Saarinen Says

Roots

2011-09-08T15:20:00.000-07:00

I wrote this from Saarinen-East Coast (Newport, RI) originally on 7/29/11. When you're from a tiny town in smallest state in the country it's always great to come home. Within 24 hours, I saw everyone (literally) I grew up with and am typed this 1/4 mile from the hospital in which I was born. It's just really good to go back home. We had the Folk Festival in the last weekend of July... amazing!

Speaking of amazing... Theresa Wingert with Sticks + Stones has been having a great year. Constantly working and bidding... go Theresa! Click here to view her work.

What Pico Watches:

In a three-day span I watched three different documentaries about eating, the food industry, and the growing of food. 1.) Food, Inc. 2.) Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead 3.) Foodmatters

Let's just say that my outlook on how/what I eat has totally changed. If you've seen any of these or are into juicing or just super organic eating, I'd love to chat with you about your experiences.

Discover... Again

2011-09-08T14:50:00.000-07:00

(originally written on 7/5/11) From time to time, I try to rediscover things in my past that I sort of stopped appreciating. Maybe something new came along to tickle my fickle attention span. Or maybe I just forgot how much I enjoy doing something. I re-learned this weekend how much I miss playing volleyball. Even though I stood there like a barnacle who had hip surgery seven weeks ago, it was nice to remember how fun hitting every ball out of bounds can be... or maybe it was just cool being with friends.

ACME Filmworks is our A-list animation company that I feel needs to be rediscovered. They have some of the best animators and CREATORS on their roster. They've been around forever... which sometimes I feel gets overlooked as we search for that next best thing. I'll be shooting over WD with a few of their spots. The Nathan's "Lose This Child" stop-motion is amazing! Click here to view.

What Pico Watches:

Super 8: I feel like I would have love love loved this movie when I was in the 6th grade. To me, it felt like one big homage/hybrid of all the movies JJ and SS have done in the past. Very cute, however. 8/10

Cars 2: Sorry, but this didn't have enough of that 'oh look, they are parodying something in human world.' Not enough winks to the adults in this. 6.5/10

Transformers: I really did NOT want to see this. So, maybe this into the Pico Low Expectations Theory. Although you chop 20 minutes of 'we're trying to be Inception' filming out of this and some Bay-ologue, I still give this a solid 9/10. * Pretty violent for the kiddies.

One Namers

2011-06-14T10:58:00.000-07:00

As I compose this blog, the marine layer is starting to grey up the skies. I have been telling myself that 'there will be no June gloom' for those of us that sleep west of the 405. It's a belief so powerful that it WILL come true... and it looks like that little yellow guy in the sky is starting to show his face. Good job, me!

Speaking of belief... Fredrik Callinggard of Bully Pictures is going to be a one-namer... like Dante, like Noam, like Buckley. Fredrik is inching closer to having people call me and say, "hey, we want to single bid Callinggard." I believe it! Click here to see his latest work.

What Pico Watches:

Hangover II: Not much to talk about. A solid 8.25/10

Modern Family: This is really the one show I can watch re-runs and find something new to laugh at. 10/10

Resident Evil - Afterlife: If someone made you watch this movie, I'd like to engage with you on this geyser of awfulness. Within minutes I text my friend, "this is the worst movie ever." And I watched the whole thing. -100/10

New Work & Signings

2011-04-14T11:13:00.000-07:00

For those of you who expressed condolences and helped us through February, we want to start off by saying THANK YOU. February was a rough month for Team Saarinen. We receive a lot of warm wishes and prayers from many of you and the support of our production companies makes us proud to be a part of a big family. Thank you to all.

On that note, our family of production companies have really been thriving and doing amazing things. We had a chance to take a sneak peak at Bully Pictures' new space in Santa Monica. OMG is all we can say. Soon, very soon, they will be having a 'come check us out' bash and you will be impressed. Click here to view the work.

Time to Remember

2011-04-14T11:12:00.000-07:00

Gravity's Pull

2011-04-14T11:10:00.000-07:00

Gravity has a new creative director and his name is Eric Bauer. For nearly a decade, he's been working as a director, creative director, designer and animator at/with studios such as Eyeball, Stardust, Brand New School, Digital Kitchen, Imaginary Forces, and Superfad. He has helped imagine campaigns for The Gap, Sony, Nike, Miller, HBO, Cartoon Network, CNN and Bravo. Click here to view Eric's work.

