The Entertainment Services and Technology Association (ESTA) has announced the election results for the 2010 Production Equipment Rental Association (PERA) Council. The PERA Council within ESTA serves the needs of the equipment rental market for motion picture, television and commercial production. The Council continues the work of the PERA trade association for camera, accessories, grip and lighting rental companies and manufacturers. Members of the Council are elected by the PERA Council Affiliates and are responsible for the development and implementation of programs and services for members in these market segments.
Elected to the Council were: Carly Barber of Illumination Dynamics, San Fernando, Calif.; Daniel Gurzi, Abel Cine Tech, New York; Greg Meyers, Cinequipt, Inc., Minneapolis; JR Reid, JR Lighting, Las Vegas; John Rule, Rule | Boston Camera, Boston; Mark Tye, Citation Support, Inc., Nashville; and Mark Wofford, Production Consultants & Equipment, Atlanta.
Tye will additionally serve as PERA Council secretary, joining a lineup of officers that also includes Council executive John Johnston; and vice chair, budget and finance Marc Stephens of MPS Studios, Dallas.
Continuing members of the PERA Council are Leigh Blicher of Videofax in San Francisco; Tom Fletcher of Fletcher Camera & Lenses in Chicago; and MPS’ Stephens.
Retiring Council members are Mal Connett of The Camera Department, Pat Patin of Texcam, Lee Utterbach of Lee Utterbach Cameras, and Diane Woods of David J. Woods Productions, who worked on the former PERA board of directors and helped in the organization’s transition to ESTA.
Ron Cicero and Bo Clancey Launch Production House 34North
Executive producers Ron Cicero and Bo Clancey have teamed to launch 34North. The shop opens with a roster which includes accomplished directors Jan Wentz, Ben Nakamura Whitehouse, David Edwards and Mario Feil, as well as such up-and-coming filmmakers as Glenn Stewart and Chris Fowles. Nakamura Whitehouse, Edwards, Feil and Fowles come over from CoMPANY Films, the production company for which Cicero served as an EP for the past nearly five years. Director Wentz had most recently been with production house Skunk while Stewart now gains his first U.S. representation. EP Clancey was freelance producing prior to the formation of 34North. He and Cicero have known each other for some 25 years, recently reconnecting on a job directed by Fowles. Cicero said that he and Clancey “want to keep a highly focused roster where talent management can be one on one--where we all share in the directors’ success together.” Clancey also brings an agency pedigree to the new venture. “I started at Campbell Ewald in accounts, no less,” said Clancey. “I saw firsthand how much work agencies put in before we even see a script. You have to respect that investment. These agency experiences really shaped my approach to production--it’s about empathy, listening between the lines, and ultimately making the process seamless.” 34North represents a meeting point--both literally and creatively. Named after the latitude of Malibu, Calif., where the idea for the company was born, it also embraces the power of storytelling. “34North118West was the first GPS-enabled narrative,” Cicero explained. “That blend of art and technology, to captivate an audience, mirrors what we do here--create compelling work, with talented people, harnessing state-of-the-art... Read More