Former Smuggler producer Jeff Miller, who spent the last year as executive producer at The Cartel, has launched Interrogate, a production house that opens with the Snorri Bros. on its directorial roster. In addition to the Snorris, whom Miller had worked with at Smuggler and The Cartel, Interrogate will also represent several directors from the U.K. roster of Outsider, including James Rouse, Bart Timmer and Jörn Threlfall.
The new venture will work across all genres and disciplines, spanning TV commercials, longer format branded content, music videos and films. Interrogate has offices in L.A. and New York, as well as a presence in London via its affiliation with Outsider.
The Snorris are childhood friends from Iceland whose work spans such brands as Palm, Motorola, Dell, Cadillac and Starz, and agencies that include Anomaly, Modernista!, Kirshenbaum Bond Senecal & Partners, and Goodby, Silverstein & Partners.
As for the coterie of Outsider talent handled by Interrogate, Timmer has just broken a follow up to his Heineken “Housewarming” spot with a new effort for the brand, titled “Men with Talent.” And Threlfall has a new Kia spot, titled “Home,” out from David & Goliath in L.A., that adds to a lengthy list of automotive clients that includes BMW, Audi, Mazda, Subaru, Toyota and Saab. Rouse’s directorial debut, a web campaign for Trojan condoms in which carnal gymnastics take on Olympian proportions, helped him earn inclusion into both the SHOOT and Saatchi & Saatchi New Directors Showcases in 2004. This marked the first of assorted viral successes for Rouse who has gone on to score with TV efforts such as the joyous Discovery Channel “Boom Dee Ya Da” anthem, the witty Nike U.K. football spot “Turning Spanish” and Kia Motors’ inspired Flashdance takeoff. The latter came out of David & Goliath while the Discovery Channel promo and the Nike U.K. ad both were created by agency 72andSunny.
Miller came up through the ranks as a line producer, where he collaborated closely with directors, exec producers, agency producers and clients. In his nearly 15 years in the industry, he has produced hundreds of TV commercials for clients across the spectrum, shooting not only all over the U.S. but around the world.
Miller got his start in the industry working as an actor. He eventually began writing for the screen, and sold a screenplay to Disney before starting to produce independent features. This led, in turn, to working in music videos and then commercials, where he produced his first job for director Samuel Bayer. Miller then hooked up with Traktor, the groundbreaking directorial collective, and spent several years producing for them before landing at a start-up company called Smuggler in 2002. After leaving Smuggler in ’09 he joined Dektor Film as executive producer, where he helped rebrand the company as The Cartel. He left that shop to open Interrogate as owner/exec producer.
Representing Interrogate are Kent Eby and Katy Dickson of Eby Dickson on the East Coast, Marguerite Juliusson of Marguerite Juliusson & Co. in the Midwest, and Rebecca Reber and Brooke Covington of Reber Covington on the West Coast.
Director Lu Villaca Joins MADRE
Production company MADRE has added Brazilian director Lu Villaça to its talent roster. With degrees in cinema and performance and a master’s in screenwriting, Villaça brings a multifaceted approach to filmmaking. Villaça’s tastes have been shaped by her childhood training in ballet, studying Greek theatre texts, her passion for music, and her contemplative nature. She honed her cinematic skills early on as an AD and creative assistant before becoming a director. Intent on capturing the drama of everyday life as it plays out, Villaça is tuned in to how the bodies in her frame move through their environments and what elements of the story can be extrapolated from these compositions. Her sharp attention to detail in every aspect, from lighting to the final edit, is designed to connect emotionally with her audience. Villaça has been awarded three Cannes Lions for her film “Next Minute Law,” which promoted awareness of a law in Brazil designed to address the rampant epidemic of sexual violence. “Next Minute Law” also garnered Best Direction at El Ojo and the Ciclope Latino Festival, where Villaça also won Best New Talent. Additionally, she has directed assorted commercial campaigns for brands like Johnnie Walker, Huggies Wipes, Nestlé, Amazon, A.C. Camargo Cancer Center, and a spot for Medley featuring Brazilian Olympic gymnast Rebeca Andrade. Prior to joining MADRE, Villaca had been repped by production house LOBO. Recognized in Brazil as a top music video director, Villaca won Best Female Direction for her work on “Nu” by Assucena and “Lovezinho” by Rachel Reis, which also won Best National Music Video at the MVF Awards. Villaça additionally co-directed the documentary Pagliacci, an homage to circus artist Domingos Montagner... Read More