Eric Bauer's hiring is part of the continuing expansion at Gravity which includes the recent hiring of Nic Seresin VFX Supervisor and Lead Flame Artist previously with Smoke & Mirrors NYC and The Mill & MPC London. Nic has worked with some incredible directors including Adam Berg, Frank Budgen, Jonathan Glazer, Rupert Sanders, Peter Thwaites, Michel Gondry just to name drop a few.

Karin Levinson, VP of Features and Televison is spearheadinPublish Postg the launch of the West Coast office as Gravity will be the sole VFX Vendor for "Crazy, Stupid, Love," and "Arthur;" Delivers Work for "Adjustment Bureau," and Awarded Work on "Tower Heist". Bob Samuel heads up the NYC office as Chief Marketing Officer and Executive Producer.

Springing Forward

2011-04-14T11:04:00.000-07:00

Bully Pictures is making some big moves.... literally and literally. To assist with their astronomical growth, Astrid Downs has been brought on as EP/Head of Sales to manage the company's directors, oversee productions, and to grow its directorial staff. As of this morning, veteran automotive director/dp Dana Christiaansen has joined Bully. He's recently helmed spots for Jeep, Hyundai and Suzuki. His work is beautiful and contemporary. click here to view his work

Smoking greatguns

2010-11-18T16:47:00.000-08:00

greatguns is making moves. Fresh off their multiple wins for London International Awards, greatguns has recently signed Paris Barclay for worldwide representation. Barclay is a 10-time DGA Award nominee and won in 1998 for Best Director of a Dramatic Series (NYPD Blue). He is the first director in the history of the DGA Awards to earn a comedy and a drama nomination in the same year--in '09 for Weeds and In Treatment, and again this year for Glee and In Treatment.

Currently, Barclay is executive producer and the principal director of HBO's In Treatment. Now in its third season, besides the two DGA nominations, In Treatment has garnered two Emmys, a Golden Globe, a Writers Guild of America (WGA) Award (for Best New Drama Series), the Peabody Award, two NAACP Image Award nominations, and the show was chosen by AFI as one of the 2008 Television Programs of the Year.

Barclay is no stranger to commercialmaking. Before directing, he began in advertising as a copywriter and eventually creative supervisor at agencies such as Grey, BBDO, and Mingo-Jones. Expect great things out of Paris with greatguns.

Metal & Beauty

2010-11-18T16:35:00.000-08:00

We wanted to showcase directors that really make cars come to life. So we put our research staff (er, Brandon) to work scouring through hundreds of spots to find a great Best of ... Auto. What we found is a feast of great creative and beautiful imagery. Click here to see the work.

"IRIS" makes the cut

2010-10-21T10:10:00.000-07:00

One of our best story telling directors, Robert Groenwold (Boxer Films), has just been recognized for his ability to tell a story using minimal dialogue. The concept was to create a three-minute short film using only the following script:

What is that?

It's a unicorn.

Never seen one up close before.

Beautiful.

Get away, get away.

Sorry.

The rest was up to the filmmaker. Out of a field of over 600 entries, Iris was selected by Ridley Scott's production company, RSA, and The Brititish Acadamy of Film and Television Arts, BAFTA, as one of the Top Ten films. Click here to view the short.

Fredrik Callinggard is hot!

2010-10-21T10:02:00.000-07:00

We always say that work begets work and Fredrik Callinggard (Bully Pictures) is a stunning example. We're proud of his record-breaking year and we expect nothing but greatness from him in 2011. We still have a solid two months left in 2010, give him a look and see what other's are raving about. To see some of Fred's work, click here.

New to Saarinen... KRE8TIV

2010-09-13T17:01:00.000-07:00

We are having a hard time containing our excitement about KRE8TIV, the new company formed by DQ (David Quartararo). If you have never met DQ, please do. If you haven't seen the work, please do. In fact, click here and check out out a mini reel of the KRE8TIV roster.

Gravity is here

2010-09-13T16:53:00.000-07:00

Let us introduce you to Gravity, the new company formerly known as Rhino. Gravity is a world renowned generator of high-end visual effects, creative content, motion graphics, animation and digital strategy. With offices in New York, Los Angeles and Tel Aviv, they have the capacity to synergize with global clients across multiple platforms. Click here for a montage of their highlights.

