The Sussan Group, New York, and The Central Group, headquartered in Milan, have formed Gotham Central, New York. The new venture handles U.S. representation for directors John Booth, Didier Canaux, Nigel Cole, Mike Harris, Robert Golden, Hardeep, Bill Marshall and Des Mullan of The Central Group’s London-based affiliate, West End Central.
Marshall had previously been repped stateside for commercials by The Sussan Group, which continues to exist for feature and other non-spot work. The company’s commercial directors in the U.S.-including Sam Ciaramitaro in Chicago, Frank Samuel in Los Angeles and New York-based Howard Schatz-have also shifted over to Gotham Central under president/executive producer David Sussan. Gotham Central additionally reps Warsaw-based Marek Dawid to American agencies. Dawid’s former stateside spot home was The Sussan Group.
The Central Group directors work in a variety of styles ranging from Golden’s tabletop (e.g.-Aqua Vera’s "Mineral Water" via Euro RSCG, Milan) to the comedy and effects-driven work of Canaux (Lu’s "Deschamps" via Euro RSCG Paris, and Pharmaton’s "Slow Motion" via Duckworth Finn Grubb & Waters, London). Booth specializes in visual storytelling, with credits including PPP Healthcare’s "Fall" through M&C Saatchi, London, and St. Ives’ "Swiss Formula" through D P & A, London. Marshall focuses on animals, visual effects and tabletop, having helmed Migros’ "Cat & Mouse" and Swiss Milk’s "Doggie" via Advico Y&R, Zurich. People/landscape director Mullan’s "Drum" and "Napoleon" for Telecom Eireann were done for McConnells, Dublin.
Hardeep, a "quirky visual storyteller," according to Sussan, directed a short film called "Weekend Woman" as well as commercials for Abbey Life, a cooperative bank in the U.K. Nigel Cole, who made the feature Saving Grace starring Brenda Blethyn, has made European spots for clients including Burger King, Jameson’s Whiskey, Ford and Cathay Pacific. Harris has helmed television IDs for clients such as Land Rover and Now, a satellite TV station in the U.K. He also designed some of the graphics for the film Tomorrow Never Dies.
The Central Group additionally maintains offices in Athens, Frankfurt and Milan, though directors working out of those branches are freelancers.
Gotham Central came about in part because of Sussan’s relationship with Marshall (whom Sussan has repped in the U.S. since ’86) and West End Cenral’s executive producer/co-founder Greg Mills. "The three of us go back a long way," related Mills, "and have collaborated over the years.
The principal and founder of the Central Group is Andrea Binda, who in ’85 started Milan-based production house Central Productions. He and Mills first met about 12 years ago and became partnered with Marshall in now defunct London company Voyager Film. Mills explained, "Andrea and I had talked about the need for proper international collaboration between production companies, or indeed within a group that could work together as one when necessary. This is really something that had not existed before. So we agreed to found West End Central and use the word ‘Central’-which is the company name in Milan-as a sort of lynchpin to create this group of people or companies working together." When Voyager was dissolved in ’97, Mills and Binda founded West End Central. Marshall joined the company soon after, thus maintaining a link to Sussan. About 18 months ago, Sussan, Mills and Binda started to explore a more formal affiliation.
Sussan explained, "Andrea was saying that he wants to have a permanent home in the U.S. Eventually [he wants to] expand the European group to South Africa, Australia and South America. He is also in talks with someone in Istanbul to open a Turkish office. So he’s really trying to grow this company into a viable global network."
From Mills’ point of view, "With David, [an affiliation] was an obvious thing to want to do. It’s a new set-up, [but] it doesn’t alter things drastically. It’s an identity (having linked companies share the ‘Central’ name); ad agencies have associate and sister companies, why shouldn’t production companies?"
According to Sussan, Gotham Central’s U.S.-based directors gain "access to boards coming out of Europe right now." Mills added, "There are possibilities: reels are going out, inquiries are coming in. There is something in the pipeline, but it is not confirmed and it would be tempting fate to suggest it was."
Gotham Central is repped by Richard Fink of the Richard Fink Agency, New York, on the East Coast, Char Noonan of Char & Associates, Santa Monica, on the West Coast, and Chicago-based Mary Ida Bonadio in the Midwest. West End Central’s lia-isons are Mills and producer Denise Haire.
