Linda Ross, former managing director of bicoastal RSA USA, has been named executive producer of First Look Artists, the newly launched commercial production division of publicly traded, bicoastal First Look Media.
Formerly known as Overseas Film Group, parent company First Look Media has a 20-plus-year track record of acquiring, financing, producing and distributing independent feature films. The change in moniker for the overall company was made to reflect its diversification into such areas as spot production and Internet content development. Randy Lippert serves as president of both First Look Artists and First Look Internet, another recently formed division.
Based in Los Angeles, with New York and London offices slated to open within the next couple of months, First Look Artists currently has a directorial roster of five filmmakers who are available for ad assignments. The lineup consists of Julie Taymor, who directed, wrote and produced the feature Titus; Joan Chen, with directorial credits that include Autumn in New York and Xiu Xiu: The Sent-Down Girl; Julian Schnabel, who helmed the movies Before Night Falls and Basquiat; Lisa Krueger, director of Committed and Manny & Lo; and Marleen Gorris, who helmed and wrote Antonia’s Line, and directed Mrs. Dalloway, as well as the soon-to-be-released Luhzin Defence. Antonia’s Line won the Academy Award for best foreign language film of 1995.
Additionally, First Look Artists has fashion still photographer Darren Keith, who is making the transition to directing. And according to agency and production vet Lippert, signings of established commercial directors are in the offing.
Lippert noted that the norm has been for commercial production houses to try to make inroads into features in order to generate broader-based career opportunities for directors. But the First Look Artists scenario is the reverse of that—an established feature film company which can offer real-world longform projects to spot helmers. He said that First Look Artists is seeking accomplished commercial directors who have the talent to segue into moviemaking. Conversely, First Look Media’s longstanding independent feature connections enable First Look Artists to access film directors whose sensibilities translate well into spots.
Key in making the First Look Artists business model viable was the hiring of Ross, related Lippert, citing her eight-year tenure at RSA USA, first as head of production and then moving up the ranks to executive producer and eventually managing director. Ross held the managing director’s post for a year and a half before departing that house last May. She left in the wake of the controversy stirred up by a print ad that RSA USA ran in SHOOT relating to the actors’ strike against the advertising industry (SHOOT, 6/2/00, p. 1). Jules Daly has succeeded her at RSA USA.
Ross took a respite from the business over the summer and then began assessing various opportunities. She found the First Look proposition appealing because it will allow her to focus on career development for a mix of feature and commercial directors. Lippert said that while Ross was at RSA USA, she demonstrated that she could help create a nurturing crossover environment for directors active in features, commercials and new media.
"Ad agencies are no longer saying, ‘Get me a director like such-and-such a feature filmmaker,’" observed Ross. "Now they’re saying, ‘Get me that feature director.’ "
Also heightening interest in and availability of feature directors for spot work is the possibility of a strike action by the actors’ unions and/or the Writers Guild of America against the feature/TV studios. "In the event of a strike," said Lippert, "feature directors will not only be available, but also more eager than ever to do commercials. That will help us to build that part of our roster."
First Look Media’s feature development, production, packaging, financing and international distribution business is now handled by the First Look/Overseas division. The company’s feature endeavors over the years have included producing, financing and handling foreign distribution (as well as selling domestic distribution rights to Fox Searchlight) for director Schnabel’s Before Night Falls; putting together the financing for Taymor’s Titus; and internationally distributing such films as Waking Ned Devine. Currently, First Look Pictures, the U.S. theatrical distribution arm of First Look Media, has in release Me & Isaac Newton (directed by Michael Apted), Ratcatcher (directed by Lynne Ramsay) and The Opportunists (starring Christopher Walken). Past distribution projects included the aforementioned Antonia’s Line and Mrs. Dalloway. First Look Media also maintains First Look Entertainment, an independent distributor of home video and DVDs.
While best known in the feature realm, the parent company has a commercial pedigree as of last year, when Rosemary Street Productions, the investment vehicle of New York-headquartered spot production and facilities company EUE Screen Gems, bought a majority stake in Overseas Film Group. At that time, EUE and Rosemary principal Chris Cooney was named co-chairman and CEO of Overseas, now First Look Media. Lippert said that he was hired last year by Cooney to lay the groundwork for First Look’s expansion into commercial production and new media. Lippert added that First Look Artists has its own operating philosophy and is totally separate from EUE’s spot industry holdings.
Lippert started his career as an account executive at DDB London, and then moved to New York, where he served as a producer at agency Corey Kay & Partners. Next Lippert segued into music video production, produced some short films, moved to Southern California and eventually got into feature producing. Lippert then returned to New York and commercials, becoming head of production at New York agency The Seiden Group. Last March, he landed at Overseas.
Spot representation for First Look Artists is being handled throughout the U.S. by Creative Management Partners, bicoastal and Chicago.
