By JEREMY LEHRER
Director Jamie Mortellaro has signed with Santa Monica-based Film Realite for exclusive spot representation. Mortellaro, who has an ad agency background, was represented by redBACK films, Venice, Calif., during the past year.
Mortellaro, 34, is a Chicago-area native who began his career at Leo Burnett Co., Chicago, "10 working days after graduation." He was a Burnett staffer for nine years, seven as an agency producer and two as a copywriter, penning and producing for clients such as Miller Brewing Co., McDonald’s, and Kellogg’s. At Burnett, Mortellaro began to direct in-house projects that included promotions for company events. Because other agency staffers knew of Mortellaro’s directing interest, he was eventually asked to shoot some demo material in preparation for a Reebok spot. When he shot the material on Hi-8-for presentation purposes only-the Burnett creatives and client were sufficiently impressed. They gave Mortellaro directing duties for two Reebok spots that were originally slated to be regional but ended up playing nationally (SHOOT, 4/12/96, p. 7). Mortellaro served as director and producer on those spots, which were co-produced by Burnett’s in-house production arm, Starlight, and production services company Carpe Diem Film Production Services, Chicago. After the Reebok assignment, Mortellaro built up his reel with Nintendo commercials he directed while at Burnett and spec spots.
Mortellaro’s spots thus far have been mostly comedy or kids-oriented. In Nintendo’s "Get Into It," for Leo Burnett, a live-action pre-teen jumps into the computer-generated world of video gaming. R/GA Digital Studios, New York, was the production company on the job which Mortellaro directed while on staff at Leo Burnett. In "Semi-Breakfast" for Kellogg’s Complete, also via Leo Burnett, a man eating cereal quietly in a kitchen is transported to an adventure, having to finish his breakfast while perched on the grille of a highway-ridin’ semi truck. Mortellaro has also directed Cap’n Crunch spots for Quaker Oats out of Foote, Cone & Belding, Chicago, which he helmed in November. Both the Kellogg’s and Quaker Oats ads were produced by redBACK.
Mortellaro said that his agency background gives him an appreciation for the behind-the-scenes blood, sweat, and tears that creatives put into the ad concepts before they reach the director. "I have a lot of respect for agency people and what they go through to end up selling a spot," he said. "You [as director] bring what you can to the project." He said that he enjoyed directing "performance-based comedy/ narrative storytelling and stylized art direction" spots and liked working with visual effects. With a background in improv theater (having studied in Windy City theater workshops such as Players Workshop and Second City and having performed in Theater Sports, a professional improv group), Mortellaro said he hoped to do more acting-intensive work as well as real-people spots.
Mortellaro made contact with Film Realite through Darlene Gorzela, the company’s Midwest and West-Coast sales rep. Gorzela, who was formerly based in Chicago at Darlene Gorzela & Associates, knew Mortellaro when the two were both in the Windy City. Ivan Molomut is Film Realite’s rep on the East Coast and in Detroit.
Rich Epstein, Film Realite’s executive producer, said that Mortellaro would fill out the company’s roster into comedy and kids spot genres. "We want to go more towards the comedy, and kids happens to be something that he’s had some success in and seems to enjoy doing," Epstein said. "We want to maintain that while trying to expand into more sophisticated comedy-type spots." Epstein also emphasized that Mortellaro’s experience with visual effects was another strength that he hoped Mortellaro would use at Film Realite. Mortellaro is currently bidding on what he described as comedy spots for two Chicago agencies.
Epstein added that Film Realite is exploring development projects with the director, and Mortellaro said this involved feature film and television proposals. Mortellaro noted that in this vein, he was favorably impressed by Epstein’s contacts in television.
“Memoir of a Snail” Takes Top Prize At London Film Festival
The Official Competition jury said: “Our jury was incredibly moved by Adam Elliot’s Memoir of a Snail, which is a singular achievement in filmmaking. Emotionally resonant and constantly surprising, Memoir tackles pertinent issues such as bullying, loneliness and grief head-on, creating a crucial and universal dialogue in a way that only animation can. The jury is delighted to recognize an animated film alongside its live-action peers.”
Rounding out the winners of this year’s films screening In Competition are:
- Winner of the Sutherland Award in the First Feature Competition – On Falling (Dir. Laura Carreira)
- Winner of the Grierson Award in the Documentary Competition – Mother Vera (Dirs. Cécile Embleton, Alys Tomlinson)
- Winner of the Short Film Award in the Short Film Competition – Vibrations from Gaza (Dir. Rehab Nazzal)