiple directors. "They wanted to make sure that any directors who came in would be able to establish their own identities."
Having been Elliott’s DP for a long time, Klein said, "I’ve never had that connection with David, so I’ll always be a separate entity."
Among Klein’s recent credits are spots for L’Oreal via McCann-Erickson and Publicis Bloom, both New York; Killian’s and Quaker via FCB Chicago; Baskin Robbins via Vitro Robertson, San Diego; Bennigan’s via Doner, Southfield, Mich.; and Coca-Cola via Wieden & Kennedy, Portland, Ore. and McCann-Erickson, Atlanta.
Szeluga related that she had considered retiring from the business before the Deahls approached her early this year. "I got really enthusiastic about it, because they wanted to grow and expand," said Szeluga.
Big Deahl Productions is represented on the East Coast by New York-based Workman; on the West Coast by Los Angeles-based Connie Mellors and in the Midwest by Chicago-based Karen Kovach.
