Camille Geier has joined Curious Pictures as senior VP/head of studio, a newly created position at the multi-platform production and entertainment company. Geier brings extensive experience in short and long-form fare to her new Manhattan roost, having served as executive producer of visual effects for such features as Ghost Town (directed by David Koepp) and the soon-to-be-released Adjustment Bureau (George Nolfi), and as visual effects producer on a slate of films that includes Gangs of New York (Martin Scorsese), Bloodwork (Clint Eastwood), Deconstructing Harry (Woody Allen), and Starship Troopers (Paul Verhoeven).
On the ad front, Geier has had a hand in overseeing production for and producing assorted commercials. She comes over to Curious from Rhino-Gravity where she played an integral role in building its feature film VFX division while running the commercials operation. Her production acumen across different disciplines and genres dovetails nicely with a Curious mix of both original content and work for hire spanning features, TV shows, new media, commercials and gaming.
On the latter front, for example, Curious is active in game development and production, having worked on the noted interactive game Rockband (Beatles, Green Day, etc.), various iPhone apps and is now, according to managing partner Jan Korbelin, about to embark on a major deal to develop a game property for an undisclosed lifestyle brand.
Curious had been courting Geier for some time to take on a lead role in growing the studio’s capacity and creativity, in finding more ways to share resources to serve the different entertainment and advertising platforms, and in helping to further diversify business.
“A lot of our growth has organically developed,” related Korbelin who himself is a veteran feature film producer (an exec producer of the Oscar-winning Crash) and management executive. “For instance, we have a director on the commercial side [Rohitash Rao] who came up with an idea for a TV series, which we are helping to develop for one of the major networks. Our talent base is constantly generating new ideas for content.”
Prior to her tenure at Rhino, Geier spent seven years at Industrial Light+Magic (ILM), serving most notably as a senior producer where her exploits included not only the aforementioned Gangs of New York and Starship Troopers but also visual effects for select spots, including McDonald’s for DDB Chicago, via ILM’s now defunct commercial unit. Earlier she was a senior producer with the former (Colossal) Pictures, turning out commercials such as Coca-Cola’s “Games” via Creative Arts Agency (CAA), Beverly Hills, and a Nintendo campaign out of Leo Burnett Chicago.
Geier noted that (Colossal)–with its involvement in spots, TV series and long-form projects often blending live action, effects and varied forms of animation–parallels the diversity fostered by the Curious creative and business model. The major difference, she observed, is that in recent years, the digital and interactive component has come of age, giving Curious an even more expansive palette from which to shape content.
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