After a long illness, John Urie passed away on June 26 at his home in Santa Paula, Calif. He was 83.
The loss of his life has been felt by assorted people throughout the industry because he gave life to so many of their careers and made so many friends along the way. Before the web and new director showcases, gaining exposure for one’s own talent was a considerably different proposition. It depended more heavily on getting someone else to recognize and believe in your talent. And on that front, director/entrepreneur Urie was a leading beacon of light.
His legendary Los Angeles studio, John Urie and Associates, was a spawning ground. And his credibility with the agency community was often enough to get ad shops to try out unknown talent during the 1960s.
The directors who cut their teeth at his studio included Ron Dexter, Stu Hagmann, Joe Hanwright, Remi Kramer, David Stern, Ahmed Lateef, Dick Bailey and David Impastato. Young cameramen broke into commercials via the Urie studio, among them John Hora, Ed Martin, Alan Daviau, Woody Omens. Caleb Deschanel (who co-founded and directs spots via Dark Light Pictures) and Kent Wakeford (who became a director and co-founded Wakeford/Orloff).
Editors also emerged from the Urie fold, including Pete Verity and editor-turned-director David Dryer. A key grip at Urie, David Farrow, became a leading automotive spot director. Casting director Niki Minter made a successful transition to director. Also blossoming at Urie were animation directors Bob Curtis and Jean-Guy Jacques.
Before starting his own studio in 1958, Urie worked at UPA writing, producing and directing animated, stop motion, and puppetry commercials–not to mention ads deploying cut-outs in the pre-Monty Python era. Among his creations was Western Airlines’ “The Only Way to Fly” campaign with an animated bird kicking back and sitting on the tailend of a plane. And then there was the classic, “Hey. How’ bout a nice Hawaiian Punch?” commercial. Urie then started turning out live action spots and short films with a special touch that was ahead of its time.
Jean-Guy Jacques remembered Urie for having “a unique gift for recognizing people with a special talent as an editor or a cameraman, a writer or a director. That gift, the talent he hired and the notable work he produced allowed his studio to quickly grow from a staff of three to a staff of over sixty. John created a place his staff never wanted to leave. Many became award winners.”
Urie used to say, “With a smile, you can go around the world.”
“And he did,” noted Jacques. His generous spirit and creativity will be missed by a huge number of friends.”
Urie is survived by his son Willard and his daughter Cinthia, three granddaughters and two great grandsons, a younger brother Richard, and a sister, Margaret Huston. John Urie’s younger son Kurt passed away at the age of 33 in 1993 from cancer. He also lost his wife Cheli in ’07. He loved working with his sons–Kurt was involved in video playback and Willard continues to serve as a gaffer.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to: Boys and Girls Club of Santa Clara, Calif., P.O. Box 152, Santa Paula, CA 93061. (805 525-7910).
Trump Asks Supreme Court To Delay TikTok Ban
President-elect Donald Trump asked the Supreme Court on Friday to pause the potential TikTok ban from going into effect until his administration can pursue a "political resolution" to the issue.
The request came as TikTok and the Biden administration filed opposing briefs to the court, in which the company argued the court should strike down a law that could ban the platform by Jan. 19 while the government emphasized its position that the statute is needed to eliminate a national security risk.
"President Trump takes no position on the underlying merits of this dispute. Instead, he respectfully requests that the Court consider staying the Act's deadline for divestment of January 19, 2025, while it considers the merits of this case," said Trump's amicus brief, which supported neither party in the case and was written by D. John Sauer, Trump's choice for solicitor general.
The argument submitted to the court is the latest example of Trump inserting himself in national issues before he takes office. The Republican president-elect has already begun negotiating with other countries over his plans to impose tariffs, and he intervened earlier this month in a plan to fund the federal government, calling for a bipartisan plan to be rejected and sending Republicans back to the negotiating table.
He has been holding meetings with foreign leaders and business officials at his Mar-a-Lago club in Florida while he assembles his administration, including a meeting last week with TikTok CEO Shou Chew.
Trump has reversed his position on the popular app, having tried to ban it during his first term in office over national security concerns. He joined the TikTok during his 2024 presidential campaign and his team used it to connect with younger... Read More