Executive Producer Ron Cicero has launched INVADER. The L.A.-based production house opens with a roster that includes comedy director Andy Fisher, British visualist David Edwards, documentary director Christina Burchard and the directing team LGI Collective, of which Cicero is a member.
The shop’s directors are expert across multiple disciplines and genres beyond commercials: Burchard was an editor on the Oscar-winning documentary Citizenfour; Fisher, who was previously at Caviar, was nominated for an Emmy for directing the “Jimmy Kimmel Sucks” episode of the ABC late-night show; and LGI Collective directors Cicero and Kimo Easterwood have just completed the feature-length documentary, Happy Happy Joy Joy: The Ren & Stimpy Story, now primed for the festival circuit.
“I was extremely fortunate to launch my producing career at Radical Media years ago,” said Cicero. “And as much as I enjoy producing, I’ve always yearned for the opportunity to take a more creative path. INVADER is an opportunity to do both.”
Cicero segued into executive producing after a successful career as a line producer and head of production. In addition to Radical Media, he’s worked at such shops as Crossroads Films, Picrow, Prologue and most recently Magnopus, producing ads, campaigns and promos for such brands as The Academy Awards, AT&T, ESPN, Jeep, Lexus, Microsoft, NBC, Nike, Range Rover, Sony PlayStation and Sephora. Along the way he’s partnered with such agencies as BBDO, CP+B, GSD&M, Publicis/NY, Saatchi & Saatchi and TBWAChiatDay, delivering everything from traditional TV commercials to branded content to experiential.
“Business-wise, the timing seems right,” Cicero explained about the INVADER launch. “The Netflix’s and Amazon Prime’s of the world will inevitably turn to ad sales to continue their exponential revenue growth. We’re positioning ourselves for the next explosion in branded production.”
Edwards and Cicero first met 10 years ago when Edwards, at the start of his career, was an in-house director at Virgin Media in London. While there he won a slew of awards. Since then he has worked repeatedly for agencies such as Anomaly, BBH, and Publicis, both in the U.S. and abroad.
Recently, Edwards directed a spot for Pepsi in the U.K., where he is represented by Another Film Company. Formerly with Rattling Stick, Edwards has a body of work that’s often defined by its beautiful compositions, cinematic lighting, graceful camera movement, and lensing that heightens on-screen performances.
Burchard is an Emmy Award-winning documentary filmmaker. In 2017 she directed two episodes of the boxing documentary series Why We Fight, then moved on to direct multiple episodes of the IDA-nominated series The Confession Tapes for Netflix. When Why We Fight was picked up by ESPN+, she was called back to direct additional episodes.
With work for brands such as Nike and Bridgestone to her credit, Burchard has extensive long-form credentials. She recently directed “Spyball” for the ESPN 30 for 30 documentary series; the film takes a look at the life and career of Moe Berg, the baseball catcher who was also an atomic spy. Additionally, she’s developed projects supported by the MacArthur Foundation, the Sundance Institute, HBO, Showtime, Netflix, Vice, DOC NYC and the Toronto Film Festival, among others. Her first project for INVADER is a music video for drummer and composer Qasim Naqvi, a member of Dawn of Midi, which broke this month.
“Christina’s background as a successful editor and writer has made her transition to directing seamless,” said Cicero. “It’s exciting to see how effortlessly she crosses over between short- and long-form content, which is something you don’t see that often.”
Fisher currently is the Emmy-nominated director of Jimmy Kimmel Live. In addition to the infamous “Jimmy Kimmel Sucks” segment, starring Matt Damon, Fisher’s comedy shorts include “The Handsome Men’s Club” and “Josh Groban Sings Kanye West’s Tweets.” His brand work includes spots for YouTube, Boost Mobile and The Emmys.
LGI Collective is a directing moniker for Cicero, who began his advertising career as a director at Crossroads Films before venturing into producing, and his partner Easterwood. Prior to launching his directing career in 2015, Easterwood was a performance and lifestyle photographer who’s toured with Chris Rock, Bon Jovi, Christina Aguilar, Jenna Jameson, Usher and ZZ Top. As LGI Collective, he and Cicero have created content for clients such as Adidas, Miller, and Levi’s.
“Many of the filmmakers I admire most switch between producing and directing, especially in the documentary space,” Cicero explained. “Both roles inform the other: It’s all about creative-problem solving. I also gain a first-hand understanding of the challenges directors face when trying to do their best work. INVADER has been built to provide a supportive environment for directorial talent to grow and evolve.”
INVADER is represented by Mr. Bartlett x Minerva on the East Coast and by Juliusson + Ratcliffe in the Midwest.
