Bicoastal Headquarters is set to officially close on January 31, according to president Tom Mooney who’s partnered in the 14-year-old company with director David Cornell. At press time, Cornell was in Australia wrapping the last job under the Headquarters banner, a J.C. Penney assignment.
Mooney said he would soon be at liberty to discuss his future plans, which entail his continuing in the production company arena. Meanwhile Cornell is slated to join Form, the Los Angeles-headquartered house headed by executive producer Craig Rodgers and director Jesse Dylan.
Headquarters is meeting all its financial obligations, said Mooney. “The timing for this [company closure] is right…We’re coming off of a pretty good year and are able to honor all our commitments.”
Mooney observed that Headquarters’ business model wasn’t ideal in the current marketplace. “Headquarters has been a mid-sized company and those types of shops are really feeling the squeeze today,” he related. “We weren’t a small boutique. And we weren’t a huge house–but we had bicoastal operations and the overhead that went with that.” By being mid-sized, he added, the company was affected more dramatically by the comings and goings of directorial talent.
The decision to close the longstanding Headquarters was “painful,” said Mooney, who’s actually worked with Cornell for the past 16 years, the first two at the former Spots Films. “But it was the right decision for Headquarters to go out with dignity as we all continue our careers in the industry.”
Mooney said Headquarters’ directors knew of the plan to shutter operations for some time, enabling them to explore their production house prospects in recent months. Director Lloyd Stein, for example, who’s been with Headquarters since late ’99, has joined Crossroads Films, bicoastal and Chicago (see story, p. 7).
The other Headquarters’ directors being courted by various companies include Eric King, Matt Ogens, Agust Balderson and Richie Smyth. The latter continues to direct in Europe, maintaining Dublin, Ireland-based production house Blinder.