Directors Alex Garcia and Peter Siaggas have signed with Blue Planet, Atlanta, for exclusive spot representation in North America. They join owner/director/DP Bruce Lane and executive producer/ owner Tom Munroe. Lane said he expects further company expansion: "Up to now, Blue Planet has been a regional company. We hope to grow it with the addition of two new directors."
Lane was already familiar with Siaggas and his work, while Garcia was recommended by an associate. Prior to moving to Greenville, S.C., a year ago, Garcia was owner/director of commercial production house Escorpio, with offices in Buenos Aires, and Santiago, Chile. There, he directed Capel Vodka’s "Theater Sponsor" and McKay’s "Mini-Cookies School Boy" and "Triton Cookie Skydiver" through J. Walter Thompson, Santiago. He also helmed Wrangler’s "Elevator Cowboy" for McCann-Erickson, Buenos Aires.
Siaggas recently finished a two-year stint with Filmworks USA, Atlanta, where he directed InstaBuy’s "Stakeout" for Donino, White & Partners, Atlanta, and graphic design/ greeting card company Koco New York’s "Love Shack" through its in-house agency.
For both Garcia and Siaggas, directing was an obvious career choice. Garcia, a native Argentinian, explained, "My father, Julio Garcia del Rio, was also a commercial director, so I was born into it. I’ve been around sets and cameras for as long as I can remember." Prior to joining Blue Planet, Garcia worked for Escorpio for almost four years. Siaggas was a child actor who appeared in McDonald’s "Great Year" via Leo Burnett Company, Chicago. "I was the happy kid holding the product!" Siaggas laughed. "But I was always more interested in what was happening behind the scenes with the crew." After his ’95 graduation from Georgia State University’s film program in Atlanta, he made several short films, "but thirty-second spots are cheaper than half-hour shorts, so I started doing comedy narrative spots on spec." Siaggas was also the postproduction coordinator at Fini, Atlanta, for Ford Motor Company’s "Taxi Windstar" for J. Walter Thompson, Atlanta.
Lane founded Blue Planet in ’97 after 10 years as a DP and three as a director. "Starting Blue Planet was a necessity, a way to bring myself to the market," he related. In the spring of ’99, I felt that the company had grown to a point where just operating it was more than I could deal with. Plus, I wanted to expand, and that’s when Tom Munroe and I joined up as partners."
The two were colleagues, having worked at BKV, Atlanta, where Munroe freelance produced carpet manufacturer Monsanto’s "Pet-Agree," which Lane directed. Munroe was also a freelance broadcast producer for McCann-Erickson (now Fitzgerald+CO) and WestWayne, both in Atlanta.
Blue Planet’s recent work includes Lane’s "Bring on the Night" for The Southern Company via BKV, Atlanta; "Scooby and the Gang" for Cartoon Network Latin America’s in-house agency, Atlanta; and Philips’ "Audio CDR Promo" through its Atlanta in-house agency. Siaggas recently directed his first ad through Blue Planet: Hands on Atlanta’s "Volunteer" PSA for Adair Greene, Atlanta.
Lane, who has lived in Atlanta for 12 years, is excited about Blue Planet’s growth potential: "There’s a void here, as some of the larger companies have a diminished market presence. The Atlanta market has also attracted some creative directors who are at the top of some of the bigger ad agencies, like WestWayne’s executive creative director Luke Sullivan [formerly of Fallon McElligott, Minneapolis]." Lane added, "There are a lot of newer companies … and they’re increasing their client base all the time. These smaller shops are very accessible. From an Atlanta market standpoint, we feel like we’re at the right place at the right time."
Blue Planet is repped by Munroe.
