Bicoastal/international Partizan has signed U.K.-based director Dominic Murphy for exclusive commercial representation in the U.S. and most of Europe. Murphy continues to be repped in England by Blink, London. At press time, Murphy was in the midst of his first U.S. assignment: five :30s for Microsoft via McCann-Erickson, New York.
Murphy previously had stateside spot representation via Blink’s London-based sister company and international arm, Stink, which had an arrangement with the Fink/Farhy Agency (now The Richard Fink Agency), New York. However, the director said his signing with Partizan represents a conscious effort to break into the American commercial business. "I wanted the U.S. market and agencies over here to know that I’m keen to do work here," he said. The director also cited Partizan’s strong track record and the rapport he developed with Partizan CEO Georges Bermann as reasons for signing with the company.
Partizan president/executive producer Steve Dickstein said the director’s talent and genuine manner made him the perfect addition to the roster. "There are very few directors that mesh style, direction and narrative, and the combination of those things [in Murphy] blew me away," Dickstein said. "He represents what we’re looking for at Partizan. He’s fun, he’s young, he’s smart and he understands advertising."
While Dickstein stopped short of characterizing the signing as evidence of a growth spurt, he said another director was expected to join the company in the near future. Moreover, he said, "[Georges and I] have always stood for quality talent and interesting work. A lot of directors are getting phone calls right now, and I’m really trying to tailor the company to the future of the business, which is directors who are smart enough to switch between mediums and provide help and service to agencies. It’s not just about execution, obviously."
A native of England, Murphy studied film at Leeds Polytechnic, Leeds, U.K. Upon graduating in ’87, the director won the Network 7 Young Directors Competition, which gave him the opportunity to direct the MTV-style show Network 7. For the next eight years, he worked on various television projects ranging from comedy to documentary to drama, including Danger: Women at Work, which explored the lives of female artists; True or False, in which a panel was asked to guess which of the short documentary films were real; and Love Talk, a series of 10-minute films about problems that arise in personal relationships. During that time, Murphy also directed title sequences for several TV programs such as The Investigators.
Murphy began directing commercials three-and-a-half years ago. A "pseudo-documentary" he’d directed caught the eye of BMP DDB, London, which hired the director to helm a series of "Use Your Vote" campaigns. The reality-style spots show various ignorant folks mouthing off about social problems. The tag: "Use your vote. You know he will." The ads went on to win several awards, including a London Design & Art Direction (D&AD) Pencil.
Around that time, the director joined Produktion, London, where he stayed for a year before shifting his representation over to Blink.
Murphy has directed ads for Volkswagen, also through BMP DDB; Nikon for Lansdown/ Conquest, London; Cellnet’s "U" prepaid phone card via Abbott Mead Vickers BBDO, London; and Fiat for DMB&B, London. Additional clients include Kit Kat, Nicorette, Nissan, Peugeot and Sony.
A pair of in-house reps handles Partizan’s domestic sales: New York based Lauri Aloi and Los Angeles-based Michael di Girolamo. Partizan’s London and Paris offices manage international sales.
