Bicoastal Villains has hired Stephanie Seligman as its New York-based executive producer. A year ago, Seligman exited her executive producer’s post at Los Angeles-headquartered A Band Apart Commercials to take "a breather" and get married; she line produced a few jobs as a freelancer during that time.
Of Seligman’s addition to the company, Villains’ partner/executive producer Robin Benson, said: "Last year was challenging because I was splitting my time between two coasts. … New York is very important to us; Stephanie came across our path at the right time, and was ready to build something." Benson has been based in Los Angeles since the company opened its doors two years ago.
"I was looking for a company profile that was similar to A Band Apart [in terms of representing directors who have a background in features] and Villain’s artistic level and sensibility were really up there," Seligman explained.
Seligman started her career in ’86 as an assistant producer at DDB Needham (now DDB), New York. In ’88 she moved over to the production side, joining now defunct Elite Films, and two years later opened its Los Angeles office.
In ’91, Seligman left Elite to freelance line produce for a year before becoming head of production at the Los Angeles office of bicoastal Chelsea Pictures. Following two years at Chelsea, Seligman left to work as a freelance line producer and production manager. She then landed a job as head of production at now defunct Industrial Artists.
Seligman parted ways with Industrial Artists just before it pulled out of the spotmaking business in January ’98 (SHOOT, 1/16/98, p. 1) and moved to A Band Apart, where she spent a year as an executive producer. There, she worked with director Tim Burton on his first spot endeavor for Hollywood Gum: "Gnomes," out of Euro/RSCG, Levallois-Peret, France. She also executive produced a package of IKEA spots directed by Rent Sidon through Deutsch, New York, and worked with director Charles Wittenmeier (now at bicoastal/international Propaganda Films) on the award-winning Budweiser spot "Mind Control," via DDB Chicago.
Though East Coast-based, Seligman will work with the entire Villains roster, which includes partner/director Jim Giddens, directors Phil Joanou, Harry Patramanis, Jeffrey Fleisig, Douglas Avery, Scott Bibo, Ken Fox, Daniela Federici, Bill Mather, Steve Carr, Brett Ratner and The Coen Brothers. Villains is represented by Carl Forsberg & Associates on the East Coast, by Brent Novick of Novick & Associates, San Francisco, on the West Coast, and Chicago-based Helen O’Brien in the Midwest.
