Happenings in the Production and Agency world

KABOOM Launches Music Video Division Boom - With director Brandon Dickerson as its central directorial talent, kaboom productions has launched music video division BOOM.
"We are not in the business of commercials -- we provide content," asserts schwartz. "Whatever the medium and the format, be it 30-second spots, web and interactive work, short films and now music videos -- our directors create visual, branded material." To that end, all kaboom directors work in a variety of areas and disciplines as a complement to commercials including ad agency creative, editing, directing for reality television, and, in the case of brandon dickerson, music videos, documentaries, and photography. This, says Schwartz, is essential in today's marketplace and allows the company to meet the ever-expanding needs of clients. Initially, the music video division will focus on the talent of brandon dickerson, with the potential for future signings. dickerson was most recently represented by Merge@Crossroads in the music video arena, enjoyed a brief stint at Propoganda before they closed, and was the owner/director of his own successful music video company Spiral Films. dickerson is known for presenting a combination of subtle humor, authentic performance and beautiful images in both his commercial and music video projects. "I love having Commercials, Music Videos, Documentaries and even Photography under one roof," says dickerson. "The lines are getting blurred in a way I find compelling. Whereas a music video can be viewed as a commercial for an album--they are also pushing artistic boundaries. Commercials in a TIVO world are willing to engage artistically like never before. Car companies are funding documentaries. Good work is good work and I feel blessed to work in a variety of mediums. It makes sense for me to have all imagery I direct under one roof and the BOOM/kaboom partnership makes a lot of sense." Music video company BOOM will be headquartered in Los Angeles, with the main kaboom office for commercials/short film/interactive in San Francisco.

Twist Directors Grady Cooper and Jonathan Bekemeier Complete New Commercials for Subway & GMAC and Welcomes New Editor/Media Manager Bradley Ross - Recently-signed Twist Directors Grady Cooper and Jonathan Bekemeier have completed new commercials for Subway and GMAC Financial Services. The company also welcomes new Editor/Media Manager Bradley Ross to the team. In the new Subway commercial entitled "Ringside," a boxer fights hard to stay in the ring and only thing that can give him the energy he needs to be victorious is Subway's new Big Hot Pastrami sandwich. Twist Director Grady Cooper called on his comedic talent for this new spot: "We found a real boxer who was green as an actor, but then I suggested he watch all the 'Rocky' movies. He ended up channeling Sylvester Stallone and we got a great performance out of him. I pushed the boxer pretty hard and was waiting for him to punch me at some point. Luckily, he didn't! Everyone worked hard, strived to be more creative and continued to collaborate in the moment. It made for exciting energy, which translated to the final product. Kinda felt like film school, but all grown up. It was definitely a TKO!" For the new, two-spot commercial campaign for GMAC Financial Services, Twist Director Jonathan Bekemeier relied on his ability as a storyteller with a voyeuristic style to shoot comedy and real people. "This was an interesting shoot," explains Bekemeier. "Two spots, both storytelling, but very different types of storytelling. One was more comedic while the other was more of a 'real people' moment. It was great because they both fit within the styles that I gravitate towards, so I was able to fully exercise my directing range. The weather was really the only challenge. Tornados were approaching the shoot all day, so we really had to hustle without compromising anything. Luckily we got it all shot before anyone was swept away, and ended up with a couple really nice spots."
Twist also welcomes Bradley Ross as Editor/Media Manager. Ross is a freelance editor and a Twist Media Specialist. Ross has been an Editor for over five years, and since joining the Twist team has cut the Subway and GMAC commercials. Coming from the agency world, Ross finds that it is important to keep strategy in sight when telling a story. He has also edited projects for MTV, CODE.TV, and a variety of advertising agencies.
"Bradley Ross is a great addition to our team," comments Amyliz Pera, Twist Executive Producer and Director of Business Development. "He's well-rounded, and we often find ourselves in a position to utilize his talents as a freelance editor. He's mobile, and he understands what we need. It's been a great option for our clients to consider."

Wieden+Kennedy Amsterdam wins the prestigious Epica d'Or - 'Happiness Factory', for Coca-Cola was launched in June 2006 in 199 countries and marks the launch of the Coke Side of Life global brand platform. Wieden+Kennedy Amsterdam celebrates a total of eight wins, putting the agency in the top five of most successful agencies. The Wieden+Kennedy network also achieved as a successful network with five wins from two offices (DDB had five wins from five countries). Executive Creative Director Al Moseley said:
"This is a fantastic haul of trophies in one year. Winning eight awards - including the Epica d'Or - is an honour. It's heartening to see everyone's hard work, dedication and excellence recognised and celebrated in this way."

Joint Executive Creative Director John Norman continued:
"We're proud to be part of such a talented group of people at W+K Amsterdam. We knew we were working on something big with the global Coke Side of Life brand campaign. It's a good feeling to know that the industry seems to enjoy 'Happiness Factory' as much as we do."

The award wins:
Epica d'Or winner for 'Happiness Factory', Coca-Cola
Gold Film winner for 'Happiness Factory', Coca-Cola (Non-Alcoholic Drinks)
Gold Film winner for 'Endure', Nike Air Max (Footwear & Personal Accessories)
Silver Film winner for 'First Taste', Coca-Cola
Silver Press winner for 'The Coke Side of Life' campaign, Coca-Cola
Silver Press winner for 'Signature Moves' Fall 05 campaign, Nike ACG
Silver Film winner for 'Defy', Nike Air Max
Bronze Film winner for 'Ringtone', Coca-Cola

Editor Jay Nelson Heads into Holiday Season with a Stocking Full of Spots - Editor Jay Nelson of Cut + Run has had an exciting fall with an extensive list of high profile projects including an upcoming HD holiday spot for Wal-Mart directed by Jason Reitman (Thank You for Smoking), a hilarious commercial for eHarmony, and three spots for Activision including two Tony Hawk titles and the rippin' Guitar Heroes. "It was great to work with Jason Reitman again," says Nelson. "As a director, he thinks like an editor making the process of bringing it all together a blast."
In the spot, a man shows up late to a Christmas Party, only to discover there's a gift exchange and he's empty handed. He gets the guests singing The 12 days of Christmas, then tears off en route to Wal-Mart. With just minutes to get a gift together and get back to the party he zips through the store in a barrage of cuts then back to his car, careening around corners until skidding up to the door for the final verse. For eHarmony, which shows the advantage of having matches facilitated (by revealing what happens on less than stellar dates), Nelson found that they had so many great performances that they were able to edit 15 spots: "The challenge was picking the one that worked the best and honing it to completion. I laugh every time I watch it."
Equally enjoyable are the spots for Activision, one of which salutes the time-honored tradition of basement bout of air guitar -- though this one actually takes the player into a virtual stadium with adoring fans. We can all rock gods with Guitar Hero.
"It's been a great season for me," says Nelson. "With so much creative work and such a great mix of talent to work with I feel renewed and lucky; I wanted to be an editor since I was 13 years old, and the reward of actually doing that continues to make every job I do a new exploration."