Synergy," according to the Merriam Webster Dictionary, is the interaction of discrete entities so that the total effect is greater than the sum of the individual effects. To Atlanta-based Synergy Films’ executive producer/ owner Lynne Toll and director/ owner George Watkins, it is what happens when two former competitors in Atlanta’s spot production community join forces to open their own shop.
In the early ’90s, Toll and Watkins were both freelancing and had collaborated on a few local shoots together. They clicked. "It was like left-brain and right-brain. We complemented each other," said Watkins. Together, they formed Synergy Films in ’93.
Toll and Watkins’ association, however, began much earlier. The two first met in ’70, when Toll was a copywriter/producer at Kinro, the now defunct in-house promotions unit of Orkin Pest Control, Atlanta. Toll hired Watkins for the first shoot she produced.
In ’80, Toll moved to the production side full-time as a production assistant at now defunct George Crane Film & Tape. Toll and Watkins were now competitors: While she worked her way to producer at George Crane, Watkins had signed on as a director with Fireside Films, Atlanta, where he remained until ’90. "We were friendly, though," says Toll, although they were frequently bidding for the same jobs.
Toll left George Crane in ’87 to team with the late Jan Mozen in opening now defunct production house Crackers. When Mozen, who was Crackers’ co-owner/sales and marketing manager, passed away in ’91, Toll closed the company and began freelance producing. At the same time, Watkins exited Fireside and began working as a freelance director.
Since its launch seven years ago, Synergy has grown from being just Toll and Watkins into a six-person staff with a national focus. Staffers at Synergy include line producer Mary Alice NeSmith; sales/marketing/PR manager Sarah Mercer Tinnon; and office manager Weatherly Polinsky.
Synergy recently signed director/cameraman Jon Hill, who is also a veteran still photographer. The company will represent Hill exclusively in the U.S. as a director/cameraman on spots, while any music videos or feature films he helms will be done through his own shop, Jon Hill Pictures, Atlanta.
Hill’s introduction to film began in ’91 when he joined Pelosi & Chambers, Atlanta, as a photography assistant. The studio had a spot production arm which often recruited Hill to assist on shoots. In time, Hill worked his way up to camera assistant. "I kept wanting to shoot [action]," says Hill.
Toll and Watkins signed Hill based on several commercials and specs he directed out of Jon Hill Pictures. The spots include "Time Is Running Out" and "Holiday Shoppin’" for Scana Energy via 360 Thinc, Atlanta; and Atlanta History Center’s "Corn on the Cob" via Huey/Paprocki, Atlanta. His spec work includes "Drinkin’ It" for Dixie Beer, and "For All of You" for Banana Republic. "I think he will communicate well with the young, hip crowd," says Toll, who is positioning Hill as an offbeat comedy director.
Funny guy
Toll’s comedy style is exemplified by "Corn On The Cob." The spot showcases a few items on display at a George Washington exhibit at The Atlanta History Center. After panning over some of the shotguns and swords owned by the first president, the camera cuts to a picture of a human jaw with several rotted teeth. "Washington’s biggest battle may have been corn-on-the-cob" is the ad’s tagline.
Hill’s edgier style complements Watkins, whom Toll calls a "warm and fuzzy" real people director. Watkins’ recent credits include "Synergy Steel" for fishing-equipment manufacturer Shakespeare via Leslie Advertising, Greenville, S.C.; and Ingles’ "Busy Man" via The Alpha Group, Asheville, N.C., which stars Atlanta Braves pitcher Greg Maddux. In "Busy Man," Maddux tells the viewer how much a busy baseball pitcher such as himself appreciates the convenience of a supermarket like Ingles. But he doesn’t seem all that busy: He is featured teeing off into a rubber float in his swimming pool, weeping while reading a romance novel, and spinning a remote control on his lap while watching TV. "I am driven by performance," says Watkins of his directing style. "Sometimes you get the neatest reactions from real people."
"They are very different," says Toll. "George is more of a classically trained director; Jon has a great sense of design. That way, people aren’t fighting for the same red apple."
