Director Brent Jones has joined Yard Dog–the L.A.-based company led by executive producers Joe Piccirillo and Beth Pearson–for work in commercials, branded content and web media. Jones was previously repped in the U.S. ad market by Fancy Content.
Bringing a diverse reel and more than 10 years of directing experience to Yard Dog, Jones is perhaps best known for high-energy automotive spots, but his work also extends to performance-driven storytelling and humor, with credits including WeatherTech, DiGiorno Pizza, FedEx, Monster, and Subway.
Jones has already wrapped his first project with Yard Dog, a spot for a major car brand that featured a half-dozen former Heisman Trophy winners and an elaborate production mimicking a reality TV competition. “Brent’s range of work and ability to direct actors, celebrities, real people, and manage complex productions makes him a great addition to Yard Dog,” said Pearson. “Both Joe and I have worked with Brent before and know what he can do.”
In terms of action and production value, Jones’ work rivals Hollywood action films although often with a comic twist. His spot “Tech Team” for WeatherTech, which premiered during last year’s Super Bowl broadcast, imagines a crack commando team who intercept a car on a mountain road to prevent a coffee cup from spilling on the upholstery.
A native of Kansas City, where he started as a lighting technician, Jones moved to Los Angeles and came up through the ranks. He worked behind the scenes under such directors as Steven Spielberg, Michael Bay, Cameron Crowe and Sam Raimi. Jones earned a slot in SHOOT’s 2006 New Directors Showcase.
Joining Yard Dog is like a reunion for Jones; he previously worked with Piccirillo at Original Film.
SCHROM x Yacht Club and Be Electric Studios Launch Electric XR for Virtual Production
SCHROM x Yacht Club, a full-service live-action, tabletop, and postproduction company, has teamed with Be Electric Studios, a soundstage, equipment rental, and virtual production company, to launch Electric XR, a virtual production collective.
Industry veteran Thomas Rossano will lead the new venture, which provides advanced virtual production solutions across multiple facilities. He brings over 25 years of experience in live-action, tabletop, postproduction and talent curation to enhance Electric XR’s offerings as a resource for brands and agencies, as well as other production companies in need of virtual production solutions. Additionally Rossano continues to serve as EP at XR New York (XR-NY), a role he’s held since December 2022. SCHROM x Yacht Club originally established XR-NY to help provide XR services for third-party rentals. While XR-NY will continue to function independently for SCHROM X Yacht Club, it now operates under the Electric XR umbrella.
Rossano’s expertise spans producing live-action commercials, branded content, interactive and experiential content. In addition to leading Electric XR, he holds responsibilities at SCHROM x Yacht Club which include driving business development, collaborating with sales reps and expanding the company’s creative talent network. Rossano’s career includes serving as an exec producer at Hungry Man for about 11 years, right from that company’s inception. He then went on to become a partner at Station Film where he also had a lengthy tenure. Later he was a partner at PRISM. Then after the pandemic hit, he became a freelance EP for nearly two years, looking into opportunities in virtual production, which led him to XR NY and now Electric XR. Over the years, he has produced high-profile... Read More