Film director/still photographer Dewey Nicks has joined bicoastal CoMPANY Films for exclusive commercial representation. Nicks is probably best known in the spot world for applying his singular visual storytelling to leading lifestyle and fashion brands, including J.Crew, PUMA, Old Navy, Tommy Hilfiger, San Pelligrino and Tiffany.
The signing reunites Nicks with CoMPANY Films’ EP Richard Goldstein who earlier in their careers teamed on both spots and stills back at production company Villains. “Dewey’s lifestyle and fashion work is timeless, always on point because the work never takes itself too seriously,” said Goldstein. “His photography is now recognized for being some of the best brand messaging on the planet. In both disciplines Dewey has a way of making the simple elements of life feel special.”
For his part, Nicks was always impressed with Goldstein’s ability to produce jobs in both worlds. “Richard has an innate understanding of the demands for juggling both print and spot campaigns. At this point in my career, I want to get back to having Richard put together the jobs; he’s the best and knows his stuff.”
Prior to joining CoMPANY, Nicks had most recently been at Concrete + Clay which continues to handle him for select photography-only assignments.
Origins
Nicks grew up in the Midwest, the son of an advertising guy. He headed West to attend the famed Art Center in Pasadena, Calif., to study photography. There he became fascinated with capturing California culture in all its weirdness. A highly lauded book titled “Kustom” featuring his “Californicated” images was released. At the same time, Nicks diversified into directing commercials–first in the comedy realm, then shifting to lifestyle and fashion. Even when shooting celebrities in exotic places, Nicks kept it fun. “I approach most of my work with a touch of humor,” he said. On the photography side, Nicks quickly became a go-to still guy, shooting high end campaigns for Levi’s and Ralph Lauren. He has stayed busy ever since, shooting spots, stills and directing the occasional film.
Polaroids
Last year, Nicks unearthed a box filled with thousands of Polaroids from some of his first 1990s photo sessions. Shots of female celebrities, both posed and unposed, reflected a comfort and rapport between Nicks and his subjects. “I was amazed at how the Polaroids had aged, the colors,” said Nicks. He and long time collaborator Tom Adler released a book titled “Polaroids Of Women” featuring one hundred select images from the period.
Gravity-defying action
Nicks has become enamored of late with capturing the magic of athletic performance. The fascination took off when the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) tapped the director to film the top 50 players in the world. “I’m excited to film any athletic activity, I try to build some gravity-defying action into every shoot,’ said Nicks. “I just hired a gymnast and a Muay Thai boxer to model clothes while rolling down sand dunes. I’m looking forward to that shoot.”
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