Director Peter Siaggas has joined Pogo Pictures for spot representation. Siaggas comes over to the Atlanta-headquartered production house after a year-long stay at Blue Planet, Marietta, Ga. (SHOOT, 4/7/00, p. 19). While there, he directed such spots as PCS One’s "On the Edge," via Kelly Michener, Lancaster, Pa. Prior to Blue Planet, Siaggas was at Filmworks USA, Atlanta, where his credits included InstaBuy’s "Stakeout," via Donino, White & Partners (now DWP//Bates Technology), Atlanta. He has recently completed his first job for Pogo: Orkin’s "Insect Safari," through J. Walter Thompson, Atlanta.
Siaggas graduated from Georgia State University, Atlanta, in 1995, with a degree in film, and started making short films on his own. He joined the now defunct Fini as postproduction coordinator in ’97, then signed with Filmworks USA the following year.
Pogo Pictures consists of owner/director/cameraman Steve Colby, executive producer Richard Sampson and director of marketing Tara Burtchaell. As Burtchaell explained, "Steve does heavy location work, and a lot of the time he’s out of the state or the country. We really needed to grow the company—we wanted a director who’d be here in Atlanta." Much of Colby’s work features panoramic views of rural scenery—he helmed Chevron’s "Refuge," through J. Walter Thompson, San Francisco, off the coast of Alaska. Pogo sought a director whose own strengths and interests would supplement Colby’s emphasis on visual storytelling—"someone with a great sense of art direction and style; someone who directs comedy that looks great," said Burtchaell. She and Colby found what they were looking for in Siaggas, whom Colby met at a Pogo party in December.
Butchaell explained that while commercials are and will remain Pogo’s main focus, the company is not averse to exploring new avenues: "There are so many ways to cut the pie. We have some ideas for short films and TV shows … we may actively go after music videos, and we’re gearing up to do some programming. But commercials are Pogo’s anchor, without question."
Pogo is repped by New York-based Peter Green in the Northeast; Joanne Madden of Madden & Associates, San Francisco, on the West Coast; Burtchaell in the South; and Tim Turner at Circle Productions, Toronto, in Canada.
