This :60 opens against a desolate landscape overlooking the Aegean Sea as a magician sits with his few belongings, staring forlornly into his top hat. In the distance, the sounds of a motorbike get louder as it draws closer. The traveler gets off his scooter and asks the man if he’s alright. As the downtrodden magician begins his tale, the viewer is taken on a series of flashbacks into a vintage theater as the man performs in front of a listless, expressionless audience.
He attempts to pull a rabbit out of a hat, but grabs a IPTV service provider Conn-X router box. A dove doesn’t just disappear; in its place a Conn-X router appears. A woman sawed in half spills entrails of Conn-X boxes.
“Don’t worry, believe in yourself,” encourages the agreeable young motorist. “Go on…pull out a rabbit.” The illusionist concentrates and waves his hand over the hat. A Conn-X box materializes, which the young man wanted all along. He eagerly snatches it up and then motors away.
This :60 for Conn-X out of Leo Burnett, Athens, Greece, is being shown in cinemas and on TV. The spot was directed by Scott Corbett of Identity, New York. The spot was produced by Identity, N.Y., and Boo Productions in Athens, Greece.
Christos Voudouris was the DP. Editor was Rick Lobo of Cutters.
Ron Cicero and Bo Clancey Launch Production House 34North
Executive producers Ron Cicero and Bo Clancey have teamed to launch 34North. The shop opens with a roster which includes accomplished directors Jan Wentz, Ben Nakamura Whitehouse and Mario Feil, as well as such up-and-coming filmmakers as Glenn Stewart and Chris Fowles.
Nakamura Whitehouse, Feil and Fowles come over from CoMPANY Films, the production company for which Cicero served as an EP for the past nearly five years.
Director Wentz had most recently been with production house Skunk while Stewart now gains his first U.S. representation.
EP Clancey was freelance producing prior to the formation of 34North. He and Cicero have known each other for some 25 years, recently reconnecting on a job directed by Fowles. Cicero said that he and Clancey “want to keep a highly focused roster where talent management can be one on one--where we all share in the directors’ success together.”
Clancey also brings an agency pedigree to the new venture. “I started at Campbell Ewald in accounts, no less,” said Clancey. “I saw firsthand how much work agencies put in before we even see a script. You have to respect that investment. These agency experiences really shaped my approach to production--it’s about empathy, listening between the lines, and ultimately making the process seamless.”
34North represents a meeting point--both literally and creatively. Named after the latitude of Malibu, Calif., where the idea for the company was born, it also embraces the power of storytelling. “34North118West was the first GPS-enabled narrative,” Cicero explained. “That blend of art and technology, to captivate an audience, mirrors what we do here--create compelling work, with talented people, harnessing state-of-the-art... Read More