Los Angeles-based Biscuit Filmworks is bringing director Trevor Cawood onto its roster. Cawood, partner/cofounder of The Embassy VFX in Vancouver, B.C., was effects supervisor on such noted spots as Nike’s “Evolution” and Citroen’s “Transformers”. His directing credits include spots for GMC and Nissan, a music video “The Dream” for electronica artists Never, and his short film debut, Terminus….Word is that director Eden Tyler is coming aboard greatguns: usa, headquartered in Venice, Calif….At press time talks between the major feature/TV studios and the Writers Guild of America (WGA) had abruptly ended, spurring trepidation that the two sides might not be able to reach an agreement before the union’s contract expires at month’s end. Among the key issues that could be stumbling blocks are recompense for work distributed on the web, and how to apportion DVD revenue….
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