Bicoastal production house Atherton has signed director Gordon Willis Jr. Atherton will represent Willis nationally with the exception of Texas and the Southwest, where he is handled by Austin, Texas-based American Motion (AMMO).
Atherton president Julie Atherton said that Willis fills a niche for the company in that he is a director/cameraman who is a visual storyteller. Praising the director for his beautiful visuals, Atherton added she had been familiar with his work. Hes very articulate, visually, she said. I think he needs to be exposed to a wider market, which we can do.
Willis comes over from New York-based Emerald Films, which has repped him for nearly four years. According to the director, it was a desire to mix it up that led him to make the change. He had contacted a handful of production companies he was familiar with. Willis has known Julie Atherton for a few years, he related, and found the well-regarded Atherton house to be a good fit.
It was no hard feelings with Emerald, said Willis. It was just seeking new stimulation and new arenas to play in, basically. You always want to move forward and, not that you couldnt with the company you were at, but I think its just so much easier with new people, new sales reps. A different point of view of doing things is always healthy.
Among Willis recent credits are a spot for Alcon Supralens contact lens cleaner out of Targetbase Marketing, Irving, Texas, and a spot he shot in Vancouver, B.C., for software manufacturer Jump Start out of McCann-Erickson, Los Angeles.
At press time, Willis was preparing to embark on his first job under the Atherton banner: an international McDonalds spot out of DDB Needham Chicago, slated to shoot for five days on location in Taiwan.
Willis joins an Atherton roster also composed of David Denneen, Edouard Nammour, Vadim Perelman, David Bishop, Rachel Harms, Brian Scott Webber and Alex Winter. The companys rep lineup is comprised of New York-based director of marketing Phillip Collins, Chicago-based Tracy Bernard & Associates and L.A.-based Carol Biedermann.
