Animation studio Curious Pictures has added to its global network of creative content and design companies, linking with design shop INTERspectacular. The alliance between the two New York-based houses comes on the heels of Curious entering into an affiliation with Paris-based production company Grand Large (SHOOT, 1/21e.dition, p. 11). The Grand Large connection resulted in Curious gaining stateside spot representation for a directorial ensemble that includes noted feature filmmaker Jean Pierre Jeunet (A Very Long Engagement, Amelie).
“There is no reason to limit a creative search geographically,” related Curious head of production Meredith Brown. “To bring the best talent to our projects, we want to have access to creative across national and continental borders, across company boundaries.”
Curious has built such alliances with other companies and coteries of talent over the years. This started with international design studio Pentagram, which first opened in London and has since formed offices in New York, San Francisco, Berlin, and Austin, Texas. Pentagram’s partners directed projects through Curious. Then Curious entered into a relationship with the U.K. creative collective and studio Tomato in 1995. Tomato works in such fields as TV commercials, graphic design, feature film title sequences, multimedia, fashion, architecture, music and business consultancy.
The affiliations steadily grew in subsequent years. Curious affiliated with the computer animation talents of San Francisco-based Little Fluffy Clouds, which was founded in ’96 by English designer/producer Betsy De Fries and Dutch director Jerry Van de Beek. Storyboarding, character development, creative design, special effects, editing, compositing and new media expertise are among the specialties that Little Fluffy Clouds offers to Curious.
Curious maintains similar reciprocal relationships with studios FAQ in London, Calabazitaz in Mexico City and Gun Shop in San Francisco. INTERspectacular is the latest to join the Curious ranks.
During the last few months, INTERspectacular has worked on several projects with New York agency Mother. The design projects have all been produced for and projected in Times Square on the ABC Supersign. Creative directors Luis Blanco and Michael Uman launched INTERspectacular last year. Another key staffer there is executive producer Greg Babuik. The studio created a new on-air design for Comedy Central. That work debuted last summer and continues as the signature look for all of Comedy Central’s on-air and off-air identity.
Among the other alluded to shops that are part of Curious’ global web, the recently renamed FAQ (which was originally SO) is a live action and graphics studio started by artisans Ian Cross and Stuart Hilton at Picasso Pictures, London. FAQ and its predecessor studio SO have produced commercials for HSBC, BT, Orange, Absolute Vodka and The Guardian, among others. Cross and Hilton have also helmed many short films, pop promos (for such performers as Nellee Hooper and Reindeer Section) and title sequences (for director Guy Ritchie’s feature Snatch). FAQ and Curious started working together in late ’04.
Mexico City-based Calabazitaz maintains a New York satellite office at Curious. Led by the Gout Brothers (Everardo and Leopoldo), Calabazitaz is a storytelling-based production company and artists consortium featuring filmmakers, painters and editors. The brothers have directed spots, shorts, documentaries and urban music videos. The Gout Brothers are slated to direct a feature for Lakeshore Entertainment and to produce a documentary for DreamWorks this year.
Curious was founded in ’93 by partners Susan Holden, Steve Oakes, David Star and Richard Winkler. Its directorial roster includes Oakes, Eric Fogel, Mo Willems, Joan Raspo, Stefan Nadelman and Grand Large’s Jean-Pierre Jeunet and Marc Caro. (Caro and Jeunet teamed to direct the features Delicatessen and City of Lost Children.)