Director Tim Godsall and executive producer Ian Webb have launched Canadian production company Merchant. Based in Toronto, Merchant will represent directors for commercials, branded entertainment and music videos in the Canadian market. Godsall will remain with Anonymous Content for representation in the U.S. and U.K. and with Revolver for all Australian work.
Godsall, who is known for his visual storytelling for brands including Squarespace, Axe, Old Spice, ESPN, Southern Comfort, FedEx and Xbox, among many others, and Webb, who most recently served as an executive producer at Suneeva, originally met while Webb was working as a producer at OPC several years ago. When Godsall decided to launch a new company, he said, “the first person I spoke with was Ian, and we had a really similar vision for a company that does interesting work and has a strong culture.”
Webb added, “On the most basic level, we want to be a conduit for great work. Canada, and Toronto specifically, has a reputation for being a creative force, and if we do our job properly, we will encourage, facilitate and continue to elevate the work coming out of Canada with the many great agencies, clients, creatives and producers who call Toronto home.”
In addition to representing Godsall, whose noted accolades include more than two-dozen Cannes Lion Awards, assorted Clio, Andy, AICP Show, and British Arrow Awards, Merchant launches with a roster of directors including Alex Hulsey, Jun Diaz, Leilani Croucher, Malcolm Venville, Michael Downing, Nadia Lee Cohen, Patrick Daughters, Stephen Carroll and Trevor Clarence.
Merchant has also partnered with U.S.-based Anonymous Content to represent a selection of that shop’s directors for Canadian work: Alejandro G Iñárritu, Alex Lill, Alfonso Cuarón, Armando Bo, Autumn de Wilde, Bardia Zeinali, Brett Morgen, Cara Stricker, Cary Fukunaga, Daniel Kaufman, Dee Rees, Edgar Wright, Frédéric Planchon, Grant Singer, Jovan Todorovic, Marco Prestini, Mark Romanek, Matthew Dillon Cohen, Olivia Wilde, Patty Jenkins, Sam Esmail, Terence Nance, and Todd Phillips.
