Red Car—with editorial houses in New York, Chicago, Santa Monica, San Francisco and Dallas—has extended its reach into Canada by forming an association with the Toronto office of production services firm Johnson/Burnett (J/B). The Hollywood-headquartered J/B, headed by president/ owner Biff Johnson, also maintains a full-service operation in New York.
Johnson said that the relationship with Red Car broadens the scope of talent J/B can offer to agencies in Canada. Up until now, the J/B, Toronto, repping roster consisted solely of directors. The company continues to provide production support for projects shot in the Great White North.
Tania Smunchilla—who heads J/B’s Toronto shop, which opened last year (SHOOT, 6/2/00, p. 8)—will handle representation in Canada for Red Car’s editors. The relationship with Red Car enables Smunchilla to tap into her post industry experience. Before joining J/B, she served as VP of sales and marketing at The Post Group, Toronto. Prior to that, Smunchilla was studio manager at DAVE, a Toronto postproduction house, which at press time was in the process of being acquired by Toronto-headquartered Command Post.
Smunchilla said that agency creatives and producers in Canada could opt to come to any Red Car shop in the U.S. to work on a project. She added that J/B could facilitate Canadian projects for Red Car’s editors through other means, including securing suite time at edit shops in Canada or setting up an Avid room on J/B’s Toronto premises. Beyond Red Car editors coming up to Canada as needed, Smunchilla noted that virtual editing is also being explored as an option. That would provide Canada-based agencies with interactive linkage to editors in Red Car’s U.S. offices.
Red Car president/editor Larry Bridges stated that he has a longstanding relationship with J/B for production services, having tapped into that company for jobs he’s directed over the years. "For me, there’s a comfort level with J/B and Biff [Johnson]," said Bridges. "The chance to have a presence in Canada via J/B’s satellite is a good way to gain exposure for our editors among agency creatives and producers there. … We can work directly for those agencies or take on projects in conjunction with some of the directors handled by Johnson/Burnett."
The expansion into Canada comes just several months after Red Car reached across the Atlantic to secure U.S. representation for several U.K.-based editors, including an ensemble from OBE Partnership, London (SHOOT, 11/3/00, p. 1).
Among Red Car’s editors are Bridges, Chris Gipson, Jim Lipetzky, Susan Munro, Justin Stolo and Rob Watzke, who work out of the Santa Monica shop; Red Car New York’s Peter Barstis, Glenn Conte, Anne Craddock, Beth Cramer, Jerry Fried, Greg Letson and John Maloney; Red Car/Chicago’s Sean Berringer, Bob Carr, Michael Corrigan, Tom Kedzuch, Kerri Kuziel, Jeff Landsman and Adam Sobocienski; Red Car/San Francisco’s Peter Sorcher and Kerie Kimbrell; and Red Car/ Dallas’ Jonathan Edwards, Joe Elwood, Royce Graham and Ron Sussman.
J/B, Toronto can also access the alluded-to U.K.-based editors via Red Car: Sam Sneade, who maintains Sam Sneade Editorial, London; Mark Alchin of Ruthless, London; Christophe Williams of Derek Williams Editorial, London; and OBE’s Peter Beston, Alaster Jordan, John McManus, Bill Smedley and Neil Smith.
Smunchilla continues to handle representation in Canada for assorted directors whose companies have production support relationships with bicoastal J/B and its Toronto office. These shops include New York-headquartered Sandbank Films (e.g., directors Henry Sandbank, David Sandbank), Schofield Films (Stan Schofield), Pfeifer Van Dusen (Bruce Van Dusen) and Urban Myth Media (Peter Martinez); Los Angeles-based Seeff Productions (Norman Seeff), Mohr, Gallerani & More (Andy Gallerani) and Produckshon (Eric Heimbold); bicoastal A-Pictures (John Alper, Greg Vernon); Houston-based Lankford Films (Gary Lankford); Seattle’s Penumbra (Michael McNamara); London’s Park Village (Roger Woodburn, Peter Webb, Richard Dean, Charles Stebbings); and The Film Business, Sydney and Melbourne (Mary Cooke, Rob Dupear, Angus Gordon, Mark Hanlin, Francois Merlet, Brendan Young).
Additionally, directors from bicoastal Aegis (e.g., Tim Hill Gary Sinyor, Sandy Smolen) are repped in Canada by Smunchilla. J/B formed Aegis a year ago (SHOOT, 2/18/00, p. 7) to help longform directors diversify into commercials. One of those was noted feature filmmaker John Frankenheimer, whom Aegis now handles just in Canada.
