Bicoastal commercial production house RSA USA has finalized an agreement with executive producer Susanne Preissler for the formal launch of RSA Independent. The new venture specializes in garnering spots for select feature filmmakers.
Preissler’s last company affiliation was Propaganda Independent, a division of bicoastal/international Propaganda Films. Preissler left Propaganda Independent last summer (SHOOT, 8/13/99, p. 1), ending a year-and-a-half tenure during which she helped an ensemble of feature directors to diversify into commercials. Several of the directors she worked with at Propaganda Independent have continued with her and are now under the RSA Independent banner, including Doug Liman (Swingers and Go); Luis Mandoki (Message in a Bottle, When a Man Loves a Woman); Alfonso Cuaron (Great Expectations, A Little Princess); Lisa Cholodenko (High Art); Agnieszka Holland (Europa, Europa); and David Veloz (Permanent Midnight).
Preissler has also brought other directors into the RSA Independent fold. She cited Scott Elliott (A Map of the World), Chris Smith (American Movie), Erick Zonca (Dream Life of Angels) and Kirk Wong (Blades).
At press time, Smith had been awarded a Pacific Bell assignment out of Goodby, Silverstein & Partners, San Francisco. Mandoki was about to embark on a Skyy Vodka job for Del Mar, Calif.-based agency Lambesis. And Wong wrapped a Sunny Delight campaign, also for Lambesis.
After her exit from Propaganda Independent, Preissler began considering different options. She remained busy with jobs and secured independent representation via Creative Management Partners (CMP), bicoastal and Chicago. She said that RSA made the process easier by agreeing to back production while she was deliberating over a final decision on her next roost. Preissler and RSA teamed on several projects, including Veloz-directed spots for Washington Capital out of Hill, Holliday, Connors, Cosmopulos, Boston, and Chevrolet via Campbell-Ewald Advertising, Warren, Mich.
Linda Ross, managing director of RSA USA and related operations, including sister music video shop Black Dog Films and RSA Independent, described the latter as a natural extension of the overall company. Personified in RSA founders/ directors Ridley Scott and Tony Scott, the studio has long been a proponent of directorial involvement in different disciplines, ranging from spots and clips to TV, features and emerging media. "Ridley, Tony, myself and Susanne talked, and it was clear we had the same vision related to the arc of a director’s career, which ideally should move from one world to another," said Ross. "We encourage that here for our directors, and RSA Independent is in line with that philosophy."
RSA Independent will continue to be repped by a contingent from CMP, including Peter McCann and Kathy Misrock on the East Coast, Richard Miller and Gabrielle Giebels in the Midwest, and Mark Andrews on the West Coast. RSA USA is also handled by CMP, but via a different set of reps, according to Ross.
Prior to Propaganda Independent, Preissler served as head of production at Lambesis. Earlier in her career, she was a producer at Tate & Partners, Santa Monica. It was at Lambesis where she made inroads in helping feature directors make the transition to spots. In ’96, for example, she recruited London-based James Bond movie director John Glen (i.e. For Your Eyes Only, Octopussy, A View To A Kill) to helm a series of 007-style action/adventure commercials for Lambesis client Airwalk. That was followed by other spot collaborations between the agency and feature helmers, including Airwalk’s "Truant" and "Roach," both directed by Liman in ’97. She ran the Liman-directed Airwalk fare through Propaganda, which set the stage for the launch of Propaganda Independent in early ’98.
The addition of RSA Independent is part of a company expansion that is starting to take hold. Ross noted that RSA USA’s New York office has graduated to a full-fledged production shop under the aegis of executive producer/creative director Jim Czarnecki, who came aboard just a few months ago. Ross said that the signing of New York-based directors for RSA USA is imminent.
