Porchlight, a turnkey commercial production company dedicated to providing advertising agencies and brands with innovative spots and short-form content for broadcast and emerging media, has opened its doors in Nashville. Headed by executive producer, Kristen Forrest, Porchlight has the benefit of getting its start as the in-house commercial division of Taillight TV, the long-form production company built upon the talent and reputation of its multi award-winning founder, Tom Forrest. The new venture offers a roster of award-winning spot directors, and harnesses its parent company’s full service approach to helming spots – from production through finishing.
“Make no mistake, Kristen’s 25-years of commercial production experience, which includes a long stint in New York City, at some of the industry’s top companies, gives her invaluable insights into what it takes to create and helm a top-caliber spot house,” says Tom Forrest. “Whenever Kristen takes the lead on any project, the final product we deliver consistently exceeds the expectations of the agency and brands. Each of her directors have tremendous respect for her skills and appreciates her collaborative style and the level of expertise she brings to every production.”
Executive producer Kristen Forrest began her career in NYC working for such companies as Jenks and Partners, RSA USA, and The Artists Company, where she spent three-years working on the Wendy’s campaign as a freelance production manager, as well as a number of other national spots. Over the past two decades, Kristen has had vast experience producing national and regional spots.
Porchlight was created in response to Taillight TV’s growing roster of spot work for such clients as Krystal, Oreck, Tennessee Lottery, Studio Now, Sunny D, Fein Tools, Food City, Toyota, FiOS, The Governor’s Highway Safety Office, Indy Tire, and Verizon.
The talent-driven company opens its doors with an award-winning roster of accomplished spot directors that includes Austin-based Peter Zavadil, and LA-based TK McKamy and Timothy Kendall, (Kendall is represented by Porchlight in the South East and Texas) – each with an impressive list of broadcast spots and digital media to their credit. The trio of talent shares a gift for creating powerful, provocative commercials and bringing fresh, innovative style and artistry to each spot that heightens the connections between consumers and brands. With expanding its talent roster a high priority, Porchlight is currently in negotiations with a NYC-based director, as well as on the lookout for directorial talent based both in major and regional markets.
“Nashville is better known as the music mecca of America and one of the hottest cities in the nation. Our goal is for Porchlight to become a beacon for directors that are passionate about the craft of creating spots – and for agencies and brands looking for a high-end, cost-effective creative resource for spots and web-based content that they can rely upon to take their projects seamlessly from concept through delivery,” says Kristen Forrest.
“The signing of multi award-winning Peter Zavadil to our roster of directors was a turning point for the division,” say Kristen. “And his reputation and skills as an innovative director, as well as the demand for his talent in the commercial market, continues to steadily grow.”
Peter Zavadil
Peter Zavadil brings a love for all things ‘cinema’ to his spot work. Over the last two-decades he’s directed a diverse mix of memorable commercials – from comedic to action-driven – for such clients as Wal-Mart, Goodwill, Weightwatchers and the American Red Cross. His campaigns for the Krystal restaurants chain includes over a dozen comedic commercials, such as Therapy, which aired during the Super Bowl, and his campaign for Monday Night Football, National Sports, which garnered an Emmy.
Most recently Zavadil directed a series of action-driven spots for a soon to be released national campaign that mixes fast-paced live-action footage of racecars on the track with high-end CG imagery and stock footage. The director was involved with the project from preproduction through post, collaborating closely with editor and FX artist to ensure that the came together seamlessly.
Zavadil’s talent for orchestrating fast-paced, complex scenarios was tapped by The Tombras Group for The MED Hospital, EP’ed by Kristen Forrest and posted at Filmworkers Club in Nashville, the spots were shot at the hospital in Memphis. Zavadil worked around the chaos of the emergency room and made use of the hospital helipad’s small window of availability to shoot the helicopter scene.
"Peter always brings an abundance of enthusiasm and energy to the shoot,” say Nick Vagott, creative director at The Tombras Group. “We know he won't just shoot what we have on paper, he'll bring his own ideas and make it better. It's a real collaboration, and that's what we look for.
“Whenever Peter has the opportunity to edit one of his commercials he jumps at it, and the advantages of working with a director who brings an editor’s eye to the shoot becomes evident as soon as the client sees the final spot,” says Kristen. “Editing provides him with yet another outlet for his bulletproof enthusiasm and determination to always find ways to raise the creative bar and bring something more to the table.”
LA-Based Director/DP TK McKamy is a multi-disciplined talent who has built a considerable reputation, in a relatively short period of time, as a skilled director of kids and real people, as well as comedic and dialogue-driven commercials.
