Executive producers Jim Evans, Allen Haines and Jason Taragan have launched Gas. Food & Lodging. (GF&L), a production company with commercial and music video divisions. GF&L is owned by New Wave Entertainment, a Burbank-based company that markets films and television programs, in addition to creating title sequences for features and television. GF&L is temporarily headquartered in Santa Monica, but will be moving to Culver City next month.
Evans, formerly an executive producer at bicoastal HSI Productions for six years, said he left that shop to start GF&L because "I felt like it was time for a new challenge and a little bit more diversity." Noting that he learned from HSI executive producers Stavros Merjos and William C. Sandwick, Evans stated that GF&L would be modeled somewhat on the experience he gained at HSI. As for his vision of GF&L, Evans said, "We’re going to slowly build a company that is a major contender in the field of commercials, cross-promotions and product tie-ins, with avenues to features and the like." Evans added that the name of the company was chosen because "we wanted to be something that was full service but at the same time unique."
Haines, who is a principal at New Wave Entertainment in addition to his role at GF&L, explained that becoming involved with a production company fit into New Wave’s business plan, which was to "bridge Hollywood and Madison Avenue." New Wave has postproduction tools such as Avid and Media 100 editing systems, sound mixing studios, a Flint, a Flame and an Inferno on hand to create, edit and finish title sequences. Haines hoped that GF&L directors would use these resources to pursue creative experiments. "If my directors have an idea they want to try, we can run it through New Wave and make it look perfect," he said. New Wave’s marketing experience was another asset that Haines intended to leverage in support of GF&L directors. If and when GF&L directors pitch feature films, New Wave would complete a marketing strategy when presenting the project proposal.
In addition to executive producing for two years at director Brett Ratner’s company-now-defunct Rat Productions-Taragan produced for directors Hype Williams and Paul Hunter (both repped for spots by bicoastal HSI Productions), and Steve Carr (represented by bicoastal and Chicago-based Villains. Ratner is also now represented by Villains.)
GF&L’s first directorial signing is feature film production designer Eugenio Zanetti. Zanetti, who has been a production designer for 30 years, won an Academy Award in ’96 for Best Art Direction for the film Restoration, and was nominated this year in the same category for What Dreams May Come. Both films employed a lush and detailed palette to create elaborate settings. Zanetti has also designed for such films as Flatliners and Last Action Hero.
While Zanetti has never been represented for commercial directing, he has worked as a production designer on spots. Zanetti designed the production for an Armani campaign directed by feature helmer David Lynch. Zanetti has also directed Power of Darkness, a short film based on a Jorge Luis Borges short story about a man who dreams that the blind are a sect who dominate the world. In addition to designing, Zanetti directed second unit on Flatliners, Promised Land and Restoration. Zanetti has also directed theater and French and classical Italian opera such as Verdi.
Evans said that Zanetti’s strong vision made him an attractive prospect as a commercial director. "His genius in production design and his whole persona is about storytelling," he said.
Zanetti’s interest in signing with GF&L stemmed from his desire to direct. "That exercise that I’ve done in the larger scale on film scripts, I can do successfully in the shorter format of commercials," he said. "I believe that commercials are basically storytelling."
GF&L appealed to Zanetti for both intuitive and creative reasons. "They have their heart in the right place, and they have a desire to create a way of expressing ideas and images through a process that doesn’t involve madness," he said. Zanetti explained that he will design the spots he directs. "It’s so integrally connected, the design and the message," he posited. "The medium is the message, as they say sometimes."
Zanetti just finished directing his first spots for GF&L, a series of PSAs about child abuse prevention via BBDO Minneapolis. Zanetti tried to avoid a melodramatic, "reality-based" approach in directing and designing the PSAs. "I put it in a metaphysical context, so it’s closer to a [vision] of the verbal abuse than just a literal rendering of a scene of abuse," he said.
Though Zanetti is currently developing three scripts for features he would like to direct, he said he was reducing the amount of production design he does, which would leave him time to direct commercials. Sandra Marsh Management, Beverly Hills, Calif., is Zanetti’s agent for design work in commercials and features, and The Gersh Agency, Beverly Hills, represents Zanetti as a director for feature films.
GF&L is currently in negotiations with agency creative and director Harvey Hoffenberg who recently launched Propulsion, a Newport Beach, Calif.-based ad agency and consultancy. If those talks bear fruit, Hoffenberg would be repped as a director by GF&L. In that event, Hoffenberg-an agency vet whose roosts have included BBDO New York, Saatchi New York, and Bozell, Costa Mesa, Calif.-would continue to maintain Propulsion.
Music Videos
Taragan will be executive producing music videos for GF&L. Music video directors currently represented by the company are Marcus Raboy and Shawn Mortensen. Raboy continues to be repped as a commercial director by bicoastal Voyeur Films. Raboy’s spot directorial credits at Voyeur include Foot Action’s "Scared of Heights" via DDB, Dallas; Vans’ "Warped Tour" out of McElroy Communications, Newport Beach, Calif.; and Toyota’s "Architect" via Saatchi & Saatchi Pacific, Torrance, Calif. On the music video front, Raboy has directed Mary J. Blige’s "Real Love," Luscious Jackson’s "Naked Eye," and Run DMC’s "Down With the King." Since signing with GF&L, Raboy has directed videos for Faith Evans, Deborah Cox and the group 112.
Mortensen’s music video credits include Tricky’s "Christiansands," Bush’s "Machinehead" and Alice Temple’s "Chemical Way," a video which he just completed for GF&L. Though Mortensen has not directed any spots, GF&L also represents him for commercial directing.
Chris Messiter is the East Coast rep for GF&L commercial directors. GF&L’s music video directors are represented on the East Coast by Rachel Dodd of Hello Management, New York. The company is currently negotiating for West and Midwest sales representatives for both spots and music videos. In the meantime, Evans and Taragan are handling sales in those areas. Evans said that GF&L is negotiating to bring on more directors on both the music video and commercial fronts.