ACME Filmworks Completes End Titles for Robin Hood

2010-08-18T20:21:00.000-07:00

After designing ScottFree Productions' arresting company logo several years ago, Acme Filmworks' Gianluigi Toccafondo was once again tapped by Ridley Scott for his unique painterly style of animation. This time, the brief called for expansive action sequences animated in bold dramatic strokes - the kind of epic artistry that you would expect to wrap up Ridley Scott's take on the classic tale of Robin Hood.

Click to check out this extraordinary, striking coda to the film that opened this year's Cannes Film Festival, and visit www.acmefilmworks.com to see more of what Acme Filmworks can create for you!

Obama Sighting

2010-08-18T20:12:00.000-07:00

In this month's e-mail I talked about Mad Men and Inception. SPOILER ALERT if you haven't seen Inception, stop reading. And, go to the freaking movies before it's out of the theatres, fyi. He never saw their faces in any of the previous dream levels, right? So, does it matter if it's a dream or not? The fact that he got to see their faces is all that matters. By the way, you're in the 18th level of one of my dreams. Deal with that.

And Mad Men, is it OK that I can only watch that show while drinking cazadores margaritas? I started watching it without any watching enhancing devises (WEDs) but it's just not the same. Plus, I'm only on season two, so I have a long way to go, I just hope my liver can stand it.

So, I started today in a pissy mood because the roads were blocked for me to get on the highway to go to Saarinen-Main. My apartment is Saarinen-West, btw and it's a good 30 mins no traffic all highway to Saarinen-Main. But, I did get to snap these cool pics of President Obama's airborne whips.

Back into Blogging

2010-08-18T19:28:00.000-07:00

Hey folks, it's been awhile since we blogged it out. Our resident blogger has left to pursue his musical interests - go get 'em Mitchell, so these words will more than likely come from the finger tips of Brandon Lee Pico, yep the guy that's calling and e-mailing you. Toni and I have been figuring out how to re-vamp our blog. I feel it should be more opinion, thoughts, and feelings with some propaganda sprinkled in. Think of this as an extension of the emails I send out ever 21 days or so as well as our monthly Emma blast. But, here I can feel free to say words like shit and f... ok, I won't revert back to my baseball playing days, but I want this to be a more from the heart and solely to try to get you to look at our amazingly talented roster.

Speaking of which... ha, just kidding. We will still be posting what's going on and breaking news, but I'd like to add some spin. I guess the over-used term that I still love is organic. See, there I am right there. Yeah, I know, I need a haircut, but I just went out for an audition today. Yeah, as a reminder, that guy does commercials from start to finish (hint, hint, hint).

Latest Nike Air spot from greatguns director Mr. Sunderland!

2010-04-29T15:06:00.000-07:00

Take a look at the newest work from greatguns director Mr. Sunderland - a star studded Nike Air comedy affair. We're so very proud!

Our newest addition: FilmTecknarna!

2010-04-05T16:03:00.000-07:00

FilmTecknarna is a worldwide award-winning design and storytelling driven live action/animation production company. The name and preceding description; each is a mouthful, but with so much to offer it feels right.

FilmTecknarna has main offices in New York and Stockholm (the city, not the Syndrome. I looked it up, it's in Sweden), along with satellite offices around the world.

Click the photo for a link to their showreel, or browse their beautiful website at http://www.filmtecknarna.com

FIFA World Cup Coming to South Africa - Pulse already there!

2010-04-05T16:00:00.000-07:00

With the most-watched sporting event in the world just a few months away, I'm sure many of you are already working on ads to showcase in the FIFA world cup taking place in South Africa.

Fact: A great ad needs great music!

In addition to their New York flagship office, Pulse has a studio in South Africa where Executive Producer/Composer Marc Algranti has extensive ties to South African artists, composers, bands, choirs, you name it. From indie rock to traditional African sounds, they can deliver what you need to give your spot the right vibe and musical equity that will make lasting impressions.

Click the screenshot with the little badass for a reel, or take a stroll through http://www.pulsemusicny.com

Enda McCallion Directs.

2009-12-03T11:44:00.000-08:00

Today for our little blog, I'd like to feature an awesome director from greatguns:usa by the name of Enda McCallion. With work ranging from lighthearted and fanciful, to downright terrifying (his Judderman spot was voted one of the scariest moments in TV history in the UK), it's clear this director is an enormous and diverse talent.

