Compulsive Pictures, New York, has added director/cameraman Tony Ober for national commercial representation.
Ober maintains his six-year-old, Seattle-based production company, Ober Lenz Films, for regional work. He also continues his affiliation with Toronto-based Industry Films for Canadian projects.
Known for quirky comedy and a distinct visual style, Ober was affiliated for the past two years with Venice, Calif.-based Ocean Park Pictures. Ober explained that he wanted broader representation and hoped to increase his exposure across the country by joining the five-year-old Compulsive.
Ober said he found the two Compulsive principals—executive producers Jack Turney and Donald O’Connor—to be a good fit personally. "I liked the guys very much," said Ober. "I also liked the [small] size of their directing roster, and the people on their roster. It just seemed to be a different vibe than being on a fifty-person roster; they seemed to be interested in putting the time into me and my career."
Turney related that he knew from looking at Ober’s work that the director was an "easygoing, natural" comedy director. He added that Ober’s DP background gives him a significant advantage as a comedy director. "The result is beautifully lit, great-looking comedy," assessed Turney. "It’s rich, cinematic and funny."
Ober first made his mark in the industry by directing an award-winning series of spots for the Seattle SuperSonics out of WongDoody, Seattle. The ads feature SuperSonics players who drop by the homes of unsuspecting fans. The spontaneous reactions from the fans make for strikingly humorous moments. The campaign has racked up a spate of honors, including a Cannes Gold Lion, five Clios, five ANDYs, two Gold Pencils at The One Show, three Northwest ADDYs and a national ADDY.
After getting his start in the industry as an electrician working on film sets, Ober became a staff production manager and a DP at now defunct Telemation from ’83-’86. Following this, he was a freelance DP and gaffer for a few years, working on commercials with such directors as Vilmos Zsigmond, Jordan Cronenweth and Larry Hutson. Ober turned his attention to directing in ’92; two years later, he launched Ober Lenz Films.
Through Ober Lenz, Ober recently directed the spots "Sam" and "Vin" in the ongoing SuperSonics campaign. These new spots, which feature Gary Payton and Vin Baker, have a twist on the original theme: fans drop by the homes of players.
Ober’s other recent credits include Canadian spots for Nike, McDonald’s and gas station chain Petro Canada, all via Cossette & Company, Toronto; Microsoft out of Communique, Toronto; and Panasonic via Palmer/Jarvis DDB, Toronto. Through Ober Lenz, he has wrapped a spot for Interview. com via Big Bang, San Diego, in addition to a recent three-spot package for Azteca Mexican restaurants via WongDoody. The campaign includes the spot "Amnesia," a Hispanic soap opera spoof in which an accident victim can’t remember his name or the recipe for fajitas burritos. Ober also directed a Honda spot for Rubin Postaer and Associates, Santa Monica, through Ocean Park.
Ober joins a Compulsive directorial roster comprised of Jorgen Lööf, Charlie Carlson and Brendan Donovan. The shop is repped by New York-based Miller/Nadler on the East Coast; Chicago-based Karen Kovach Company in the Midwest and by Los Angeles-based Rachel Finn Represents on the West Coast. The company is also repped in Canada by Industry Films.
