Karma Kollective (KK) has been formed as a new, full-service production company based in Culver City, CA, specializing in local, regional, national and international TV commercials, music videos and multi-media projects. Concurrent with their new company’s launch, Yamani Watkins, Founder/Executive Producer, and Edy Enriquez, Executive Producer, also announced the company’s initial projects, which were a TV spot for Vidal Sassoon/Tokyo, viral clip for Lexus, live action content for a “CSI”/DVD Game, and a music video for the “Kung Fu Panda” feature film soundtrack.
KK’s current directorial roster includes Elliott Lester, Dean Karr, Darren Grant, Scott Weintrob, Aaron Priest, the Wang Brothers, Ras Kassa and Mark Larranaga in the United States, as well as other directors located in the UK.
Also, Watkins and Enriquez have named Fuliane Petikyan as KK’s Head of Production. Additionally, the duo have signed three reps for Karma Kollective — Lauren McNamara, of the rep firm Lauren McNamara, Inc., for the Mid-West, Jack Reed, of Jack Reed Reps, for the South, and Yvette Lubinsky of the rep firm YvetteReps, for the West Coast. KK is currently solidifying representation in the East Coast Market.
Said Watkins and Enriquez, “Our diverse roster of directorial talent enables us to bring a unique slant to traditional creativity. With our collective years of industry experience producing commercials, music videos and internet-based content, Karma Kollective’s aim is to produce distinctly innovative projects that ensure the confidence of execution on which our clients can depend.”
Enriquez is also co-founder and executive producer with the noted visual effects company X1FX, based in Culver City. True to the new company’s name as a collective, KK has the ability to also provide post-production to its clients through its affiliation with X1FX. Enriquez said, “One of my goals is to create a bridge for visual effects geniuses, by helping them cross over into the commercial production arena, where they can also incorporate their skills. Every spot today has an effect or two. One of my objectives is to establish Karma Kollective as a portal for visual effects driven directors interesting in working within the commercial forum.”
Watkins and Enriquez add, “With a technologically aggressive and economically challenged industry climate ahead, the only guaranteed constant is change. Our new company Karma Kollective is well equipped to stay ahead of this curve.”
ABOUT “KUNG FU PANDA” MUSIC VIDEO:
Karma Kollective’s director Elliott Lester recently directed a music video, entitled “Kung Fu Fighting,” promoting DreamWorks animated motion picture, “Kung Fu Panda.” This high action music video starred Jack Black, highly acclaimed R&B musician Cee-Lo, and a group of young, specially trained martial arts experts. KK was commissioned by Nickelodeon for the project, which was shot at the National Wushu Center.
Fight choreographer veteran Eric Chan, who co-starred in the films “Rush Hour 2” and “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon,” was given the task of training his young students to remake some of the fight moves seen in the movie and the music video. In addition, dance choreographer Hi-Hat, who has worked with artists such as Missy Elliott, Busta Rymes, Kanye West, Pharrell and Brooke Hogan, created the signature “Kung Fu Panda” dance that became a hit with young teens throughout the country earlier this summer.
ABOUT LEXUS PROJECT:
Working with LA-based Team One Advertising, Karma Kollective retained director Elliott Lester to helm a viral commercial for Southern California Lexus Dealers, called “The Gauntlet.” Shot in Los Angeles, the spot called for on-set special effects– a volcanic eruption of two color paints that, when mixed together, would explode into a huge geyser, spewing out the school color paints for USC’s “Cardinal Red” and UCLA’s “Bruin Blue.”
To accentuate the effect of the dynamics of the two liquids mixing together, a CGI crew from X1FX was brought into the project. “The beauty of the spot is that the effects are flawless. They are unnoticeable to the untrained eye”, says Enriquez.
To view this spot, please visit: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x3BqAN5lHjw&NR=1 The spot appears online, and also appeared on the giant Jumbotron screens –prominent in the stadiums—during USC and UCLA football games. The website is www.lexusgauntlet.com
Karma Kollective’s clients for the Lexus project were Team One Producers Jack Epsteen and Erin Finch, and Team One Creative Directors Lou Flores and Gavin Lester. Said Epsteen, “KK did an amazing job turning around such a non-traditional production quickly! Elliot Lester was fantastic. It was a pleasure to work with them.”
