VALLEY VILLAGE, Calif.—There’s a new wrinkle at what’s generally regarded as the oldest commercial production house in Greater Los Angeles, Valley Village-based IPS Productions. In business for some 38 years, IPS has signed two up-and-coming directors for exclusive commercial representation in the U.S.: Timothy Kendall and Chad Rocco. Both Kendall and Rocco are recent film school grads whose student spots were recognized by the Association of Independent Commercial Producers (AICP) Show in New York this week (6/9).
The AICP Show-honored ads are Kendall’s "Shooting Star" for Nike Golf, and Rocco’s "Wizkids" for E*Trade. In the latter, an elementary schoolteacher’s lesson proves far too rudimentary for the investment savvy students. Meanwhile, in "Shooting Star," a golf prodigy practicing his drives prompts wonder the world over when the golf ball he struck bursts into meteor-like flames and flies across the night sky.
Though IPS staffs a few directors, the company is better known for packaging jobs with freelance helmers. IPS founder/ president Jim Sommers explained that the decision to build a roster with young talent was a deliberate shift in direction for the longstanding production house.
"It’s great for the company to have new young guys-their spontaneity and way of thinking. It’s the future," he said. "A lot of the influence," he added, "came from my daughter [Christina Sommers] who is excited to see the company grow." Sommers said his daughter, also a recent film school grad, intends to one day take over for her father. He also credited her with making him aware of Kendall.
KENDALL
A self-proclaimed "desert rat" from Arizona, Kendall attended Art Center College of Design, Pasadena. In addition to the Nike spot, his reel features student fare for Lacoste and Heineken. Kendall wrote all three spots, and described the Heineken ad as "my dating life put into a commercial."
The spot shows a couple napping in a field after a picnic lunch. The drowsy guy’s arm gropes toward something—at which point it’s revealed that two miniature armies are at war. With a complex rigging system, the mini-male army tries to swing the sleeping man’s arm toward a chilling Heineken bottle. Meanwhile, the army of miniature women-taking it for granted that the enemy’s target is the dozing girl’s chest-maneuvers her arm up and bats away the advance.
Prior to Art Center, Kendall took classes at the Institute of Art and Entertainment Technology, Scottsdale, Ariz., while also working in various capacities (intern, editor, second-unit cameraman) for local spot houses. Oftentimes, he said, "It was me, a sixteen-millimeter camera and no permit. I learned a lot."
In spite of offers from several of the bigger spot houses, Kendall joined IPS because "I wanted a place that wanted to push me–a small company that’s excited about me, where I can get practice, and the chance to show people that I can kick ass."
Asked what types of commercials he hopes to direct, Kendall said, "What I like is adventure. I love comedy, but I also love the passionate stuff. If you look at my reel, it’s not ha-ha funny. It’s more about setups where the payoff comes out of nowhere."
ROCCO
Rocco earned a masters degree in film from the University of Southern California, Los Angeles, in ’02. Initially, he’d intended to pursue feature directing, but during the course of his studies, he said, "I realized that my better stuff was shorter, and that I also had the most fun with [shortform] projects. So I made a commercial reel."
That spec reel comprises spots for Bud Light, Aquafina, the NFL on FOX and two E*Trade spots. Set within a supermarket, the Bud Light ad finds two guys rolling their eyes at children who throw tantrums when they’re told they can’t have some item on the shelf. But when the guys get to the empty Bud Light cooler, it is their turn to cry. Meanwhile, the NFL spot is set at a restaurant where two couples are on a double date. The women keep excusing themselves to the crowded ladies’ room, which-we later learn-houses a TV set with the football game on.
As a director, Rocco said he’s most interested in narrative/dialogue and comedy spots. He also enjoys working with kids. "I grew up watching the Rodney Dangerfield Miller Lite spots," he said. "I really think commercials should be entertaining. I also like working with and being around kids. So," he joked, "beer and children, those are my two main interests."
Prior to USC, Rocco studied communications and political science at Syracuse University, Syracuse, N.Y. Graduating in ’97, he first found work as a news editor at MSNBC. Unfortunately, he said, it was during the Monicagate scandal. "I cut lots of Bill and Monica footage, and realized that it wasn’t really where I wanted to be creatively."
Later, he enrolled in the Directors Guild of America’s (DGA) assistant director training program, which placed him on the set of shows such as The Hughleys and L.A. Doctors. Not long into the program, Rocco became convinced that he wanted to direct and enrolled at USC.
In addition to Kendall and Rocco, IPS reps directors Michael Salomon and Rob Michael Cohn. The latter is a principal in Big Chair Productions, New York, which has a reciprocal office-sharing/production support affiliation with IPS. IPS also has non-exclusive relationships with directors Rebecca Blake and Jeff Weiser. IPS director of creative services Kathy Wheelock heads up sales for the company.
