Radical Friend, the directing duo of Kirby McClure and Julia Grigorian, has joined Partizan for worldwide representation in commercials, branded content and music videos.
Radical Friend made a major initial splash in the music video arena when they helmed Yeasayer’s “Ambling Alp,” followed by their epic VMA-nominated clip for Skrillex featuring The Doors, leading Radical Friend to be listed on Rolling Stone’s ballot of the “50 People Who Will Change Music.”
McClure and Grigorian have translated this music video edge to spots for brands like adidas, Lincoln, Converse, and Bud Light, as well as the thrilling sci-fi film trailer “Disruption” to launch the Type-R Honda Civic in the UK. Radical Friend’s passion for exploring new ways of telling stories is evident in their much-lauded Lexus presentation “Design Disrupted,” a 15-minute holographic ballet featuring Coco Rocha that bridged the worlds of fashion, cinema and technology.
Last summer, Radical Friend unleashed a darkly mysterious promo heralding Britney Spears’ return to the 2016 MTV VMAs stage, amplifying the anticipation of her comeback performance with every turn. The directing team is currently in production for a gaming company commercial.
The work of Radical Friend often involves an interactive component that transports the viewer into the world they have created. This genre-mixing, high-concept approach has led Radical Friend to be named among the “14 Directors to watch in the YouTube Age” by The New York Times.
Partizan founder Georges Bermann said of Radical Friend, “They know exactly how to create a sense of tension that grabs hold of the viewer and doesn’t let go. They are masters of new mediums, from interactive films to creating hypnotic multimedia sensory experiences, all at the same time being true cinematic filmmakers at their core.”
Prior to joining Partizan, Radical Friend was at LEGS Media.
SCHROM x Yacht Club and Be Electric Studios Launch Electric XR for Virtual Production
SCHROM x Yacht Club, a full-service live-action, tabletop, and postproduction company, has teamed with Be Electric Studios, a soundstage, equipment rental, and virtual production company, to launch Electric XR, a virtual production collective.
Industry veteran Thomas Rossano will lead the new venture, which provides advanced virtual production solutions across multiple facilities. He brings over 25 years of experience in live-action, tabletop, postproduction and talent curation to enhance Electric XR’s offerings as a resource for brands and agencies, as well as other production companies in need of virtual production solutions. Additionally Rossano continues to serve as EP at XR New York (XR-NY), a role he’s held since December 2022. SCHROM x Yacht Club originally established XR-NY to help provide XR services for third-party rentals. While XR-NY will continue to function independently for SCHROM X Yacht Club, it now operates under the Electric XR umbrella.
Rossano’s expertise spans producing live-action commercials, branded content, interactive and experiential content. In addition to leading Electric XR, he holds responsibilities at SCHROM x Yacht Club which include driving business development, collaborating with sales reps and expanding the company’s creative talent network. Rossano’s career includes serving as an exec producer at Hungry Man for about 11 years, right from that company’s inception. He then went on to become a partner at Station Film where he also had a lengthy tenure. Later he was a partner at PRISM. Then after the pandemic hit, he became a freelance EP for nearly two years, looking into opportunities in virtual production, which led him to XR NY and now Electric XR. Over the years, he has produced high-profile... Read More