During the course of his career, executive producer Phillip Detchmendy has launched directors, opened successful production companies, guided the production of award-winning ad campaigns and been an active participant in the ad community’s efforts to give back to society. Now he’s bringing that resume to the L.A.-based FANCY Content, where he’s come on board as executive producer and partner to founder and EP Robert Wherry.
Detchmendy joins FANCY from RSA, where he was an executive producer, working across its advertising and branded entertainment practices.
“Having Phillip join me at FANCY adds such an intriguing dimension to our company,” said Wherry. “The demands and expectations for every project in today’s market requires stronger and sharper producer skills, not to mention deep, trusted relationships with agencies and brands.
“Successful companies know intuitively what projects are right for their people, and more importantly, they’ll be able to show clients how their solutions are the ones that will garner the best results,” Wherry added. “Phillip and I bring all that and more to the table every day. The level of expertise we possess, quite honestly, is as much a resource for our agency clients as it is for our own creative roster.”
At FANCY, that roster includes the directorial team Radish as well as directors Ed McCulloch, Sophy Holland, Amit Mehta and Nanno Jiskoot, along with tabletop specialist Rob Fiocca.
Detchmendy got his start on the production side and has worked in a range of production, EP and managing director roles at companies like Satellite Films and Tool of North America. Ads that he’s executive produced have won every major award in the industry, from Cannes Lions to D&AD and One Show Pencils, Clios, Webby Awards and AICP Show honors.
Equally noteworthy is his role as co-founder of The Fireflies West, an annual charity bicycle ride comprised of people from the ad industry who, for the past dozen years, have ridden from San Francisco to Los Angeles every fall to raise money for blood cancer research at the City of Hope Medical Center. The group has raised almost $2.7 million to date.
“Robert and I have known each other for years, and I’ve always had a great deal of respect for him,” said Detchmendy. “We’ve bid against each other many times, and traded wins back and forth. He’s smart, strategic and sales-focused, in addition to having impeccable taste. The more we talked, the more obvious a fit this became. We’re both very hands-on in our approach to the business, and share similar points of view.”
Detchmendy is eager to bring his insight to bear on FANCY, its talent and its client relationships. “I’ve had the privilege of being at some top companies, working with amazing creative artists and sales people,” he observed. “I’m excited to work with Robert and use my experience and network to advance the careers of our directors. We’re a solutions-oriented company that takes care of its people and its agency/brand clients. As a creative boutique, we have the ability to pivot and move quickly, since we’re not encumbered by massive overhead or outmoded thinking. That’s a great niche to occupy, given the pressures and opportunities the industry faces today.”
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