Bicoastal Cohn+Company has signed director Eric E. Fitzpatrick on the strength of his spec spot for Guinness ale, "Shaving Cream," which made SHOOT’s "The Best Work You May Never See" gallery (SHOOT, 10/6/00, p. 12).
Cohn+Company president Jack Cohn saw the spec piece in SHOOT (see spot.com.mentary, p. 4) and was intrigued, but he credits staff West Coast rep Ezra Burke with taking the initiative and pursuing Fitzpatrick. Cohn observed that the timing was right on several fronts. "I met Eric and liked him and his work a lot," related Cohn. "It was at a point where Eric was actually in the midst of meeting with different companies and getting a sense of what the business is all about. He got a great overview of what they could do in terms of helping him start out as a young director. That helped him make an informed decision."
Also at that juncture, Cohn+ Company had its West Coast operation firmly in place under the aegis of executive producer David Lasseron. "In years past," related Cohn, "I had been hesitant to take on a new director based in California because we had traditionally been a New York house. But having established a West Coast support staff and infrastructure now in its second year, we were more than ready to help advance the career of a Los Angeles-based director like Eric."
Step one in that planned advancement has already been taken: the making of an additional spec spot, financed and produced by Cohn+Company to showcase Fitzpatrick’s directorial talent. At press time, that spec ad had just been wrapped: a commercial linked to the ongoing Miller Genuine Draft "Never Miss a Genuine Opportunity" campaign.
"We wanted to follow an existing campaign, and love the subtlety of the Miller Genuine Draft spots," explained Cohn. "Our goal was to give it a little bit more of an edge and to continue the look of the film that Eric established with Guinness."
Cohn observed that Fitzpatrick fits well into the company niche, which is storytelling via dialogue and/or visuals. Cohn said it’s likely that the shop will invest in another spec spot for Fitzpatrick within the next month. Both the Guinness and Miller Genuine Draft spec pieces were written by Fitzpatrick. He and Cohn are considering concepts from agency teams for the next possible spec endeavor.
Cohn said that the production house has selectively put Fitzpatrick’s current two-spot reel in the hands of certain agency creatives and producers, eliciting positive feedback. "There’s an excitement here on the part of everyone at the prospect of helping to build a young director’s career. The reps and the directors here—like Paul Cade and Paul Goldman—have taken a genuine interest [in Eric]," related Cohn.
"For me, it’s a dream come true," reported Fitzpatrick, who made his Guinness spec spot a reality between gigs as a production assistant on spot jobs. "This is the opportunity with an established company that I was hoping for. And the coverage [in "The Best Work You May Never See"] was the catalyst that opened the door."
Cohn+Company’s directorial roster comprises Cade, Goldman, Fitzpatrick, Martin Bell and Mark Raymon Bennett. The shop also handles U.S. representation for Australia-based director Ray Lawrence. Tony Cunningham continues as the company’s New York-based executive producer. Head of sales Randi Arnold handles the East Coast, with Burke on the West Coast, and independent rep Nikki Weiss covering the Midwest.
