Director Jon Barber has joined R A U C O U S Content, the Hollywood-based production company headed by executive producers Steve Wi and Phyllis Koenig, for commercials and branded content in the U.S. Barber’s spot credits span such brands as Burger King, BMW, Coca-Cola, Chobani, Doritos, FedEx, Mercedes-Benz, Timberland and McDonald’s, along with agencies including BBDO, CP+B, Leo Burnett, McCann-Erickson, Mullen, Publicis, Saatchi & Saatchi, Sid Lee, TAXI and Y&R.
Barber was previously handled in the U.S. by production house Interrogate. He continues to be repped in Canada by OPC.
The industry first took note of Barber when he was named a finalist at the Young Director Awards in Cannes and received a Gold Telly for his spec work with Audi. Since then he’s added a Créa Award for his Arcadia Festival spots and the trophy for The One Show’s Call for Entry competition for his “Young Guns” Music Video.
Because of his global travels, Barber has developed an eclectic aesthetic. He fell in love with filmmaking and aesthetics as an Army brat based in Germany, where he spent much of his young adult life. Barber went on to study at the University of Vermont and the University of Salzburg in Austria before ending up in Los Angeles to gain production experience and kick-start his directing career. In 2006, Barber relocated to Montreal and worked extensively throughout Canada, Europe and the US on everything from commercials to short films and music videos, honing his visual and comedic chops. Joining R A U C O U S means Barber will once again call Los Angeles his homebase.
Barber said that part of what drew him to R A U C O US were Wi and Koenig who have “a clear, specific plan as to the direction they see me going–and that laser focus really impressed me.” He added, “You can see their experience shine through in the thoughtful way they’ve developed the careers of up-and-comers that are newer to the market. They have a track record of putting real time and care into building directors and relationships, which is evident in the quality of work they put out.”
Barber joins a R A U C O U S roster of directors which includes Ben Callner, Keith Ehrlich, Luis Gerard, Adam Gunser, Chris Hooper, Paul Iannachino, Vance Malone, Rob McElhenney, Matt Rainwaters, Daniel Strange, and Matt Shakman who recently helmed two episodes of Game of Thrones, including the bombastic Loot Train fight at the end of the “Spoils of War” episode.
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