LOS ANGELES—The directing team Logan—comprising Ben Conrad and Alexei Tylevich—has signed with bicoastal Anonymous Content. The production company will represent Logan for commercials and music videos exclusively in the United States and Europe, with the exception of France, where La Pac, Paris, handles the duo.
According to Lisa Margulis, co-division head of Anonymous Content’s commercial division and executive producer, Logan generated quite a bit of interest among production companies due to the unique nature of a mixed-media reel that showcases expertise in motion graphics, animation, special effects and live action.
Among the work on the reel: music videos that Logan directed for Money Mark’s "Information Contraband" and Jurassic 5’s "What’s Golden?" The reel also includes a clip for No Doubt’s "Underneath It All," which Logan co-directed with Sophie Muller of Oil Factory, Hollywood and London.
Margulis, who credits Sheira Rees-Davies—executive producer of music videos for Anonymous Content—with bringing Logan to her attention, said she found Logan’s work to be "totally original, totally different. Their music video for Jurassic 5 was unbelievable, and the Money Mark video blew my mind."
MIXING IT UP FOR NIKE
Logan also has a commercial to its credit. Last fall, Logan directed a Nike spot for Wieden+ Kennedy (W+K), New York, via a one-shot arrangement with Little Minx, the Los Angeles-headquartered hybrid commercial/music video production house that has an association with bicoastal RSA USA and London-based RSA Films.
The Nike spot combines graphic elements with live action to form a moving collage. As the spot opens, a live-action woman is running as trees and buildings spring up around her. She dodges various obstacles—including garbage cans and a falling air conditioner-and ultimately makes her way to a Lady Foot Locker store.
In the case of the Nike project, W+K and Logan got together early on in the creative process. "They came to us hoping to develop the idea together. They just had a rough idea and a script, and we helped them develop the visual language," Tylevich related.
"The entire spot was developed in conjunction with the art director and writer."
Having a say in the creative process is not a requisite for working with Logan, though.
"It’s not like we prefer working any particular way," Conrad said. "But I do think it helps the end product to have us involved at the initial stage."
"I think we would be perfect for campaigns that tend to be experimental," Tylevich added.
Fairly new to the production industry, Tylevich and Conrad first met while they were students at the Minneapolis College of Art and Design. Conrad majored in film and photography; Tylevich majored in design and animation.
Upon graduation, they moved to Los Angeles, rented office space together and set about working on individual projects. Eventually, they began collaborating on graphic work for commercials, film titles and fashion-oriented projects, and found that they worked well together. Deciding to formalize the arrangement, the pair formed their own production company, Logan, Los Angeles, and simultaneously began directing under the Logan pseudonym in 2000. Kevin Shapiro serves as their executive producer.
As for why they channeled their energies into directing, Tylevich said, "Our interests are multifaceted, and we wanted to be able to compile all of our experience into one. Directing is the perfect avenue for that. It is an ideal medium for anybody who isn’t narrowly specialized in one thing."
Noting their hands-on skills in graphic design, animation and special effects, Conrad added, "Understanding all of those processes from the ground up lends to our directing capabilities."
Anonymous Content’s sales force consists of in-house reps Michael Di Girolamo, who handles the West Coast, and Susan Murphy and Matt Factor, who cover the East Coast. David Wagner of David Wagner & Associates, Chicago, does Midwest sales.
