Aero Film, the Santa Monica-headquartered house headed by president Skip Short and executive producer Lance O’Connor, has hired Bernie Wesson as its head of production. Wesson will oversee the production needs of Aero’s directorial roster, which includes Klaus Obermeyer, Henrik Hansen and Ken Arlidge. The company is known for its high-end spot fare as well as for its extensive production contacts and work for the military/defense industry.
Wesson brings industry experience from both the production house and ad agency sectors to his new roost; he is perhaps best known for his 14-year tenure as executive producer/CFO at Venice, Calif.-based Cucoloris Films. Most recently he served as executive producer at Motel Films, Hollywood.
In late ’00, as an adjunct to his work at Cucoloris, Wesson served as CFO to help set up Digital Kitchen, a hybrid creative shop with offices in Chicago and Seattle. Prior to Cucoloris, Wesson directed commercials via now defunct Spots Films for two years. Earlier, he spent nine years at Ogilvy & Mather, New York, where he produced and directed commercials all over the world, working with such clients as American Express, AT&T, Peugeot and Paco Rabanne. He also had a hand in helping start the careers of directors Adrian Lyne, Ridley and Tony Scott, among others.
Wesson comes aboard Aero as it’s in the throes of a busy stretch. In recent months, directors Obermeyer and Arlidge split a package of Farmer’s Insurance spots for Campbell Ewald, Los Angeles. Arlidge just wrapped commercials for GM via McCann Erickson, Detroit, in addition to winning three Caddys for automotive work out of Detroit agencies. He is currently in New York on post for a new Gillette campaign via BBDO New York. Obermeyer has been helming special two- and four-minute films for the National Guard to be shown in some 9,000 theaters across the country during summer blockbuster movie season. He has just come off of a 10-day Nissan shoot and is currently on location for a Northrop Gruman campaign out of McCann Erickson, Los Angeles. And Hansen has directed a multi-spot public service campaign for Hurricane Katrina relief, as well as a new Mercedes-Benz branding ad out of Merkley+Partners, New York.
Director Lucrecia Signs With PRETTYBIRD For Her 1st U.S. Representation
PRETTYBIRD, the production company helmed by Paul Hunter, Kerstin Emhoff, and Ali Brown, has added award-winning filmmaker Lucrecia to its roster for U.S. commercial and music video representation. This marks the director’s first representation in the U.S. market.
Lucrecia has been signed to PRETTYBIRD UK since 2021, soon after winning UKMVA’s Best Pop Newcomer award for her Tarantino-esque music video for rapper/singer-songwriter Ashnikko--which the director pitched, prepped, and shot in only four days. Since joining PRETTYBIRD UK, Lucrecia has quickly made a name for herself. Her striking narratives, combined with a hyper-real aesthetic and iconic world creation, have been the centerpieces of her filmmaking and photography.
Her work has gone viral on more than one occasion. Her commercial for bibigo, “Live Delicious,” was widely admired and even recreated on an episode of Jimmy Kimmel. She has won awards from Kinsale Shark, Creative Circle, and UKMVA, as well as recognition at the Cannes Lions Young Directors Awards and Ciclope Awards.
Candice Dragonas, VP, talent strategy/executive producer PRETTYBIRD US, said of Lucrecia, “She brings a uniquely stylish approach to storytelling with the perfect splash of humor and playfulness. I admire her extreme passion for her craft and the drive to create at the top of her game.”
In addition to Lucrecia’s cinematic visual aesthetic, she routinely engages in another unique form of self-expression: nail art. She has had everything from whipped cream and cherries to chrome flames adorning her nails.
At PRETTYBIRD, Lucrecia joins a roster of filmmakers including Academy Award-winning duo Daniels (Everything Everywhere All At Once), A.V. Rockwell (A Thousand... Read More