Australia-Based Spotmaker Gains First Stateside Representation.
By Sarah Woodward
Sydney-based director Matt Murphy has signed with Porter Film Company (PFC), Hollywood, for commercial representation in North and South America and in parts of Europe, including Italy and Germany. The signing marks the director’s first foray into the stateside market. Murphy continues to be represented in Australia and his native New Zealand by Silver Screen Productions, which has handled him for the past five years. Silver Screen maintains offices in the New Zealand cities of Auckland and Wellington, as well as in Sydney, Australia.
"Matt is a very innovative problem-solver who thrives on creative challenges," said PFC executive producer Fred Porter. "The entertainment value in the spots on his reel is great, but it also demonstrates a keen understanding of advertising and creative strategic thinking."
Murphy began his career as a freelance lighting technician in ’82. Three years later, he had graduated to serving as a production designer on feature and made-for-TV films in New Zealand. By ’93, however, his focus had shifted to commercials. While still a freelance production designer, he worked mostly for Silver Screen, Wellington, and launched his directorial career in ’95 at that company.
According to Porter, the director’s work combines epic-scale visual storytelling with performance/dialogue and cleverly designed effects. (Murphy was not available for comment at press time.) Coca-Cola’s "Big Shots" via McCann-Erickson, Sydney, Australia, for instance, features giant teenage skateboarders jumping buildings and trains in a modern metropolis. The ’97 ad was recognized with a Silver award at Australia’s Axis Awards, and was also a finalist at the London International Advertising Awards.
Murphy’s spot for Ergo Financial’s "The Pit" out of M & C Saatchi, Auckland, demonstrated the director’s resourcefulness. The ad’s concept was inspired by the famous photographs of Sebastio Salgado, whose work chronicles the manual laborers of the Industrial Age. "The Pit" was meant to depict thousands of workers digging for gold in an enormous pit near the Amazon River in Brazil. After researching various shooting locations, however, the agency nearly abandoned the project due to budget constraints. But Murphy was able to recreate the setting at an old quarry outside of Auckland. The ad went on to win an Australian Television Award for visual effects in ’97.
Additional Murphy credits include commercials for Fosters Lite via George Patterson Bates, Melbourne; Tiger Beer out of Saatchi & Saatchi, Singapore, and "Ducky," an award-winning ad for the Singapore Navy created by Saatchi & Saatchi, Singapore. "Ducky" opens on a scenario reminiscent of the tense submarine scenes in The Hunt for Red October. At the end of the ad, however, it is revealed that the underwater strife was only imagined by a man taking a bubble bath. A rubber ducky acts as the stealthy submarine.
According to Porter, the signing of Murphy marks a gradual expansion for PFC and reflects its continued involvement in Australia and New Zealand, where the company frequently shoots.
Murphy joins a PFC directorial roster that includes J. Brown, Carlo Sigon and Kimble Rendall. In-house rep Nancy Osborne handles sales in the Midwest and on the West Coast. The company is additionally represented by a pair of independents: Kansas City, Mo.-based Terri Montgomery, who is also involved in Midwest sales; and New York-based John Naitove, who handles the East Coast. Toronto-based Sparks Productions represents PFC in Canada.
Endeavor Group Sells Professional Bull Riders, On Location and IMG To Parent of WWE and UFC
The parent company of WWE and UFC is buying Professional Bull Riders, On Location, and IMG from Endeavor Group in an all-stock deal valued at $3.25 billion.
The deal is part of Endeavor's efforts to shed some of its assets as it looks to be taken private in a proposed transaction with private equity firm Silver Lake, which was announced in April. Ariel Emanuel, who serves as CEO of Endeavor, is also executive chair and CEO of TKO.
Professional Bull Riders is a bull riding league that has more than 200 annual live events, approximately 1.25 million fans, and reaches more than 285 million households in more than 65 territories. On Location is live event company for more than 1,200 sporting events, such as the Super Bowl, Ryder Cup and NCAA Final Four. IMG is a distributor and producer of sports content, packages and sells media rights and brand partnerships, and provides consulting, digital services and event management to clients such as the National Football League and National Hockey League.
Parent company TKO Group said Thursday that the acquisition from Endeavor Group will complement its existing businesses as well as broaden its reach in the premium sports market.
"PBR, On Location, and IMG are industry-leading assets that meaningfully enhance TKO's portfolio and strengthen our position in premium sports globally," TKO Chief Operating Officer Mark Shapiro said in a statement. "Within TKO, they will help power the growth of our revenue streams and position us to capture even more upside from some of the most attractive parts of our sports ecosystem: media rights, live events, ticket sales, premium experiences, brand partnerships, and site fees."
As part of the deal, Endeavor will receive about 26.14 million common units of TKO... Read More