Two women are sitting and chatting on a park bench. One tells the other, “Sarah’s been acting up again. I guess it’s because I can’t afford to buy her a birthday present this year.”
No sooner does she utter those words, a man passes by, prompting her to embrace and to begin dry humping him like a dog in heat.
Clearly startled and turned off, the guy manages to escape. The woman sheepishly returns to her bench seat and tells her friend that the birthday present is a hardship in that she has 66 other kids to worry about.
Her gal pal chokes on the coffee she’s sipping.
Three supers read, “You Can Choose”/”Your Pet Can’t”/”Spay or Neuter Your Pet.”
Another guy passes by the bench. He’s walking his two dogs. The woman is less aggressive this time, merely waving at him.
An end tag identifies the sponsor of this message–the Ontario Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SCPA).
Alex Ogus of Industry Films, Toronto, directed “Magnetism” for agency Bensimon Byrne, Toronto. (Ogus is handled stateside by TWC, Santa Monica.)
The agency creative team included creative director David Rosenberg, art director Joshua Best, and copywriter Gabrielle Makarewicz.
Joan Bell produced for Industry. The DP was Gregor Hagey.
Editor was Geoff Ashenhurst of Stealing Time, Toronto. Assistant editor was Nicole Sison. Exec producer for Stealing Time was Denise Shearer.
Audio post mixer was Steve Emmens of Pirate, Toronto.
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, David Edwards and Mario Feil, as well as such up-and-coming filmmakers as Glenn Stewart and Chris Fowles. Nakamura Whitehouse, Edwards, 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