Director Barry Young has signed for exclusive commercial representation with Cognito Films, the Santa Monica production house headed by executive producer Alan Landau. He joins the company after a year-long stint at Santa Monica-based Trail Head, a spot production and post house that is part of the Stoney Road family of companies. Trail Head recently shifted much of its focus to postproduction (see separate story, p. 1), a move that prompted Young to consider other production house roosts.
Already Young has been awarded his first assignment through Cognito: two ads for the University Medical Center in Las Vegas, which were created by Dunn Reber Glenn Marz, Las Vegas. Young previously teamed with the agency’s creative director Miles Nebeker and copywriter Bernice Bamburak for "Vegas," which he directed, edited (with Trail Head staff editor Patrick Fraser) and scored (with composer Peter di Stefano, who was a member of the band Porno for Pyros). The director will have the same overall creative input for the upcoming job, which he will cut with Cognito staff editor Brandon Dumas, and score with di Stefano.
"I think it really serves the agency well if someone can complete the storytelling and the concept in all areas of execution," Young explained, "because it’s all about storytelling, and the story is told in the writing, the shooting, the editing and in the music." Nebeker and Bamburak were the first agency creatives to offer the director that opportunity a year ago. He has since worn multiple hats on a dozen jobs, and said that style of production made sense not only in terms of a streamlined budget, but because "there’s no loss of communication whatsoever."
Young’s interest in Cognito centered on Landau. "He’s an amazingly hard-working executive producer," the director said of Landau. "He’s so committed, and I love that because I am too."
Young’s final assignment at Trail Head consisted of three spots—"Reading," "Math Test" and "Study Skills"—and a corporate piece, all for the Sylvan Learning Center via Baltimore agency WB Doner (now Doner Direct). The director also recently helmed "Angel," an ad for Ballantine’s scotch whiskey for the European market out of Bates, Milan.
The ads reflected the director’s transition from specializing in "conservative dialogue" to powerful, visual storytelling. Young has undergone a "process of reinvention" over the past two years, and said his focus is now on bold art direction that incorporates humanism, irony and a definite perspective. So marked is the change, said Young, that "a lot of people are seeing my reel and wondering if I’m not another director." Young added that he was influenced in part by this age of narrowcasting, which allows commercials to be highly targeted—hence the need for the strong point of view "that the audience identifies with."
Prior to joining Trail Head in ’98, Young was represented by two other Stoney Road companies. For two years he worked out of bicoastal Bedford Falls. From ’92 to ’96, he was represented by now defunct Fahrenheit and its predecessor, Partners’/USA. Before linking with the Stoney Road shops, Young directed via now defunct Riverrun Films, his first commercial roost.
While at Bedford Falls, Young directed ads for Dow out of DMB&B, Troy, Mich.; Chase Texas Bank via McCann-Erickson, Houston; and Embassy Suites via DDB Dallas. He also helmed "Searching for Seamus," a spec ad for Murphy’s Irish Stout. The humorous spot follows several Irishmen and women in their quest to discover what inspired the late Seamus Ryan O’Flaherty, "a terrible poet who knew his stout." Young developed a feature script based on the ad, which is being shopped as a vehicle for him to direct.
Young earned his master’s degree in media studies at Lone Mountain College (now part of the University of San Francisco). Upon graduation, he relocated to Los Angeles, where he found PA work in the commercial production industry. Shortly thereafter, while working on a shoot at a ranch in Texas, Young met the wealthy ranch owner, who was interested in making an investment in the film industry and offered to finance Young’s spec reel in exchange for a percentage of the potential director’s profits.
Having admired Young’s work for years, Landau said the director is an ideal addition to Cognito. "I thought his reel was fabulous and I liked him a lot, which is important to me," said the executive producer. "He’s as nice as his reel is good, which counts a lot because when you’re looking for a director, it’s more than just placing a camera." Young’s other notable credits include ads for Avis, MCI and US West.
Young joins a Cognito directorial roster that also includes Gary Weis, Danny Boyle and the mono-monikered Bob (a.k.a. Bob Morrow). The company also maintains No Guns Pictures, Venice and Buenos Aires, a Latin spot division that represents several directors. Both Cognito and No Guns are represented by Peter Elegant of virtual pete worldwide, Putnam Valley, N.Y., on the East Coast; Julie Vargo and Patrice Bockos of Vargo Bockos, Chicago, in the Midwest; Char Noonan of Char & Associates, Los Angeles, on the West Coast; and Jack Reed of Dallas-based Jack Reed Reps in Texas. Jose Luis Longinotti, general manager of No Guns’ international operation, handles the division’s international sales out of the Buenos Aires office. Landau is in the process of securing a music video rep for Young who is also interested in directing clips.
