Executive producer Charlie Alvare, a spot industry veteran of both the production house and agency sides of the business, has launched Sanctuary, a Hollywood-based production house. The new venture opens with two directors: James Canniffe, a.k.a. Brother James; and Kri Shakar, a.k.a. Sister Kri. Sanctuary is the first formal commercial roost for both helmers.
Canniffe is best known in the TV program arena. He has done multiple episodes of the VH-1 documentary series Behind the Music, as well as FOX Sports’ No Boundaries, an extreme sports show. Both series, said Alvare, demonstrate Brother James’ prowess in directing real people and actors.
Looking to diversify into spots, Canniffe financed a spec spot for Nanny.com. The dark comedy piece caught Alvare’s attention and prompted him to underwrite another Canniffe-helmed spec commercial, for Scott Tissue. Alvare also procured a Jacoby & Meyers’ legal clinics test spot for the director. "We’re looking to develop Brother James’ commercial career in performance-driven comedy," said Alvare, who compares Canniffe’s affinity for ad humor to that exhibited in the early work of director Jeffrey Fleisig, from bicoastal Villains. Alvare worked closely in helping to develop Fleisig’s career at Villains.
Shakar is described by Alvare as a visual storyteller and stylist. A dancer at the Joffrey company in New York, Shakar suffered a dance-related knee injury, which caused her to make a career change to choreographer in the early 1990s. She first established herself as a music video choreographer before transitioning to clips director. Shakar then went to Art Center College of Design, Pasadena, Calif., where she extended her reach into advertising with several spec commercials. Alvare was favorably impressed with that work, as well as with such clips as "Buttercup" for the Sin Boy Band (winner of a Los Angeles Music Video Award). Shakar also freelance-directed live Webcasts (eight hours a day for eight days) that documented the making of live commercials introducing the Ford Focus, in ’99. (The actual broadcast spots were directed by Peter Kagan of Santa Monica-based Stiefel+Co. for J. Walter Thompson, Detroit.)
Alvare spent nearly two years at Villains as an executive producer, working primarily with directors Fleisig, Mr. Viril (a.k.a. Steve Shainberg) and Scott Bibo. Prior to that, Alvare was a freelance producer who regularly collaborated with Mr. Viril at t minus 30 Films, Culver City.
Earlier, from ’94 to ’96, Alvare served as a freelance agency producer, working with such Southern California ad shops as G2 (Grey’s former division for Mitsubishi), BBDO and Lord Dentsu. Before that, he freelance-produced for assorted production companies in Los Angeles, from ’89 to ’94. Alvare was an executive producer working primarily on the sales side for EUE Screen Gems in Burbank, from ’86 to ’88. He previously served as head of marketing for Praxis Filmworks, a visual effects house in North Hollywood. Alvare got his start in the business as a staff assistant agency producer in the early ’80s, at New York ad shops Foote, Cone & Belding, and Young & Rubicam.
Sanctuary is on the verge of signing a third director, according to Alvare, who just lined up New York-based independent rep Richard Denny to handle the company on the East Coast. Alvare is currently seeking representation in the Midwest and on the West Coast.
