GSP4 has signed director Kevin Molony for exclusive stateside representation. The bicoastal production company was founded earlier this year by managing director/partner Carol Case and the principals of GSP (Giraldi Suarez Productions)—director Bob Giraldi and partner Phil Suarez (SHOOT, 6/9, p. 1).
The U.K.-based Molony was formerly repped in the U.S. by New York-headquartered Piper Productions. Union Commercials, London, continues to handle him in the U.K.
Besides securing Molony, GSP4 gains a production foothold in England via Union Commercials. Also per the arrangement, GSP4 directors Joe Rey, Joakim Eliasson and Randee St. Nicholas pick up U.K. representation through Union. Paris-based helmer Philippe Dussol, recently signed by GSP4, already had and continues to maintain a link with Union for U.K. representation. Dussol gained international recognition when he was included in the Saatchi & Saatchi New Directors Showcase presented at the Cannes International Advertising Festival in June (SHOOT, 6/23, p. 1).
Molony has established himself as a spot filmmaker on both sides of the Atlantic. Over the years, his European credits have included commercials for such advertisers as Nike, Heineken, Lloyds Bank and Lion Bar chocolate. Among his U.S. market endeavors have been BMW’s "Ship" for Fallon, Minneapolis; "Taxi" for data and Internet services provider Broadwing, out of Hill, Holliday, Connors, Cosmopulos, Boston; and St. Paul Insurance’s "Rhino" and "Matador" for Campbell Mithun Esty, Minneapolis.
In "Ship," a freighter is caught in a frozen-over stretch of ocean. The vessel’s desperate crew members discover that the cargo being hauled is a fleet of BMWs in which they can escape their icy predicament. Hopping into the luxury cars, they drive over the ice to safety. BMW required that the cars’ performance in trying conditions be real. Molony and crew went to the Arctic Sea to capture that reality on film.
Broadwing’s "Taxi" offers, literally, a bird’s-eye view of an urban setting. The perspective of a hawk in flight, swooping down and eventually sinking its talons into the roof of a taxi cab, is re-created, with the help of some seamless post effects.
And "Rhino" conveys a message of trust on behalf of St. Paul’s Insurance. In the spot, a rhinoceros charges across a grassy hillside towards a young girl. The child seems unperturbed by what looks like an inevitable collision. The child’s trust is rewarded when the rhino stops in front of her; she then hugs the animal and kisses it on the snout. The spot plays like a contemporary fairy tale, and though there was some soft-edge compositing entailed in the animal’s charge, the little girl’s hug and kiss of an actual rhino were real.
Case said she was drawn to Molony’s reel based on its sense of humanity, even when special effects were employed. Molony related that he signed with GSP4 based on Case’s grasp of his work and their shared philosophy that advertising is most effective as a piece of communication when it contains "a core value of human presence and performance." Molony oberved, "When U.S. advertising is good, what I like most about it is that there is a commitment to and trust in the power of humanity—of human performance—when telling a story. And the more extreme situations that these humans are put in, the more I like it."
Molony has also recently diversified into longer form. He’s written and directed a 25-minute film Sylvester, in conjunction with Union Pictures, the London-based sister company to Union Commercials. He has also written a feature film screenplay that takes a fictional what-if? twist on the life of Napoleon Bonaparte, tentatively titled Emperor’s New Clothes.
In addition to her duties as managing director, Case oversees sales for GSP4 and reps the company on the West Coast. GSP4 is repped on the East Coast by a New York-based independent firm, RnK, recently formed by Robin Fried and Kelly Flint. Jill Reehl of Chicago-based Get Reehl! continues to cover the Midwest and Texas. GSP4 also has a link for Canadian representation and production with Avion Film Productions, Toronto.
Los Angeles-based Debbie Merlin serves as executive producer for GSP4 and GSP. Additionally, GSP4 maintains a relationship for select projects with Milan, Italy-based director Federico Brugia.
