Golden LA has added director Paul Minor to its roster for U.S. representation spanning commercials and branded content. His credits include memorable spots for Acura, Lincoln, Corona, Nike, Google and BMW.
Matthew Marquis, Golden’s managing director, said of Minor, “I’ve watched his approach to filmmaking evolve over the last few years, driven by his ability to combine storytelling with authentic performances and a unique visual perspective.” Marquis had previously worked with the filmmaker at Logan and Sons just prior to founding Golden LA. Most recently, before joining Golden LA, Marquis was handled by production house Skunk.
A recent quirky-cute ad for TD Bank entitled “A Tall Tale” exemplifies Minor’s detail-focus and ability to suspend reality. As he artfully depicts the story of a young woman grappling with her career path, Minor weaves together subtle visuals, and imaginatively underscores her particular perseverance despite low ceilings and drenching rainstorms, by stringing together well-crafted, and emotionally resonant mini-scenes.
“Constraints within the short form change constantly, yet endless possibilities exist,” said Minor. “It’s always a good creative challenge to successfully tell a story by tapping into the emotional landscape of the characters and shaping a world around them in such a short time frame. One day, you’re shooting an intimate story in a moving car, and another, you’re setting up a sweeping wide shot in the Star Wars universe, that’s one of my favorite parts of the job.”
In addition to short form, Minor also plans to help enable Golden’s fresh evolution into long form. “Both Matt and I are enticed by the countless creative possibilities television and feature film projects have to offer. I look forward to helping contribute to Matthew’s vision in that new space.” Minor is currently attached to direct a feature film version of the novel “I Am The River,” which he adapted with the book’s author, T.E. Grau.
Raised in Texas, Minor discovered filmmaking in his teens, when he often experimented with making lo-fi, VHS slasher films. Simultaneously, playing in hardcore punk bands at the tender age of 14 ignited a passion for music. Those two paths would later converge as Minor went on to craft music videos for bands such as Editors, Muse, and Queens of the Stone Age before turning his eye to spots.
An editor, composer, and sound designer, the multi-talented Minor draws on his DIY background to create his own tactile, atmospheric soundscapes. Sometimes, his musical compositions appear in his film work–like the suspenseful score he contributed to the Lenovo spot “The Getaway” and the ambient reworking of a Coldplay track he contributed to the O2 campaign he directed–boosting his projects’ originality, and sonic specificity.
Minor just completed his first project as part of Golden LA’s roster, an upcoming campaign for Dell, scheduled to air this month. “I’ve always admired Matt’s unique perspective on the business and his out-of-the-box thinking. Since we worked together years ago, we both wanted to find a way to do more together. I couldn’t be happier to join the crew and set sail on the SS Golden.”
SCHROM x Yacht Club and Be Electric Studios Launch Electric XR for Virtual Production
SCHROM x Yacht Club, a full-service live-action, tabletop, and postproduction company, has teamed with Be Electric Studios, a soundstage, equipment rental, and virtual production company, to launch Electric XR, a virtual production collective.
Industry veteran Thomas Rossano will lead the new venture, which provides advanced virtual production solutions across multiple facilities. He brings over 25 years of experience in live-action, tabletop, postproduction and talent curation to enhance Electric XRโs offerings as a resource for brands and agencies, as well as other production companies in need of virtual production solutions. Additionally Rossano continues to serve as EP at XR New York (XR-NY), a role heโs held since December 2022. SCHROM x Yacht Club originally established XR-NY to help provide XR services for third-party rentals. While XR-NY will continue to function independently for SCHROM X Yacht Club, it now operates under the Electric XR umbrella.
Rossanoโs expertise spans producing live-action commercials, branded content, interactive and experiential content. In addition to leading Electric XR, he holds responsibilities at SCHROM x Yacht Club which include driving business development, collaborating with sales reps and expanding the companyโs creative talent network. Rossanoโs career includes serving as an exec producer at Hungry Man for about 11 years, right from that companyโs inception. He then went on to become a partner at Station Film where he also had a lengthy tenure. Later he was a partner at PRISM. Then after the pandemic hit, he became a freelance EP for nearly two years, looking into opportunities in virtual production, which led him to XR NY and now Electric XR. Over the years, he has produced high-profile... Read More