Blueyed Pictures (BLU) continues to expand its directorial roster with the recent signings of Sean McNamara, Muriel Lacalmontie, and Alexander Love. Executive Producer and Founder of BLU, Jamee Natella, recently teamed up with Executive Producer Lorraine Schreyer (former agency producer at Ogilvy West) to weave together a diverse roster of emerging, award-winning directors and filmmakers. BLU is expanding beyond its widely acclaimed commercial and viral work for Toyota/Scion/Lexus via ATTIK/SF while staying true to its international roots.
With the signing of Muriel Lacalmontie from France, Alexander Love (a New Yorker by way of London), and Sean McNamara from the U.S., BLU‘s growing mixture of international directors extends from Europe to the United States. BLU has always had an international focus with its first office opening in Tokyo in 1998, followed by a second office in London, and then a third in Los Angeles. Their roster is in sync with a global approach to film production. In addition to representing directorial talent, BLU offers production services to an array of multinational clients and agencies throughout the world.
BLU Founder Jamee Natella conveyed her approach, saying, “I feel fortunate that BLU has been able to have loyal clients throughout the years and that we have been able to build upon those client relationships with our expert production services and resources around the world. We are extremely excited to now offer our clients an opportunity to partner with emerging A-list talent and hopefully we can continue to exceed clients’ expectations.”
Schreyer added, “The idea is to offer commercially driven directorial talent from a variety of entertainment arenas – features, short films, brand films, and digital content. We hope to introduce new visual signatures that don’t necessarily fit traditional niches. We’re always re-thinking, re-evaluating, and working to be a tactical and creative solution for clients across all types of projects.” On BLU‘s international view, Schreyer stated, “It’s only natural that our scope of talent extends offshore. As technology bridges the gap and foreign locations become more common and economically advantageous, we can offer a wider range of talent by tapping into the global creative community.”
About Sean McNamara
Sean McNamara brings with him a wealth of specialized insight directing family and children-driven entertainment, which translates seamlessly across all his commercial endeavors. Natella said, “I produced for Sean on several feature films – “Baby Geniuses” 3 thru 5, “Opposite Day”, and “Pick ups”; as well on the Starz TV series “Baby Geniuses: Baby Squad Investigators”. I am over the moon to see him cross over into commercials and have Blueyed represent him!”
McNamara brings over 20 years of experience to BLU, having worked a writer, producer, and director in that time, with 20 feature films on top of 400 television episodes under his belt. Sean’s latest project is “Space Warriors” which is set for release in early 2013, stars Josh Lucas, Dermot Mulroney, and Mira Sorvino. He is also working on the period film “Moon in the Sun” (with Pierce Brosnan). Sean’s previous films include “Soul Surfer” (Helen Hunt, Dennis Quaid, Sophia Robb, and Carrie Underwood), Disney’s “The Suite Life Movie”, Avi Arad’s “Robosapien”, and New Line Cinema’s “Raise Your Voice”. His television work includes Disney’s “That’s So Raven” and “Even Stevens”, along with The N’s “Beyond the Break”.
About Muriel Lacalmontie
“Muriel has a signature style that is natural and free yet every move is calculated and brilliant,” mused Natella upon the signing. “We liked her experience with high profile brands like Nivea, Dove, and Garnier. We believe her style translates nicely to the U.S. Market as she’s already making a splash stateside with her latest Naturella campaign via Leo Burnette/SF.”
Muriel Lacalmontie is a multi-platform director and photographer who specializes in beauty. Her most recent commercial work was an international Dove spot for Ogilvy/NY, and spots for Nivea Pure & Sensitive with Draft/FCB/Milano. Her previous commercial projects include Dior, Danone, L’Occitane en Provence, RoC, Carefree, Diadermine, Lactacyd, Roge Cavaille, and Rose & Reine. Muriel honed her craft working on projects for Yves St Laurent, Dior, and Chanel. She was honored by the CNC (Centre National de la Cinematographie) for her short films “Spring in Tien Anmen” and “Triptyque 0.01.02”.
About Alexander Love
“When I saw Alexander’s work, I responded to his level of perfectionism,” said Schreyer upon signing Love. “His attention to detail is what makes his work stand out. Coming from a background in photography, design and brand I.D. in London, he has an eye for powerful imagery. We’re not surprised that his work has attracted attention from so many industry creatives.” Alexander enthused, “I knew instantly upon meeting Lorraine and Jamee that we would make a great team. They are passionate about what they do and committed to backing what they believe in.”
Alexander is based out of New York and is currently filming in Thailand for real estate giant Sansiri. Alexander continues to build upon an extensive brand campaign for Sansiri Hotels / Bangkok with a series of teasers and soon to air :30TVCs. His next project for a financial institution will broaden his specialty beyond beauty, fashion, and hospitality into other arenas.
About BLU
BLU is a multifaceted production company based in Los Angeles with an extensive international reach that includes offices in London and Tokyo, serving Fortune 500 clients and multinational agencies. The portfolio of work represented by BLU includes the areas of broadcast, online, mobile, corporate, and multimedia platforms. BLU‘s in-house editorial, motion graphics, and visual FX capabilities make it a one-stop creative solution for branded media and commercial projects.
BLU strives to maintain the highest creative standards with unique directorial talent in a multitude of genres that include toys, food, liquid, beauty, visual FX, comedy, documentary, and sports. Since the inception of the company began 13 years ago, BLU has established itself as a creative partner and resource on integrated projects with digital, social media, experiential, and live-event components.
Contact:Jamee Natella Founder and Executive Producer Contact Jamee via email
Contact:Lorraine Schreyer Executive Producer Contact Lorraine via email
“Ǝvolution” Comes Full Circle At The Chelsea Film Festival
The Chelsea Film Festival, running from October 16th through October 20th, 2024, at Regal Cinemas here in Union Square, is set to host the East Coast premiere of Ǝvolution, a thought-provoking experimental micro-short film that proves big ideas can come in small packages and in perfect circles.
In just 1 minute 16 seconds, this cinematic gem by Award-Winning Director Romina Schwedler, with original music by Argentine Composer Ignacio Montoya Carlotto, explores a cycle as old as time: life leads to progress, progress leads to destruction, and destruction, well, leads back to life. But is this vicious circle unbreakable? Ǝvolution suggests the answer is yes, unless we decide to open our eyes.
Inspired by the overwhelming number of recent events that threaten human existence, Ǝvolution, possibly the shortest film in this 12th edition of the festival, plays out entirely through the symbolism of circles, cleverly illustrating —in the blink of an eye— the repeating patterns of history, and confronting viewers with the uncomfortable truth that our so-called “progress” may, in fact, be guiding us to our own ruin.Premiering at the Regal 14 Union Square, New York City, on October 18, 2024, at 11 a.m., Romina Schwedler's micro-short, featuring Leah Young with cinematography by Alan J. Carmona, will be sure to spark conversations longer than the film itself! Forcing viewers to reconsider the true meaning of evolution, not just as a biological process, but as a reflection of our collective journey as humans.
With a string of festival appearances across the globe, including CineGlobe at CERN (Switzerland/France), Oscar®... Read More