Executive producer Ron Hacohen, who ended a long tenure at bicoastal HKM Productions earlier this year (SHOOT, 2/5, p. 7), has launched his own production house, Bravo Zulu. The new venture opens with director John Mastromonaco, formerly of bicoastal Reactor Films.
Bravo Zulu-which in military code translates into "job well done"-was described by Hacohen as "an affiliated company" of bicoastal Gartner. The new shop has space on the Gartner premises in Santa Monica and shares administrative/backroom resources with the Gartner studio. Hacohen said he is sole owner of Bravo Zulu which operates autonomously of Gartner.
Mastromonaco and Hacohen find themselves reunited at Bravo Zulu. They began working together back in ’93 when Mastromonaco formally broke into the U.S. market, joining HKM after moving down from Canada. At that time, Hacohen was HKM’s head of production. The two teamed on jobs at HKM for about a year before Mastromonaco departed. But they kept in touch with one another periodically. And, related Hacohen, they started talking seriously at the end of ’98 when both contemplated making a change. "We ultimately decided to go into the changing room together," quipped Hacohen.
Bravo Zulu has assembled two-thirds of its national sales team, securing Rich Newman and Sue Rosen in the Midwest and Mary Knox and Alyson Daniels of Help! to handle the East Coast. At press time, Hacohen was considering rep candidates on the West Coast. Knox and Newman offer continuity in that they repped Mastromonaco earlier in their careers; Newman at Reactor, and Knox when the director was at bicoastal Bedford Falls. "Their background with John has been extremely helpful, allowing us to move 10 steps forward instead of incrementally," related Hacohen. "They know John’s work and the kind of projects he’s right for and that will enable us to hit the ground running."
Mastromonaco recalled that in analyzing what he wanted in a production company, he ultimately decided upon leaving Reactor that he needed to be at "a smaller shop that was owned and operated by a guy who was hands-on involved in the work … a guy and a place that had as much to lose or gain as I did. Ron is that guy. And to have someone like Ron and people like Mary and Rich repping me was an ideal combination. I know that in this environment, my career is going to get the proper attention."
Mastromonaco’s most recent endeavors include Reactor-produced jobs for Red Lobster and Vidal Sassoon out of Euro RSCG Tatham, Chicago, and Brita Water Filter Systems via Young & Rubicam, San Francisco. The director, who continues to be repped in Canada by Jolly Roger, Toronto, also just helmed a four-spot Coors Light campaign from Foote, Cone & Belding, Toronto, and at press time was in the midst of a two-spot package for Vaseline Intensive Care out of Ammirati Puris Lintas, Toronto.
Hacohen characterized Mastromonaco’s reel as being reminiscent of that of an editor. "The work is very diverse and hard to pigeonhole; the one consistent element is that there are always one or two images in every spot that stay with you," related Hacohen. In terms of directorial diversity, Hacohen cited Mastromonaco-helmed spots for Massachusetts Extended Care from Arnold Communications, Boston, and Welfare to Work via Ammirati Puris Lintas, New York; both, said the exec. producer, are "documentary-style pieces that are just completely different from the rich beautiful visuals you see in other spots on his reel."
Hacohen said he’s looking to grow Bravo Zulu "slowly and smartly," adding that he wants to be an exec. producer who is involved with each director’s project from beginning through post. "I find that rewarding and really important. From my background at HKM, being there long enough to experience when it was a small shop, I remember that as a special time. My goal is to build something reminiscent of that."