“TK’s work gravitates towards using the emotional and humanistic elements of a storyline to create the touch points that make his spots captivating and impactful,” says Kristen Forrest. “He’s a ‘people-person’ with relentless energy and an authentic vision that seems to draw everyone into his playful aura.”
TK McKamy
A Kentucky native, the director cut his teeth on the Verizon Wireless LTE Campaign, a Silver winner at the 34th Annual Telly Awards in the ‘Business to Consumer’ category. It included eleven spots that showcase TK’s talent for comedic storytelling, including Verizon 4G Spotlight Video: Weightlifter, which took home a Gold ADDY Award. Verizon also entrusted TK with its Share America campaign, a 14-day cross-country shoot that took him on a road-trip from LA to NYC. As the spot opens it poses the question, ‘Can sharing one song connect America?’ – and TK and his crew hit the road to find out.
McKamy’s people skills, and gift for improvisation were key, as he travelled from city to city, recruiting crowds of real people and bringing them together to create a series of jubilant holiday scenarios, which have them singing along with Hot Chelle Rae’s rendition of Jingle Bell Rock, as the song sets the spot’s tempo and festive mood.
TK recently had an opportunity to bring his talent and his affinity for working with children to a national campaign slated to launch in 2014. “When working with kids it’s critical that they’re made to feel at ease, so my focus was on creating an environment that made them totally comfortable,” says McKamy. “During most of the shoot I was lying on the floor, like another kid, wedged between the cameras. I get the best performances out of children by interacting with them, rather than directing them in the traditional way. Making that one to one connection, and looking at a scenario from their perspective invariably evokes the kind of fresh, unexpected response from a child that brings a charm and innocence to their performance that touches the audience, and really connects them to a brand.”
Timothy Kendall
Timothy Kendall, an award-winning director represented by Taillight in the South East and Texas, has an impressive list of credits that run the gamut – from performance-driven comedy to stylized action. Also a skilled editor and VFX artist, Timothy brings a keen sense of rhythm, pacing, and wide range of visual styles to his spots. Captivated by short-form storytelling, Kendall has directed hundreds of television commercials, for such clients as IKEA, ESPN, M&M’s, Under Armour, Clarks, McDonalds, St. Louis Cardinals, Phoenix
Suns, Honda, Buffalo Wild Wings, Wal-Mart, and Sunoco Fuel, featuring top NASCAR driver Tony Stewart. Along the way Kendall has picked up several Telly, AICP and Clio awards. His 2012 St Louis Cardinals campaign garnered a total of 14 ADDYs: four Local ADDYs, including Best of Show for the campaign; six District ADDYs; and four National ADDYs –which included two Gold awards for the campaign and for the :30 spot Bingo, and two Silvers for Confetti and Birdcall.
Kendall also has considerable experience shooting automobile spots and content. He followed up a big holiday campaign for Honda with an interactive program for Toyota, entitled, ‘Choose Control,’ launched by StudioNow and AOL Autos and produced by Taillight. The project tapped the director’s talents to create content for a new online website that invites users to input information about their lifestyle and preferences, and then analyzes the data to provide them with video scenarios of the vehicles that best fit their lifestyles. Timothy first began shooting the content for Toyota’s interactive website in 2012, for the program’s debut.
Kendall finds an outlet for his wry sense of humor as an innovator of web content for the digital realm. He’s co-created several highly acclaimed Internet viral projects, such as Jedi Gym, LA I.C.E., and hysterical web series, Dick Fowler, P.I., and collaborated with director Justin Lin (Fast and Furious 3-6) on the Yomyomf network promo Bananapocolypse, (which led to the creation of The Book Club and the music video Work It, featuring Chester See, Toby Turner, Wayne Brady, and Pauly Shore.)
While Taillight marks its 15th year developing and producing large-scale, high profile television programming and music videos, Porchlight benefits from its parent company’s breathe of experience and resources as it pioneers the South East’s next generation of commercial production companies.
“Porchlight will continue to meet the needs of agencies and brands for high-end commercials and media content with directors that are skilled at crafting extraordinary stories and visual experiences that are fluid across multiple platforms,” says Kristen Forrest. “We’re committed to anticipating trends, staying ahead of the curve, and consistently producing spots that exceed our clients’ expectations. Great storytelling – whether for broadcast commercials or emerging media – has one goal: To engage the audience and connect them to a brand – and that’s what Porchlight is all about.”
For more information about Porchlight, its directors and the full scope of its services, contact Kristen Forrest at 615.385.1024, contact Kristin via email – or visit our website at www.porchlight.tv.