ABOUT “CSI” DVD GAME PROJECT:
Scope 7 in conjunction with Hasbro retained Karma Kollective to provide all of the live action elements featured within their latest DVD game release from the hit crime television series “CSI.” KK director Aaron Priest fused interactive gaming with cinematic live action, while KK provided Priest with a fast crew committed to best representing the brand quality of Hasbro and the “CSI” franchise.
ABOUT VIDAL SASSOON/TOKYO PROJECT:
KK produced a 60-second spot promoting Vidal Sassoon hair care products, directed by Yushuke Tanaka, for client Beacon/Leo Burnett in Tokyo. The spot, which broke recently, is part of a three-spot campaign in which Japanese superstar singer Namie Amuro appears in period pieces which “take place” during the 1960s, the 1970s, and the 1980s. KK produced the one spot in which Amuro “appears” during the ’70’s decade.
KK worked with costume designer Patricia Fields (“The Devil Wears Prada,” “Sex and the City,” “Ugly Betty,”) and hair stylist Orlando Pita (“Sex and the City,”) on the Vidal Sassoon spot. Enriquez says, “This was a high profile, international campaign featuring celebrity talent commissioned by Leo Burnett. Our Japanese production counterparts, Kirameki, were professionals who similarly expected nothing less than perfection. This project was a real challenge. Yamani and I worked around the clock to bring this one to the finish line.”
ABOUT YAMANI WATKINS, KARMA KOLLECTIVE’S FOUNDER/EXECUTIVE PRODUCER:
KK’s founder and executive producer Yamani Watkins has walked a unique and diverse path since his debut in the entertainment industry thirteen years ago. Having worked in the arena of record labels, professional photo-graphy, music video and commercial production, Yamani brings a synergy of creative and business experience to his new company.
Prior to establishing KK, Yamani cut his teeth for many years in the roles of Executive Producer, Director’s Rep and Coordinator, working at such established production houses as Karma @ The Joneses, Clever Films, RSA and A Band Apart. During these years, he closely interacted with ad agencies like Foote Cone & Belding, DDB Needham, Young & Rubican and Saatchi. Yamani also facilitated productions of numerous music videos for such artists as Damian Marley, Dave Matthews Band, Ludacris, Willie Nelson, and many more. Several of these projects were nominated for MTV Music Video Awards.
Yamani has utilized his skill set to sharpen his expertise in the area of short form production. He says, “Short form offers an incomparable sense of immediate gratification. The demand for creativity is high, and there is a pressing urgency for quality delivered promptly.” This inspirational approach to Yamani’s work ethic has led him to the formation of KK and drives him to achieve the new company’s goals.
ABOUT EDY ENRIQUEZ, KARMA KOLLECTIVE’S EXECUTIVE PRODUCER:
KK Executive Producer Edy Enriquez began his work in the entertainment industry in the area of news, working for Video Monitoring Services, a news-tracking agency. Rising quickly, his clients were primarily the top PR Firms and Advertising Agencies in the U.S., including Ketchum, Hill and Knowlton, Fleishman-Hillard, Burson-Marsteller, Edelman PR and Ogilvy.
After later working for several years as a freelance Production Manager and Line Producer, Edy began producing everything from music videos to commercials and then to feature films. During this time, he worked on projects for such well known artists as Jessica Simpson, Ice Cube, Phil Collins, Enrique Iglesias, Christina Milian, Missy Elliot, LL Cool J, and commercials for such brands as Staples, NFL, Bravo, NBC, Seiko, ESPN, Game Gear, Quicksilver, and many others.
In 2000, Edy was nominated for a Latin Grammy for Best Music Video for the Latin Group La Ley’s video “Aqui” with director Gustavo Garson. In 2003, Edy teamed up with Mark Larranaga, a highly skilled Visual Effects Supervisor, and the duo formed the noted visual effects company X1FX.
At X1FX, Edy has produced visual effects for a number of high profile films, including the Summer 2008 smash hits “Hancock” and “The Incredible Hulk,” along with “Spiderman 2 and 3,” “The Narnia” series, a plethora of TV commercials, and a vast number of music videos. Edy’s extensive experience in both live action production and visual effects truly gives him an edge over many of his competitors.
ABOUT KARMA KOLLECTIVE:
Founded in 2008 in Culver City, CA, by Executive Producer Yamani Watkins with Edy Enriquez also serving as Executive Producer, Karma Kollective is a full-service production company specializing in commercials, music videos and multi-media projects. The company’s address is 5870-D W. Jefferson Blvd, Culver City, CA 90016, the web is www.karmakollective.tv and the phone is 310/836-5100.
