Hey Wonderful has added director and photographer Ada Bligaard Søby to its commercialmaking roster in the U.S. and Canada. This marks her first spot representation in the North American market.
Søby has directed standout spots for Scandinavian brands such as Telenor, Arbejdernes Landsbank and mental health foundation Psykiatri Fonden. Her extensive photography portfolio includes the photo book “The Best Is Yet To Come” featuring portraits of Kate Moss and the Danish queen. Eric Kessels, a founder of stalwart Dutch ad agency KesselsKramer, described the book as “painfully beautiful” with “oceanic depths that make everything else look like puddles.”
Søby’s most recent project is a puppet comedy short film called My Baguette /Your Baguette, a satire about sexism in the advertising industry shot during lockdown. It’s voiced by Norman Reedus (The Walking Dead), Diane Kruger (Inglourious Basterds) and Andre Royo (Bubbles from The Wire), and slated for release later this year.
“What struck us about Ada’s work is that it’s always impactful, she tells meaningful narrative stories,” said Hey Wonderful founder Michael Di Girolamo. “She has a great eye and aesthetic. We love that she’s so accomplished in the advertising world and also comes from the art world as a photographer. She’s the embodiment of a contemporary filmmaker and artist, a storyteller who can touch today’s astute audience and culture on a wide range of subjects.”
“Hey Wonderful stumbled upon my work and found me,” Søby said. “I had been looking for the right home to be represented in the states. Hey Wonderful felt real and respectful. They are all-in kind of folks. I’m also all-in. I’m hoping for some scripts with a bit of realism and also humor. Anything which can digest this new world we live in.”
“I was immediately drawn in by the unique perspective of Ada’s work–she makes room for the viewer to truly connect with her characters, in both challenging and playful narratives,” said Sarah McMurray, Hey Wonderful partner and executive producer. “But I’m most drawn to Ada’s intrinsic nature as a creator and storyteller. Applying that kind of drive and passion to branded and commercial work leads to real magic and I’m tremendously excited to see what Ada will achieve with a team behind her in the states.”
“I’m genuinely interested in people, so that helps my job,” Søby added. “Making commercials should be enjoyable. I’m ready to rumble for my clients. I like to collaborate with the world and let the talent show their talent. I always do my best to make them shine.”
Søby’s work defies typecasting and gravitates toward campaigns that are topical and thought-provoking, anything from comedy to cause-related work. She didn’t take the traditional route to directing, attending film or advertising school, instead getting her education living in different cities, traveling and meeting all sorts of people. Stops along the way have been in New York where she landed a job when she was in her 20s assisting famed photographer Terry Richardson, then rode cross country on motorcycles with her camera and her boyfriend; in London during her free-spirited, squat-hopping youth on up to pre-pandemic; and in rural Canada where she once lived in a town of 3,000 people and went to rodeos every weekend for a year. After an introduction by Martin De Thurah in 2014, she holds the distinction of being the first female filmmaker signed to production company Bacon in her hometown of Copenhagen; that shop continues to rep her in Denmark.
Although Søby is self-taught, art was a steady part of her diet growing up. Her mom was an art historian so they lived along with her colleagues north of Copenhagen in the castle housing the Danish National Portrait Gallery. “I think the best education anyone can have is to hang out with cool people,” she said. “I don’t mean people who look cool, but people who do things. People who have their hands in the dirt and make stuff every day.”
Søby’s additional credits include the award-winning documentary The Naked of Saint Petersburg and the lauded Petey and Ginger. Hey Wonderful’s latest work includes campaigns for Chevy (Commonwealth//McCann) directed by Peking, and Clorox (FCB West) directed by Sam Cadman.
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 XR’s 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 he’s 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.
Rossano’s 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 company’s creative talent network. Rossano’s career includes serving as an exec producer at Hungry Man for about 11 years, right from that company’s 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