An infusion of filmmaking and executive talent into TWC Films consists of veteran executive producer Mel Gragido along with six directors, three of whom–Jonas Arnby, Hans Moland and Johan Skog–were previously with Gragido at The Joneses. Additionally TWC has signed directors Arni Thor Jonsson, Ken Lambert and Terry Rietta. The company continues to be presided over by partner/managing director Mark Thomas, partner/producer Ralph Winter, partner/director Phil Cooke, and exec producer Jeff Snyder.
Jonsson has more than 300 Icelandic commercials, 80 international spots and assorted music videos to his directing credit, gaining recognition at Cannes, EuroBest, Golden Drum, Epica, the Addy Awards and Young Guns along the way. He recently opened Republik Films, his own production house in Reykjavik, and had been previously repped stateside by Cohn+Company. His spot clients include Smirnoff, Sony, Heineken, Ikea and McDonald’s.
Meanwhile TWC becomes Lambert’s first U.S. commercial roost. He first established himself as a designer, moving into broadcast design and then filmmaking. Among his spots as a director are Vancouver Winter Olympic Games’ “Ice,” KFC’s “Krushers” and Coke’s “Happy Mouths.”
Rietta made his first major splash as a director with the Mill Valley Film Festival’s “First Look,” which was honored in the spec category of the 2004 AICP Show. He also conceived of the project which was done while he was a creative director at Hill Holliday, San Francisco. Rietta later joined the since defunct Villains, then Zoo Film (SHOOT, 4/13/07), and has directed for such clients as American Express, Emerald Nuts, Cartoon Network, Foster Farms, KIA Motors, Charter Communications, ESPN and Walmart, as well as pro-bono work for One.org and the Washington Department of Public Heath. Rietta was writer/director on the anyfilms.net series of branded entertainment shorts for Samsung, and was a writer on two of the five Amazon Theater shorts produced for Amazon.com (Agent Orange helmed by Tony Scott, and The Tooth Fairy directed by Jake Scott).
Relative to the influx of talent, TWC’s Thomas related, “We needed to be pursuing players that were genuinely unique, regardless of genre, so we pursued a course of action that would take us there. I also knew that with what was going on industry wide, this kind of environment historically breeds opportunity, in that great directors would be looking for the right fit. It might seem like we’ve taken on a lot at once, and clearly that’s true, but I strongly believe in the directors that are here. This roster is significant as we’ve ever had, and we’re poised to make great strides.”
The rest of the TWC’s ongoing directorial roster includes Brian Baderman, Trevor Cornish, David Jellison, Alex Ogus, Suthon Petchsuwan and Selby.
Gragido said he was drawn to TWC for the opportunity it offers spanning commercial, TV and films, and the company fit for the directors he was bringing over. “Looking at my guys and Mark’s guys, it really felt like a strong roster,” said Gragido. Among those he brought over for example is helmer Arnby who first established himself in the European ad community with his mix of comedy and visual storytelling. Gragido signed the director for The Joneses during a visit to Copenhagen, breaking him into the stateside market.
Thomas noted that so much is a matter of timing. He and Gragido had discussed teaming for quite awhile but now their coming together felt right and made sense. Similarly Thomas said he had “reached out to Arni [Thor Jonsson] about four years ago, having been a fan of his work. He had been focusing on other parts of the world, but last fall he felt the desire to start working in the U.S. So while it was a long time coming, it was worth the wait. Arni’s recent work is some of his best.”
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