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.
Directors Amy+Pilar and Jose Antonio Prat Join Reform School
Boutique content production company Reform has added comedy directing duo Amy+Pilar (Amy York Rubin and Pilar Boehm) and award-winning multicultural director Jose Antonio Prat to its roster for U.S. representation spanning commercials and branded entertainment.
Partners in both life and art, Amy+Pilar are know for their sharp wit and comedic timing. Their synchronicity is evident in a body of work across TV, film and commercials. Prior to joining Reform School, Amy+Pilar had been repped in the ad market by production company Knucklehead.
Amy has directed high-profile comedy sketches featuring stars like Amy Schumer, Kate McKinnon, and Sarah Silverman. On the episodic front, Amy has helmed for series such as Fresh Off the Boat, Casual, Superstore and Angie Tribeca--as well as the pilot for the hit Netflix comedy Dead to Me.
Before joining forces with Amy behind the camera, Pilar was a psychotherapist, a background that informs her ability to create fascinating characters and stage irresistible, nuanced performances. Amy and Pilar’s shared passion for comedy brought them together. Their collaboration began with a Synchrony Bank campaign, starring cult-comedy favorite Maribeth Monroe (Workaholics), and they went on to direct the pilot of the Hulu series Love, Victor. Amy+Pilar’s ad fare also includes spots for Uber’s “Go-Get” campaign and “Shift,” starring Martin Starr.
“We have been fans of Amy and Pilar for a long time,” said Ryan Ennis, executive director at Reform School. “They excel at capturing comedic performances and dialogue. Coming from the TV and L.A. comedy scenes, they’ve built a strong following and collaborated with some of our favorite funny people.... Read More