Directors Formerly Of cYclops Productions And Strato Films, Respectively.
By SARAH WOODWARD
Directors Hermann Lederle and Branson Veal have signed with Los Angeles-based Ace Entertainment, the commercial production house headed by principal/executive producer Pam Tarr. Both directors join the company after brief informal stints at Tony K., Santa Monica and London. Previously, Strato Films, Los Angeles, represented Lederle, while Veal’s former roost was New York-based cYclops productions.
Veal is currently wrapping his first Ace job: three Budweiser ads for the Canadian market via Bozell Worldwide, Toronto, which were co-produced by Players/Toronto. The assignment consists of two Super Bowl promos and a third ad that is being considered for airtime during the Super Bowl. For the ads, Veal constructed one of his signature camera rigs: a "helmet cam" that captures the point of view of an NFL player in action. The tag line is "Football isn’t the same without the fans."
Lederle’s most recent assignment was a pair of ads for the Seattle Seahawks, "The Fairy" and "Training Camp," which were run through Tony K. "Training Camp" features noted coach Mike Holmgren, who moved over to coach the Seahawks back in January following a successful run with the Green Bay Packers. The ads were created by Publicis, Seattle.
The signings reflect Ace’s continued growth. Last spring, Tarr partnered with feature film and television executive Rick Bieber of Rick Bieber Productions, Los Angeles, to launch Silo, Los Angeles, a multimedia company that encompasses Ace and its music video house Squeak Pictures, Los Angeles, as well as film, television and talent management ventures (SHOOT, 5/7, p. 1). "Over the past year we’ve built a really nurturing structure for directors across the whole range of film and television," Tarr said. "Our management company is burgeoning. And what’s really exciting is that the structure gives directors access to a variety of opportunities, as well as the opportunity to package projects in house … that can be shepherded by Rick in the feature world." That said, however, Tarr’s focus continues to be on commercials and managing that area of the company.
Branson Veal
Tarr has admired Veal’s work for years and said his "strong point of view" paired with his agency background means "there’s a whole slew of creative resources that he can bring to the table." She continued, "I also really love the graphic design quality of his work. He tends to elongate moments in time; and create a story around them, that is unique in advertising." Veal’s design skills extend beyond the commercial arena. He designs light fixtures out of his home studios in New York and Sun Valley, Idaho, as well as exhibition spaces for clients such as clothing company Kavu. He also recently began to explore the world of still photography with an editorial assignment for Elevation, an outdoor lifestyle magazine.
Veal is best known for helming athletic campaigns, including a client-direct Nike ad, "Alberto’s Dream," and several campaigns for Powerade out of McCann-Erickson, Seattle. He began directing for the latter client while he was a staff producer at McCann. However, much of his directorial work features subtle comedy and storytelling, a direction in which he hopes to continue to move his career. One of Veal’s favorite jobs, for instance, was for Columbia’s Rage line of bowling balls via The Thompson Agency, San Antonio. "Rage" features Professional Bowlers Association member Marshall Holman, who is known for his unsportsmanlike antics during competitions. The ad features Holman inside a bowling alley. He screams until the pins in his lane are knocked over while other amateur bowlers watch in awe. The Rage bowling ball then appears on the ball conveyor. The ad earned AICP Show recognition two years ago in the low-budget category.
At that time, Veal was represented by now defunct Harmony Pictures, his first roost as a director. While there, he also directed commercials for Bank One via the Martin Agency, Richmond, Va.; and Harrah’s Casino via Carmichael Lynch, Minneapolis.
Veal got his professional start at Portland, Ore., agency Borders, Perrin and Norrander. While an assistant producer there, he was offered the chance to create a campaign for the Portland Opera with another young staffer, copywriter Eric Grunbaum (now of TBWA/Chiat/ Day, Los Angeles). Veal directed and edited the two ads, "Moreschi" and Donizetti," which featured the tag, "Anything but stuffy." The campaign took honors at numerous awards shows and shortly thereafter, Veal was offered a VP/senior producer position at McCann-Erickson. About three years later, he joined Harmony.
Veal left Harmony in ’98 after a two-year tenure and subsequently directed an Ace-produced commercial for the Phoenix Suns via SRO Communications, Phoenix. He considered joining Ace at that time, but was ultimately lured away by the opportunity to work alongside cYclops principal/director Albert Watson. After helming a package of ads for Cobra Golf out of Foote Cone & Belding, San Francisco, however, Veal reconsidered his options because he felt his career might potentially be overshadowed by the noted Watson.
Veal also said his past experience with Ace "had always been good," and he appreciated that the company is "focused more on the work and less on politics of the work."
Hermann Lederle
Lederle joined Strato Films last fall. Shortly thereafter, however, the company pulled out of the commercial and clip production business and Strato cofounder/director Paula Walker joined the Ace roster (SHOOT, 4/9, p. 1). Walker and Strato cofounder and director/DP Rolf Kestermann now maintain Strato for longform and experimental projects. Meanwhile, Lederle, who lightheartedly described the past year as "a crash course" in the production business, went on to direct the aforementioned Seahawks campaign.
