HILL HOLLIDAY COMES UP SHORT FOR BGCLLate last year the Boys & Girls Clubs of Lynn, Mass. (BGCL) approached Hill Holliday, Boston, for fund-raising help. After a series of discussions, it became clear that traditional outdoor, print and broadcast wouldn’t suffice and that instead a short film was needed to do full justice to the BGCL’s good work–a short that could be utilized in board rooms and at social functions in Boston to raise money. The minute-long short is also running as a spot in TV markets north of Boston. Titled Building, the piece consists of kids telling how the BGCL has enriched their lives, providing a place to go for constructive activities and even the opportunity to mentor and to be mentored by others.
The BGCL has 2,800 members and some 400 kids spend time there daily. Building was directed by Tom Foley of Santa Monica-based Independent Media. The Hill Holliday core team consisted of copywriter/art director Doug Gould and producer Alex Vainstein.
Susanne Preissler executive produced for Independent Media, with Marc Lasko serving as producer. The DP was Lisa Rinzler.
Editor was Joel Walker of Hill Holliday’s in-house edit arm Bubble.
BIG LAWN EXPECTING…Also going short was commercial director Chuck Bennett of Big Lawn Films, Santa Monica. Bennett recently wrapped Expecting, a short film which is a blend of subtle humor and the absurd. Written by Brendan Duffy, Expecting isn’t at all what you’d expect during an ultrasound session in which a pregnant woman and her spouse are about to get a look-see at their developing bundle of joy. But they can tell from the obstetrician’s demeanor that something isn’t quite right. Reluctantly the doctor tells the couple that their baby girl will be “unattractive.” The implausible diagnosis is treated as deadly serious by all parties, with the girl’s condition later downgraded to “ugly.” But a second opinion yields quite a different diagnosis–that the baby will grow up to be a gorgeous babe. The doctors argue about who’s right, yet both cite the respective disadvantages of being ugly and pretty in today’s society. A third doctor then gets into the act, taking the middle ground that the baby will be “plain.” Indeed beauty–or the lack thereof–is in the eye of the beholder. Big Lawn exec producer Andrew Denyer produced Expecting. The DP was Nick Infield. Editor was Frank Effron of Cut+Run, Santa Monica….
PEOPLE IN THE NEWSMat Zucker has been named executive creative officer at Agency.com, New York. He comes over from R/GA, New York, where he was exec creative director responsible for delivering websites and digital marketing solutions for such clients as Johnson & Johnson and Subaru of America. Prior to R/GA, Zucker was at OgilvyOne, New York, leading interactive creative for Ameritrade, American Express, Cisco Systems and Enfamil. Headquartered in New York, interactive shop Agency.com, part of TBWAWorldwide, has offices in Amsterdam, Brussels, Chicago, Dallas, Dublin, London, Milan, Rome, San Francisco and Shanghai….Tricia Pifer has been promoted to the newly created position of head of production at Entity FX, a visual effects house with facilities in Santa Monica and Vancouver, B.C. She’s been with Entity since 2004. Her experience spans more than a decade working with such companies as Jim Henson Productions and ABC….
