Director Scott Gillen has joined Cognito Films, the Santa Monica production house headed by executive producer Alan Landau. The director has already wrapped several jobs under the Cognito banner, including some that were produced prior to his officially coming aboard the company. At press time, Gillen was in the midst of a Cognito-produced :30 for BMW via Publicis/Bloom, New York.
As the BMW job attests, Gillen is best known for his prowess in automotive advertising. His other credits at Cognito include a safe-driving PSA for the Thompson Auto Group via Portland, Ore. agency Nerve Inc., and an Amtrak ad, "Cascades," out of Elgin DDB, Seattle.
Landau, who was looking for a car director to round out Cognito’s directorial roster, heard about Gillen through a friend and approached the director. "Scott really knows cars, and he’s offering up something different," Landau said. "We don’t have anybody who really specializes in cars, so it was a niche that I wanted to fill. [The car business is] a huge market and an important [one]," he continued, "and it’s one of those markets [that directors] really need to be specialized in. The whole idea here is to be a resource to agencies, so the more that I can offer, the more I can be of service."
Cognito is Gillen’s first production company roost. Previously he had been working out of bicoastal Johnson Burnett Productions, a production services shop which lent the director production support and introduced him to various people within the spot industry. "[Partner Biff Johnson] is a friend of mine, and [executive producer] Bill Medsker [as well], and they kind of watched what I was doing to make sure it was moving in the right direction," Gillen said. "They really steered me around and I started getting a little action. [They] were really great." Specifically, Medsker introduced Gillen to cameraman Joe Grasso, who shot Volkswagen and Volvo spec spots for the director. The company also landed Gillen his first assignment, an anti-discrimination public service spot that was part of an industry group initiative involving The Advertising Council, DDB Needham, Los Angeles, the Leadership Conference and the CBS Kids Foundation. The PSA would later be produced at Cognito.
Gillen said Cognito appealed to him because it’s "a young company" that’s "going places very quickly. There’s a lot of energy." Gillen also cited the attention that Landau pays to the development of the directors he represents. "[Alan] takes the time to direct somebody’s career and to really put them where they want to get to." Furthermore, Gillen said his being the only car director at Cognito represents another advantage in that there’s no conflict with another staff director.
Gillen decided to pursue directing in late ’97. A native of Los Angeles, he began his professional career as a stunt man, working on TV shows such as The Dukes of Hazzard and The Fall Guy. Several years in the business of crashing cars, however, took its toll, and after a particularly bad accident, during which Gillen almost lost one of his arms, he began working behind the camera, prepping the cars used in stunts on TV series. "I had such a background in vehicles that I got into prepping for shows, coordinating [stunts] or building a car for a specific jump or roll or explosion," he said. In all, he prepped cars for about five years before making the move to directing. "That’s why [directing car spots is] so easy for me," he said. "I like cars, I know cars, and I understand cars. [And] if you know what a car is capable of doing then you can probably get a better shot out of it."
In spite of his affection for cars and filming them, the director said he is interested in tackling other genres. "I’ve already started to do a couple of small things," he said, citing the anti-discrimination PSA. "I’d like to branch out, maybe eventually into movies. But for now I’m happy doing what I’m doing."
Cognito’s directorial lineup includes Michel Lichtenstein, Danny Boyle and Gary Weis. The company also maintains No Guns Pictures, Venice and Buenos Aires, its recently launched Latin division (SHOOT, 2/26/ 99, p. 8). No Guns represents directors Fernando Vallejo (president of No Guns), Enrique Begne, Fabio Berrutti, Louis Lesko and Norman Christianson. Both Cognito and No Guns are repped by Peter Elegant of virtual pete worldwide, Putnam Valley, New York, on the East Coast; Julie Vargo and Patrice Bockos of Vargo Bockos, Chicago, in the Midwest; Char Noonan of Char & Associates, Los Angeles, on the West Coast; and Jack Reed of Dallas-based Jack Reed Reps in Texas. Jose Luis Longinotti, who is general manager of No Guns’ international operation, handles the division’s international sales out of the Buenos Aires office.
