Director Jonathan David, the helming duo of kenandanny (a.k.a. Kenan Moran and Daniel Kaufman), and executive producer Steven Shore have teamed to launch N.Y.-based production company Happy Ending. The new venture reunites the foursome and marks Shore’s return to the production house arena after he took a two-year hiatus to set in motion the adaptation of the 1970s’ cult movie Super Fly to the Broadway stage.
Shore and David had collaborated previously at Shelter Films where the director’s work on adidas, Dunkin’ Donuts and Nike garnered Cannes Lions. Kaufman and Moran directed individually at another former Shore roost, CZAR/Public Domain, before coming together as a directorial duo at Happy Ending. Now Happy Ending represents not only the duo but also Moran as a solo director.
The Happy Ending roster is rounded out by Belgium-based director/photographer Toon Aerts and Austin, Texas-based directing collective Color Chart. Shore and Aerts worked together at CZAR in the U.S. where the director’s work on Asics (gel.tv) won a Cyber Lion. (Brussels-based CZAR continues to handle Aerts in Europe.) Meanwhile Color Chart was formed in Prague where its members–James Longmire, Tristan Love and Edward Shore–met at FAMU, the Czech film and dramatic arts academy.
Several jobs have already been wrapped under the Happy Ending banner, including a pair of client-direct projects for Sonic Drive-Ins: a two-spot package directed by David and a viral video helmed by Color Chart. David has also recently wrapped a Comedy Central promo campaign out of Amsterdam-based ad agency Nothing. Toon Aerts shot the print component of that Comedy Central campaign.
Lineup
David is known for performance-based comedy. He began his career with the BBC as a documentary filmmaker, roots that dovetail with his observational approach to comedy which includes an emphasis on casting and performance. His work over the years has been recognized on the awards show circuit, including Cannes, the AICP Show, Clio Awards, The One Show and the D&AD. David was last handled by Form and prior to that TWC, GO Film and MJZ. Before hooking up with MJZ, he worked with Shore at the former Shelter for five years.
Kaufman continues to be repped as a solo director via Bully Pictures while Moran was with No Smoke and prior to that Curious Pictures after he spent five years with Shore at Public Domain. The idea of them becoming a directing team was hatched back at Public Domain where Kaufman and Moran were inspired by the backstory of CZAR/Public Domain’s Lionel Goldstein, two local Belgium directors who teamed at mid career and became a global success. Kaufman and Moran co-directed a Comedy Central campaign produced by Curious which scored two honors at the 2006 AICP Show: the spot “Xerox” was recognized in the Comedy category, and “Billboard” in the Low Budget category. However, it wasn’t until their reunion with Shore at Happy Ending that Moran and Kaufman formally came together as the team of kenandanny.
Moran began his career in the promo/graphics department at MTV. Kaufman came to directing from the world of dance and performance and has authored a book of photography titled “To Be A Man.” His first directing effort for Post Cereal–“Cats In The Cradle” conceived by a team at Goodby, Silverstein & Partners, San Francisco–was featured in SHOOT‘s “The Best Work You May Never See” gallery and went on to win a 2002 AICP Show honor in the Spec category.
As for Color Chart, the aforementioned Sonic Drive-In web viral marks that directing team’s ad project debut. Happy Ending is also the trio’s first commercial production house roost.
Happy Ending becomes the third production house founded by Shore, the others being Shelter Films in 1992 and Public Domain in 2002, which the following year entered into an affiliation with CZAR. In addition to his commercialmaking in the broadcast space, Shore produced such notable fare as viral videos for Diesel and Folger’s (the lauded “Happy Morning”), a feature-length interactive online film ESP Billy for Microsoft, and a feature-length branded entertainment film for Nike Skateboard titled Nothing But The Truth which premiered at New York’s Ziegfeld Theatre in 2008. The earlier mentioned Broadway production of Super Fly is slated to open in 2012 and is being co-produced with Tommy Mottola, and on board as director and choregorapher is Bill T. Jones (Fela, Spring Awakening).
Happy Ending’s sales force consists of independent reps Drew Miller on the East Coast, Maureen Butler in the Midwest and Lisa Gimenez Toliver on the West Coast.
Oscar Nominees Delve Into The Art Of Editing At ACE Session
You couldn’t miss Sean Baker at this past Sunday’s Oscar ceremony where he won for Best Picture, Directing, Original Screenplay and Editing on the strength of Anora. However, earlier that weekend he was in transit from the Cesar Awards in Paris and thus couldn’t attend the American Cinema Editors (ACE) 25th annual panel of Academy Award-nominated film editors held at the Regal LA Live Auditorium on Saturday (3/1) in Los Angeles. While the eventual Oscar winner in the editing category was missed by those who turned out for the ACE “Invisible Art, Visible Artists” session, three of Baker’s fellow nominees were on hand--Dávid Jancsó, HSE for The Brutalist; Nick Emerson for Conclave; and Myron Kerstein, ACE for Wicked. Additionally, Juliette Welfling, who couldn’t appear in person due to the Cesar Awards, was present via an earlier recorded video interview to discuss her work on Emilia Pérez. The interview was conducted by ACE president and editor Sabrina Plisco, ACE who also moderated the live panel discussion. Kerstein said that he was the beneficiary of brilliant and generous collaborators, citing, among others, director Jon M. Chu, cinematographer Alice Brooks, and visual effects supervisor Pablo Helman. The editor added it always helps to have stellar acting performances, noting that hearing Cynthia Erivo, for example, sing live was a revelation. Kerstein recalled meeting Chu some eight years ago on a “blind Skype date” and it was an instant “bromance”--which began on Crazy Rich Asians, and then continued on such projects as the streaming series Home Before Dark and the feature In The Heights. Kerstein observed that Chu is expert in providing collaborators with... Read More