Director Malcolm McNeill and director/ cameraman Harry Karidis have signed for exclusive commercial representation in North America with Tropix Films, the Santa Monica-based spot production house headed by principal/executive producer David Coulter. Launched earlier this year, Tropix is a satellite of Atlas Pictures, Santa Monica, which is owned by president Sterling Ray (SHOOT, 6/23/00). Tropix is a joint venture among Ray, Coulter and his wife, Patti Coulter, who serves as Tropix’s head of production.
McNeill, who was unavailable for comment at press time, joins Tropix from SunSpots, Hollywood, which has repped him for the past two years (SHOOT, 5/29/98). While there he helmed numerous motion-control and CGI spots for Dodge out of BBDO Detroit, Southfield, Mich. His final assignment at SunSpots was "Shadow" for the Dodge Ram truck. Other noteworthy Dodge work, also out of BBDO Detroit, includes an ad from the "Different" campaign, which features dozens of black crows milling about a white set, and one bright red parrot standing out from the flock.
Based in Los Angeles, McNeill began his career as an illustrator in his native England. After relocating to the U.S., he began posting music videos, working out of New York-based post/visual effects house Charlex. In ’84, an assignment for Saturday Night Live’s opening credits led to an Emmy Award and generated interest from ad agencies, setting the stage for McNeill to break into the spot arena. Soon thereafter, he made the transition to directing and launched his own entity, Hand Over Fist, New York (now Los Angeles), which he maintains for longer-format and independent projects.
Through Hand Over Fist, McNeill directed spots for Delta Air Lines, out of BBDO, New York and Atlanta; Jeep via Bozell Worldwide, Detroit; and some client-direct promo assignments for Nick at Nite.
"He’s a true artist," said Tropix’s Coulter. "He’s a writer, illustrator, sculptor and director, and he’s pursuing all of those. Lately he’s been doing a lot of motion-control work for Dodge, which is a small niche. I think he’d like to branch out."
According to the executive producer, McNeill has written a couple of feature film scripts, and is also working on a coffee table book, a collection of his illustrations.
Prior to joining Tropix, Karidis maintained his own entity, Karidis Pictures, which he owned with his brother Perry Karidis. They shuttered the 10-year-old Phoenix-based operation two months ago. Harry Karidis’ final assignment through that firm was an ad for Yonex golf equipment via Saatchi & Saatchi LA, Torrance, Calif. Other recent credits include client-direct ads for the KCET Store of Knowledge and the Phoenix Suns; and an assignment for the Phoenix Visitors Bureau via E.B. Lane & Associates, Phoenix. The director/cameraman is based in Los Angeles.
"His work is visually stunning," said Coulter. "He’s got a lot of beautiful pictures, big production values and a great range of work. And because he ran his own company, he appreciates every facet of the business."
The Phoenix Visitors Bureau spot, for example, features a montage of pristine golfing images while supered text explains all that Phoenix has to offer golfers.
Karidis studied journalism and advertising at Arizona State University (ASU), Tempe, Ariz., in the mid-’80s, during which time he found work as a still photographer. As a staffer at Turf Paradise, Phoenix, he shot the photo finishes of horse races.
He left ASU in ’85 and made the transition to television, working for eight years as a cameraman. During that span, he shot Killing Time, a half-hour docudrama sponsored by the National Institute on Drug Abuse, which was produced by MTV Networks/Nickelodeon; the Women’s Vietnam Memorial Project for CBS Sunday Morning; and the Kids’ Choice Awards for Nickelodeon. Recently, he returned to his cameraman post, when he shot and produced Things Left Unsaid, a short film that debuted in August at the Palm Springs International Film Festival. Joe Rassulo of Dream Street Productions, Los Angeles, directed the film.
McNeill and Karidis round out a Tropix directorial roster that also includes Martin Brierley, Larry Carroll, Mark Rowen, Martin Shewchuk and Richard Taylor. The company is represented by New York-based Pangea on the East Coast, Chicago-based Patti Hereau in the Midwest-except for Detroit, which is handled by Pat Costa-and Los Angeles-based Molly Montgomery on the West Coast.
