City Lights Media Group, a New York-based production and postproduction house, has built its directorial roster in recent months, keeping an intentionally low profile until a prime addition, feature filmmaker Larry Clark (e.g., Kids), became available to take on spots. Clark, whose schedule is now open to accommodate ad assignments, is one of six directors to come aboard the shop. Three other helmers have also linked with City Lights, albeit on a non-exclusive basis.
The director signings represent a move by the company to return to its origins. City Lights’ president/co-creative director Danny Fisher acknowledged that the house had lost sight of its production foundation over the last few years.
"We’ve been in business for twenty years as a production company but over the last seven years we built our own in-house postproduction facility, which expanded from three to twenty-four editing rooms and several graphics rooms," explained Fisher. "I looked around recently and saw I was managing a postproduction facility, but my roots are as a film producer. So we are now pursuing production on several fronts—feature films, television and commercials/music videos."
City Lights has assembled a roster of spot helmers that includes: Clark, Michael Lindsay-Hogg, Jim Gucciardo, June Manton, Brian Frank, and Ilkka Jarvilaturi. The company also has entered into non-exclusive spotmaking relationships with directors Bernard Salzman, Chuck Clemens and feature filmmaker John Waters (Hairspray, Crybaby). Waters is also handled by bicoastal The Industry, a sister shop to bicoastal Moxie Pictures. Salzman continues to additionally work through his own production company, Chicago-based Inner Circle Films. Clemens’ other spot roost is 11/11 Productions, New York.
The lone holdover in the City Lights’ directorial lineup is co-creative director Jack Fisher (Danny’s brother). Thus far, City Lights has produced one commercial as of late—a Manton-directed Nivea spot for TBWA/ Chiat/Day, New York.
"The commercial/music video [department] is still a new division," said Danny Fisher. "We are targeting it to become about twenty-five percent of our overall production business. Currently, about 20 percent of our overall work, including postproduction and design, is in commercials and music videos. But we expect that to grow as we do our own commercial production."
Fisher feels that although business and the economy are slow, it is a perfect time for his company to make adjustments in a changing market. "It really is a terrible economy but what we see is an opportunity for us to pick up directors and compete," said Fisher, who added that the company is also looking into building a sound mixing facility and increasing its graphics capabilities. "We are trying to do everything from the creation of original content to duplication and format conversions and editing—basically everything from the smallest item of service to original film and TV ideas."
