Comedy/dialogue director Neil Tardio Jr. has signed with Los Angeles-headquartered production house A Band Apart Commercials.
Tardio was previously represented, for a little over a year, by Santa Monica-based Fuel—the spot production company owned by New York-headquartered digital communications firm Razorfish, which bought Fuel in 1999 (SHOOT, 7/30/99, p. 1). Tardio is the second director to depart Fuel in recent weeks: John Lindauer, who joined Fuel shortly after its acquisition by Razorfish, has moved over to bicoastal Believe Media (SHOOT, 1/12, p. 7).
Additionally, A Band Apart named Adam Bloom as head of production for its commercial and music video divisions, as well as for A Band Apart 35mm—its division representing feature film directors for commercial projects.
A Band Apart Commercials executive producer Eric Bonniot related that, as well as having known Tardio socially, he has been a big fan of the director’s work. "I really love it; it’s the kind of stuff that really makes me laugh," said Bonniot. "And he’s very engaging, personable and talented."
Tardio acknowledged that his move was due, in part, to Razorfish’s recent difficulties as reflected in layoffs and declining stock value (see SHOOT article "Epstein Exits Razorfish, Stays At Fuel" 1/5, p. 1). He added that A Band Apart fit the bill in terms of what he was seeking: "This is an established company that has a track record of strong earnings. I think they’re solid and are going to be around for a while," stated Tardio. "They do bigger production jobs; they’re an A-level company, and hopefully they’ll be able to help me get boards to take me to that level."
At Fuel, Tardio helmed spots for Sprint, Michelob Light, Southwest Airlines, AT&T and Sony, among others; his most recent credit is a Gatorade spot called "Caddy," featuring Michael Jordan, for FCB Chicago. He also directed a spot for the NFL and The United Way via Young & Rubicam, New York, that at press time was slated to debut on the Super Bowl.
Before his stint with Fuel, Tardio spent two years at now closed Fahrenheit Films, where he directed a humorous 104-spot package for Borders Books & Music, out of Butler, Shine & Stern, Sausalito, Calif. Among these spots was "Star Trek," in which a guy in a Borders store consults a Star Trek Encyclopedia and applies a Vulcan death grip to an obnoxious customer gabbing loudly on a cell phone. In 1998, that ad won a Cannes Silver Lion, a Silver Clio and—together with two other spots, "Sarah and Dave" and "Conversations with God"—garnered a second Silver Clio, in the national campaign category.
The New York-born Tardio graduated from Boston University in 1986 and began his career in advertising at Saatchi & Saatchi, NewYork, where he eventually became a producer. He remained there until 1990, when he transferred to Saatchi, Los Angeles. From there, he moved to DDB Chicago and subsequently worked as a freelance producer/director trying to concentrate solely on directing.
Bonniot said that Tardio differs stylistically from the company’s only other comedy director, Martin Granger. "I think that, between them, we’ll be able to cover just about any type of dialogue or situation comedy. And I know we want to expand Neil’s reach, not just focusing on the comedic aspects; [we’re looking to] offer his visual style in other areas."
Meanwhile, Bloom fills the void left by the departure, six months ago, of former A Band Apart production head Jennifer Silver Nieman, who became executive producer at Los Angeles shop c.2K (SHOOT, 9/15/ 00, p. 7). A veteran line producer with 12 years’ experience, Bloom has regularly freelance-produced for A Band Apart during the last five years.
Among Bloom’s notable production credits while freelancing at A Band Apart are "Mannequin" and "Kung Fu" for Timex via Fallon, Minneapolis, directed by feature helmer Tim Burton, through A Band Apart 35mm (SHOOT Top Spot, 6/9/00, p. 16); as well as "Gap Country" via Gap in-house, directed by McG of A Band Apart Commercials. Other A Band Apart credits include "Neighbors" for Budweiser via DDB Chicago, directed by Wayne Isham, and Bud spots directed by former A Band Apart helmers Richard D’Alessio (now at New York-based Shooting Gallery Productions) and Charles Wittenmeier (now at bicoastal/ international Propaganda Films).
Bloom’s professional relationship with A Band Apart co-president/CEO Michael Bodnarchek dates back nine years. Over that time, Bloom was a production coordinator working with producer Bodnarchek at the former Limelight Commercials, and subsequently at Propaganda. Their affiliation continued after Bodnarchek co-founded A Band Apart Commercials in 1995, with feature film producer Lawrence Bender and writer/ director Quentin Tarantino.
In addition to the duties of his new role, Bloom intends to continue line-producing a few jobs per year. "I think it’s important that I get out and do it," he explained, "both for my sanity and so I can keep in touch with crew and know what’s out there."
Bonniot noted that A Band Apart is looking to grow its commercial division. In addition to Tardio, the A Band Apart Commercials directorial roster comprises Isham, McG, Steve Buscemi, Nigel Dick, Terry Windell, Martin Granger, Chris Applebaum, Darren Grant, Phil Harder, Paul Street, Lisa Prisco and co-directing team Jeremy Hunt and Bruce Branit. The company is repped nationally by Creative Management Partners, bicoastal and Chicago.