A native of Germany, Lederle has lived in the U.S. since he studied film at San Francisco’s Art Institute. Upon graduation, he moved to New York, where he worked odd jobs, including being a gaffer on music videos such as Sting’s "Englishman in New York" and Suzanne Vega’s "Luka." At the same time, Lederle began to showcase some of his paintings, which he described as a cross between neoexpressionist Francesco Clemente and graffiti artist Jean-Michel Basquiat. After about five years, Lederle returned to the West Coast to pursue production design.
Lederle’s connection to Tarr dates back to his days as a freelance production designer for director David Kellogg of bicoastal/international Propaganda Films. At that time, Kellogg was directing clips through Squeak. "We worked with Hermann for years as a production designer, and now the opportunity to work with him as a director is really a gift," Tarr said. "He has a truly creative perspective on the visual aspect of his work."
Lederle also served as a production designer for directors such as Walker and Propaganda’s Michael Bay. Eventually, Lederle was given the opportunity to direct an AT&T commercial for the Puerto Rican market via Young & Rubicam, San Juan, and Paradiso Films, San Juan. "I thought I was going to be the production designer," Lederle said. "Then they asked me to write a treatment and I thought maybe they do things differently in Puerto Rico." The misunderstanding was straightened out and the success of that spot, a montage of beautiful images titled "Little Wings," led to several additional Paradiso assignments. Among them were ads for Heineken, also out of Young & Rubicam; Coors Light via Foote Cone & Belding, San Juan; and Bacardi Limon out of Leo Burnett Co., San Juan.
Concerned that he might find himself pigeonholed in that market, however, Lederle began exploring his stateside production house options and signed on with Metro Pictures, Marina del Rey, Calif., where he remained for a year. While there, he directed "Submarine," a commercial for Seattle’s Odyssey Maritime Museum via Big Bang Idea Engineering, Seattle, and a promo for Showtime’s Sherilyn Fenn series "Rude Awakening."
At this point in his career, Lederle is looking to shoot great frames that enhance strong ideas. "Because of my production design background, people expect [the visual aspect of my work. But visual storytelling] needs to have a strong concept behind it," he said. He cites American Beauty as a good example. "It sticks to the story and in between there are all sorts of great frames, which enhances it." Lederle is also interested in the dot-com and car arenas, and in experimenting with special effects.
Lederle and Veal join an Ace director roster that includes Walker, Leta Warner, Francisco Pugliese, Gil Bauwens and Anne-Marie Vandeputte. Director Bobby Sheehan of New York-based Grenade is also handled by Ace throughout most of the U.S., except for the Southwest and Southeast markets where he’s repped by Concrete Productions, Dallas. Additionally, Ace reps several of Squeak’s clip directors in the spot arena.
Jury Presidents Named For The One Show 2025
The One Club for Creativity has announced the global creatives from around the world who will serve as jury presidents for The One Show 2025.
These creatives will lead judging for each discipline, and have a vote on the work.
Confirmed One Show 2025 Jury presidents, by discipline, are as follows:
--Brand-Side/In-House: David Lee, CCO, Squarespace, New York
--Branded Entertainment: Malcolm Poynton, Global CCO, Cheil Worldwide, London
--Creative Use of Data, Creative Use of Technology: Nancy Crimi-Lamanna, CCO, FCB Canada, Toronto
--Cultural Driver: Bianca Guimaraes, partner, ECD, Mischief, New York
--Design: Liza Enebeis, creative director, partner, Studio Dumbar/DEPT®, Rotterdam
--Direct Marketing: Vicki Maguire, CCO, Havas London
--Film & Video: Javier Campopiano, global CCO, McCann Worldgroup & McCann Global, Madrid
--Gaming: Taj Reid, global chief experience officer, US CCO, Edelman, New York
--Integrated, Experiential & Immersive: Chris Beresford-Hill, worldwide CCO, BBDO New York
--Fusion Pencil: Walter T. Geer III, CCO, Innovation North America, VML, New York
--Green Pencil: Barbara Humphries, ECD, The Monkeys, Sydney
--Health & Wellness, Pharma: Wendy Lund, chief client officer, WPP, New York
--IP & Product Design: Ronald Ng, global CCO, MRM, New York
--Moving Image Craft & Production: Irene Kugelmann, chief creative officer, DDB Group of Companies Germany, Berlin
--Music & Sound Craft: Joel Simon, CCO, JSM Music, New York
--Out of Home, Print & Promotional: Kainaz Karmakar, CCO, Ogilvy India, Mumbai
--Public Relations: Patricia Ávila, regional director for Latin America, Ágora, São Paulo
--Radio... Read More