Spoke Films, a production company with bases in Chicago and Los Angeles, has added director Jamie O’Malley.
With the signing, O’Malley gains national representation for commercials. He continues to maintain his own shop, Milwaukee-based Carnaval Pictures, which he founded six years ago. Spoke Films will rep him everywhere outside of Wisconsin.
Spoke executive producer Dick Gillespie said that he heard of O’Malley from West Coast-based Spoke co-directors Steve Farr and Barry Poltermann, who are friends with O’Malley. Farr and Poltermann formerly resided in Milwaukee, where they launched their directing career at Purple Onion Entertainment.
Gillespie said he was impressed by O’Malley’s reel, which largely comprises regional work, and believes the director to be a promising talent. Said Gillespie, "His film looked terrific; he has a really nice eye. I thought the work had a nice edge to it. A lot of the work that he’s done has been with limited budgets, and I think he brought a lot of production value to the spots. The work was very tasteful, elegant and consistent. I’m going to position him as someone who does visual storytelling and lifestyle imagery. I think I can open up some new avenues of work for him and try to build him up with more national work."
O’Malley got his start as an assistant editor at the former Black Swan in Milwaukee in the late 1980s. After several years, he moved to Chicago, where he worked as a grip on commercials and features. "I came up through lighting and then decided I want to do a little more; I was always asking too many questions," he added.
O’Malley returned to Milwaukee nearly 10 years ago, where he freelance-produced until a lack of work prompted him to move to Los Angeles for a few months. He ended up returning to Milwaukee, at which point he started to direct and formed Carnaval Pictures.
He has directed and, oftentimes, served as cameraman, on spots for such clients as Wisconsin Lottery, KFC, Liberty Bank, Repel and Pick ‘N Save. Among O’Malley’s recent spot credits are "Yacht" and "Manse" for Ho-Chunk Casino via Advertising, Boelter & Lincoln, Milwaukee; "Carpet" and "Laundromat" for Shorewest Realtors via Meyer & Wallis, Milwaukee, and "Who Comes First" for Children’s Hospital via Hoffman York, Milwaukee.
Much of his work, said O’Malley, is very simple humor. One such spot, for instance, is "Monte Carlo" for the Wisconsin Lottery via Hoffman York which broke last year; it features Bronson Pinchot critiquing a piece of art which is revealed to be a deer’s head mounted on a basement rec room wall. Another spot-"All the Bites"-for Repel out of BBD&S, Milwaukee, contrasted two guys fishing in boats on a river. One is quietly casting while the other is being overrun with mosquitoes; a super comes up reading, "Some guys get all the bites."
"I think those are some of the pieces that attracted [Gillespie]," commented O’Malley. "There were other companies looking at me, too, but what I like about Dick is that he’s very candid; he tells you what he thinks. I like to have a lot of fun while getting a job done, and he seems to be that kind of guy, as well."
O’Malley said he hopes Spoke can expand his reach into the national marketplace. "Milwaukee is a real jewel; it’s a great market where there’s good, simple creative," he noted. "It’s given me the opportunity to do some great work with people on both the agency and crew sides. Dick is feeling that now’s a good chance to break away and try to do some bigger work."
O’Malley joins a Spoke Films directorial roster consisting of Ron Lazzeretti in addition to Farr and Poltermann. Gillespie and Spoke executive producer Ed Amaya handle Midwest sales, while New York-based rep firm Single Bid covers the East Coast. The company is currently seeking a new West Coast sales rep.
