Engine Virtual Film Company, a creative content and production house, has been launched by creative director/partner Gary Nueman. The new venture opens with a directorial roster that includes Nueman, Noah Harald, David Mahmoudieh, Scott McCullough, Kevin McVey, and Andrew Rydzewski. DJ Fox serves as director of brand development for Engine.
Already tapped for several projects prior to its official launch, Engine Virtual Film Company is currently writing and shooting a Hard Rock Energy campaign to be released in summer 2014, led by director McVey. Together, Nueman and McVey are co-writing/directing an Audi spot for digital agency AKQA. Director/writer Mahmoudieh is currently in development with Neve Campbell on a network series entitled Rain. Nueman also has a television show in development called Pop-Up Showdown, and is in the process of pitching it to a host of networks. Additionally, Engine was just awarded a branded entertainment assignment out of New York City with a high-profile celebrity and Mahmoudieh as both writer/director. The project includes two digital films, and production through postproduction and final delivery.
Under Nueman’s leadership, prior to launch, Engine Virtual Film Company has also developed informal partnerships with design & animation studios, edit houses, and other creative service companies that will serve clients both creatively and fiscally. ”This gives us the latitude to take almost any project pre-post,” he details. The company is also virtual, which Nueman notes gives them flexibility: “We can acquire space on an as-needed basis, which can translate into favorable economies of scale for our clients.”
Nueman has worked for agencies Saatchi & Saatchi and Goodby, Silverstein & Partners on brands such as Budweiser, Sprint, Comcast, Toyota, Hyundai, Got Milk, HP, Subway and the Drug Free America initiative. He has served in such capacities as integrated producer, writer and line producer. He also was exec producer at Goodby’s in-house GSP Post.
With a significant background shooting music videos for a wide range of musical genres, from Sublime to Megadeth, McVey has shot commercial projects for an eclectic group of global brands including Chrysler and Tommy Hilfiger. McVey’s prior production company affiliations include Propeller Productions, Lucid Media and Aerosol Pictures.
Director McCullough–who has just won an Addy Award for his Pepsi/SNL commercial entitled “Countdown to Now” as well as four 2014 Telly Awards for other projects–had earlier been with production house STORY.
Recently relocated to the States from the U.K., writer/director Mahmoudieh was strategically looking to join “a small, specialized company” when he found Engine Virtual Film Company. His past directing roosts have included ARP, ATP, Propeller and Blackwatch.
Director/DP Rydzewski recently helmed two pilots, including the CW pitch pilot, Apartment of the Dead, which caught the eye of Engine Virtual Film Company.
Director Harald has worked with brands such as Sony, adidas and Doritos. Noah has also won film festival awards and online acclaim, as well as garnered an MTV Movie Award nomination. He served as in-house director and head of post at Outfit Media Group and was on the directing rosters of Pollution Creative and Explorer Films.
First-Time Feature Directors Make Major Splash At AFI Fest, Generate Oscar Buzz
Two first-time feature directors who are generating Oscar buzz this awards season were front and center this past weekend at AFI Fest in Hollywood. Rachel Morrison, who made history as the first woman nominated for a Best Cinematography Oscar---on the strength of Mudbound in 2018--brought her feature directorial debut, The Fire Inside (Amazon MGM Studios), to the festival on Sunday (10/27), and shared insights into the film during a conversation session immediately following the screening. This came a day after William Goldenberg, an Oscar-winning editor for Argo in 2013, had his initial foray into feature directing, Unstoppable (Amazon MGM Studios), showcased at the AFI proceedings. He too spoke after the screening during a panel discussion. The Fire Inside--which made its world premiere at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival--tells the story of Claressa “T-Rex” Shields (portrayed by Ryan Destiny), a Black boxer from Flint, Mich., who trained to become the first woman in U.S. history to win an Olympic Gold Medal in the sport. She achieved this feat--with the help of coach Jason Crutchfield (Brian Tyree Henry)--only to find that her victory at the Summer Games came with relatively little fanfare and no endorsement deals. So much for the hope that the historic accomplishment would be a ticket out of socioeconomic purgatory for Shields and her family. It seemed like yet another setback in a cycle of adversity throughout Shields’ life but she persevered, going on to win her second Gold Medal at the next Olympics and becoming a champion for gender equality and equitable pay for women in sports. Shields has served as a source of inspiration for woman athletes worldwide--as well as to the community of... Read More