Production house Twist has entered into a U.S. representation and production agreement with noted design and film collective Tomato.
The alliance not only gives Twist exclusive representation of Tomato directors in the American market, but will also see the companies joining together to create original cross-media branding, campaign and content projects. Tomato’s recently opened Los Angeles studio and New York office will be the primary partners for the Twist relationship, with close collaboration from Tomato’s core London studio. Along with Manhattan-based Twist executive producer Amyliz Pera, Tomato members Len Dickter (Los Angeles) and Graham Brennan (New York) will lead the newly struck relationship.
Pera noted that Tomato brings a unique expertise and global attitude to Twist. “From fashion, graphics and type to directing/editing, environmental installations, branding, architecture and music, Tomato works on a truly cross-platform basis, which offers so many strengths and efficiencies,” she said. “Twist and Tomato together can address the need for strategy and content execution, and provide creative solutions that work across all platforms, distribution points and budget levels.”
For Tomato, which has created work in over 35 countries to date, the partnership with Twist represents a new commitment to the U.S. and North American markets. ”With the recent opening of our studio in L.A., we were looking for a company with whom we could create a true partnership,” explained Simon Taylor, one of Tomato’s founding members. “With Twist, we found the right company and people to do just that. They have incentivized their team, and at both companies, everyone shares in the stakes. They also have a very loyal group of people working for them, who support and work for the company overall. We believe that together, we can offer clients a very interesting point of view for their projects, and a diversity of experiences.”
According to Tomato member Michael Horsham, the collective is currently working on a series of projects around the globe. One highlight is a collaboration with James Corner Field Operations (who also designed the popular Hi-Line in New York City and Santa Monica’s newly opened Civic Center/Tongva Park) on the rebranding of Seattle’s waterfront. Tomato also recently re-branded Okinawa, Japan, via a project titled “Be.Okinawa.” and completed a multi-platform campaign for the United Nations that included global branding, content creation, international film contest and PR. “We are contributing to a series of projects, literally around the world,” said Horsham. “And bringing our talent to projects that incorporate branding, design, architecture and environments in exciting new ways.”
Among other current projects for Tomato is a deep creative role with SF tech start-up Calasi, which includes full branding, corporate identity, website, viral content and partnership marketing. The collective is also working on a mobile app for an acclaimed PBS series, and is in talks with the UN on several major 2014 initiatives.
The connections to music and art run deep at Tomato, appropriate given the collective first made a name for itself via a long term collaboration with the band Underworld. Tomato continues to work in the music industry via design, film and branding, and has recently partnered with creative icons such as Brian Eno and Sir Peter Blake. Having first worked with filmmaker Danny Boyle on the titles for his iconic film Trainspotting, Tomato recently completed the titles for Boyle’s film Trance, and supported Underworld in its collaboration on his National Theatre
Tomato has attracted a roster of global brands, including Levi’s, Adidas, Casio, Fuji Bikes, Time Warner, Ford, Unilever, Sony, Warner Brothers, IBM and Diageo. Tomato has also published several books on design, and their work has been featured in museums and galleries worldwide. In addition, Tomato has invented fonts, used reactive technology (sound, heat, light, etc.) long before it was common, and can handle extremely important strategic exercises like UI and UX, as they did for Microsoft and Sony. They were also commissioned in the Japanese market to create some of the first animated ring tones.
“This is not a company in need of a direction,” said Pera. “This company is artistically engaged, and we’re going to invite people to plug in and be part of the Tomato experience. You never know what kernel of a project will become something special or turn into the seed for a future blossom. I want to invite the industry into a dialogue with us to continue merging art and commerce.”
Earlier, Tomato had U.S. representation relationships with Curious Pictures and Believe Media.
Twist maintains offices in New York and Los Angeles. Headed by exec producer/president Jim Geib and Pera, Twist has a directorial roster that in addition to Tomato includes Matt Pittroff, Rich Michell, Chris Stocksmith and Marc André Debruyne.
Eleanor Adds Director Candice Vernon To Its Roster For Spots and Branded Content
Director Candice Vernon has joined production house Eleanor for U.S. representation spanning commercials and branded content. She has already wrapped several jobs at Eleanor, which waited to announce her until they had a body of work together.
Via Eleanor, Vernon made history as the first Black director on a Febreze commercial. The “Small Spaces” campaign marks a major departure from Febreze’s typical blue-and-white world. The home of the “Revolving Door” commercial is a beautiful array of bold sunset hues, African prints, and African art.
Vernon said, “I asked myself, what feels right to me? What feels new? I wanted to bring an essence of not just Black Americans but the full diaspora. I wanted to make a statement that we’re not a monolith.”
Following the success of the “Small Spaces” campaign, Febreze brought Vernon back for a comedy-infused trifecta exploring the hilarious situations that call for an air freshening hero.
Febreze Brand VP Angelica Matthews said, “About two years ago, we realized the consumers that were the most loyal to Febreze were the African American consumers. And the more we learned, the more we realized the richness that we were really missing. So we said we have to go beyond just Black casting, we need to get Black directors that truly understand the culture that truly understand how to bring authentic performances out on screen. We really looked around the industry and noticed there’s actually a shortage of African American directors who have experience doing commercials. When we all saw Candice’s reel, we could all tell the passion for the craft, passion for really trying to help us from where we are to where we’re trying to go.”
Vernon brings a unique lens to... Read More