ONE at Optimus has expanded its filmmaking roster with addition of director Otto Arsenault.
Describing himself as a custom fit for his new roost, Arsenault noted, “ONE is unique because it’s a production company built out of a postproduction house [ONE is an arm of Optimus]. This is parallel to how I got my start in the industry and is one of the many reasons this union has been such a great fit.”
Arsenault added that he looks at production differently because he understands what can be achieved in post. He established his post roots while at Southern Illinois University through his work on alt.news 26:46, a syndicated, PBS program that won five regional Emmy Awards. After migrating to Los Angeles, he co-created PlasterCITY Digital Post, one of the first non-linear post-production studios in LA. He then transitioned his focus to production, collaborating on a feature-length music documentary and directing several music videos. His work on Matt and Kim’s “Lessons Learned” garnered him the 2009 MTV Music Video Award for Breakthrough Video and MTV U Woodie for Best Video.
“Otto’s strong grasp of concept coupled with his unique visual storytelling skills makes him a perfect complement to our director stable here at ONE,” said John Noble, ONE at Optimus executive producer/managing director.
Arsenault’s first project with ONE is a :30 TV spot for an international liquor brand through Markham Unlimited Miami, Fla. His unconventional music video for Greg Laswell’s “Take Everything,” shot in one take completely in reverse, resonated with Markham and complemented the agency’s vision for the spot, in which the story unfolds in reverse. The international commercial will begin shooting in Miami in early October.
“Otto’s keen sense of composition and framing, which he elegantly displayed in the Greg Laswell video, was instrumental in helping ONE win this new project,” stated Noble.
Ron Cicero and Bo Clancey Launch Production House 34North
Executive producers Ron Cicero and Bo Clancey have teamed to launch 34North. The shop opens with a roster which includes accomplished directors Jan Wentz, Ben Nakamura Whitehouse, David Edwards and Mario Feil, as well as such up-and-coming filmmakers as Glenn Stewart and Chris Fowles. Nakamura Whitehouse, Edwards, Feil and Fowles come over from CoMPANY Films, the production company for which Cicero served as an EP for the past nearly five years. Director Wentz had most recently been with production house Skunk while Stewart now gains his first U.S. representation. EP Clancey was freelance producing prior to the formation of 34North. He and Cicero have known each other for some 25 years, recently reconnecting on a job directed by Fowles. Cicero said that he and Clancey “want to keep a highly focused roster where talent management can be one on one--where we all share in the directors’ success together.” Clancey also brings an agency pedigree to the new venture. “I started at Campbell Ewald in accounts, no less,” said Clancey. “I saw firsthand how much work agencies put in before we even see a script. You have to respect that investment. These agency experiences really shaped my approach to production--it’s about empathy, listening between the lines, and ultimately making the process seamless.” 34North represents a meeting point--both literally and creatively. Named after the latitude of Malibu, Calif., where the idea for the company was born, it also embraces the power of storytelling. “34North118West was the first GPS-enabled narrative,” Cicero explained. “That blend of art and technology, to captivate an audience, mirrors what we do here--create compelling work, with talented people, harnessing state-of-the-art... Read More