Mel Gragido is back at <a href="www.thejoneses.tv.>The Joneses. The veteran executive producer is revitalizing the production company’s brand and assembling a roster of interesting directors from North America and around the globe. They include acclaimed Scandinavian directors Hans Moland and Johan Skog, who have worked with Gragido for several years, as well as British director Andy Lambert, Italian-born director Riccardo Sai and American director Josh Forbes.
Gragido says that <a href="www.thejoneses.tv.>The Joneses has assembled and will continue to add to a roster of directors “whose work embodies a wide range of styles and sensibilities.” “Such an approach is necessary in order to address and fulfill the needs of the many genres of spots being created by agencies today,” he says. “The lines separating venues for filmed advertising are softening and we are fast approaching an era where the ‘where’ of the audience that is consuming content is increasingly less important and the requirement for well crafted material is ever more so.”
Gragido relishes the opportunity to infuse <a href="www.thejoneses.tv.>The Joneses with a fresh identity and to reconnect with Mark Androw. “Mark and I have always had a good relationship and have remained friends even during the time I was away,” Gragido observes. “He is one of the most respected people in the commercial industry and provides the company with the sound financial footing so essential today.”
Gragido adds that “it would have been impossible to make a go of this without the loyalty and friendship of Johan, Hans and Mone Mikkleson, executive producer of their Norwegian production company One Big Happy Family.” Stay tuned for more director additions.
Skog, who recently collaborated with Gragido on a campaign for Hershey’s, says that Gragido has a rare skill for helping directors succeed in the U.S. “He understands the market,” Skog observes, “and he understands our work. He does not try to get us to change to succeed in America, rather he applies what we do well as European directors to the needs of U.S. advertisers.”
<a href="www.thejoneses.tv.>The Joneses will be represented by Kelley A. Class (Class Represents) on the West Coast, Angelina Powers in New York, Sarah Lange in the Southeast and Surita Mansukhani in the Midwest.
Moland and Skog have been working with Gragido on U.S. projects for several years. Moland is well known in Europe for feature films and commercials, the latter including work for Finnair, the Norwegian Lottery and the Norwegian power company Hafslund. He is also very familiar to the U.S. market, having begun his career in New York with the top commercial house GIRALDI. In the U.S., Moland has done work for the Diamond Trading Commission, Teen Spirit and Fortunoff among others.
Skog offers similar credentials having created award-winning work for such brands as Electrolux, Scandinavian Airlines, IKEA and chocolate maker Freia. Once a still photographer, he also has experience in music videos and episodic television, and is the recipient of a Gold and two Silver Lions from Cannes as well as an MTV Europe Award.
Lambert has built a strong career in Europe, where he is represented by HSI London and is known for stylish, witty work with big, cinematic production value. He has directed a number of spots featuring elaborate spoofs of famous movies including Rocky IV, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and The Deer Hunter. The latter occurs in a commercial for Mars’ Revels candy, and is a marvelous recreation of the film’s famous Russian roulette scene where the participants duel, not with a revolver, but with chocolate covered convections.
Lambert said that he is eager to apply his skills to the U.S. market and was looking for the right opportunity. “I wanted to align with a boutique company and to join Mel at <a href="www.thejoneses.tv.>The Joneses seemed an exciting prospect,” Lambert says. “We have a good rapport, he understands my work, and I’m confident he’ll find the right openings for me.”
Sai was born in Italy but received his training in film at the New York Film Academy and at the London School of Film. He has spent most of his career as a freelance director in London where his recent work includes a series of short films for Microsoft and London agency Three Monkeys and a series of shorts for Nike and its agency Sartorial. His credits also include Unilever, the Red Cross and the European Union. He got his start as a documentary filmmaker.
Forbes began his career as a copywriter with Los Angeles agency Dailey & Associates while moonlighting as a music video director. He got his break in 2007 when he directed the video Love Song for pop singer Sarah Bareilles (which also launched her career). He has followed that with videos for such acts as Good Charlotte, The Fray, The Submarines and Hockey, many of which mix narrative with CGI and inventive, low-tech visual effects. Forbes’ first commercial project came last year when he directed a music video style promo for the medical alert device Lifeline starring Betty White.
<a href="www.thejoneses.tv.>The Joneses is located at 1501 Colorado, Suite C, Santa Monica, California 90404. For more information, call 310.656.8300 or visit www.thejoneses.tv.