When you work with him, ask about the effect his tattoos had on the delicate sensibilites of the upper class, particularly the staff at a certain resort (which may or may not be pictured above).

Click the photo to watch Enda's reel!

Acme brings home two Annie nominations!

2009-12-03T11:39:00.000-08:00

That's right, 2 of the 5 nominations for "Best Animated Television Commercial" have gone to Acme Filmworks animators. The first is for Idaho Lottery's "Twiceland" by Dave Wasson, the second is Yuval and Merav Nathan's Spanish Lottery spot "Deportes", in their ever-popular stop motion style.

Click on the picture to view the nominated spots!

Introducing: Colourmovie!

2009-12-03T11:36:00.000-08:00

Animation juggernaut/studio Acme Filmworks has just signed Los Angeles-based Colourmovie for commercial representation. Specializing in design and motion graphics combined with live-action, Colourmovie is ready to bring The Hipness.

Click above to view their reel.

More Press for David Adam Roth!

2009-11-18T13:04:00.000-08:00

David Adam Roth's latest PSA for WHY Hunger through Duncan/Channon is definitely getting attention. This heartwrenching spot depicting a world where food is too expensive for the average person has been featured in Shoot Magazine, SourceEcreative's newsletter and most recently, Communication Arts. Click the picture to view the spot and David's reel.

A Preview of the New Volvo - By a Blind Artist

2009-11-18T13:01:00.000-08:00

Volvo has tapped Great Guns director Shearer to help unveil their new model in the most interesting way possible: by not unveiling it at all. Rather, they hired blind Turkish artist Esref Armagan to paint what he thinks the new car looks like, based solely on touch. Read the Shots article here, and click on the picture to view the piece, along with Shearer's reel.

Liberty Mutual: Responsibility Project

2009-11-18T12:57:00.000-08:00

Acme Filmworks and director Jeremy Clapin have surprised us all with this charming piece for Liberty Mutual's "Responsibility Project". You may recognize it from last week's Top 5 on Creativity Online. Needless to say, we're excited!

Click on the picture to watch :)

Review of Laurence Thrush's "Left Handed"

2009-11-16T14:39:00.001-08:00

More accolades for Laurence Thrush...check out this nice review of his film "Left Handed", which has been causing a stir on the film festival circuit. Click on the picture to watch the trailer and Laurence's commercial reel.

Ram Madhvani's Polar Blast

2009-09-29T16:41:00.000-07:00

And now for a little international flavor! greatguns director Ram Madhvani's newest spot for Halls Lozenges in India is featured in Shoot's "Best Work You May Never See"...so I guess now you don't have to worry about never seeing it, eh? Take a look, and see how Polar Bears get down in India.

Humble's collective Hydra directs newest from Muse!

2009-09-23T11:23:00.000-07:00

Humble directing collective Hydra, composed of John Hobbs, Sam Stephens and Ariel Danziger, has just announced their newest music video for Muse's new single "Uprising". The group has already garnered attention for the Passion Pit music video, which was nominated for an MTV VMA in the "Breakthrough Video" category. I believe it's safe to say that Hydra is poised to become a potent force in the music video world!

Rhino Crashes...in a good way.

2009-09-23T11:14:00.000-07:00

Rhino has just completed this great trailer for the new Starz Original series Crash, directed by the Snorri Bros. Take a look and enjoy!

Congratulations Laurence Thrush!

2009-09-23T10:56:00.000-07:00

Laurence Thrush of KnickerbockerGlory (formerly Fools and Horses) has been hitting the film festival circuit with his feature film Left Handed, and getting a great response! Most notably he won Best Feature for the 2008 Rhode Island film festival, and Best Feature at the Milano Film Festival. Click on the picture to view the trailer, and Laurence's beautiful commercial reel.

Also from Acme: Afonso Poyart!

2009-09-17T13:12:00.000-07:00

I'm filing this under "in case you haven't heard", and "check this out, it's pretty cool". Acme Filmworks has been working with Brazilian animation director Afonso Poyart for several months now, and I'd like to share some of his work for you, including his latest that he has completed with Acme. The brief called for a "full on visual assualt" for Warrior Lacrosse out of JWT Team Detroit, and I think you'll agree that he nailed it. Take a peek, eh?

The Nathans' are dreaming big, and in Spanish.

2009-09-17T10:49:00.000-07:00

You may recall The Nathans' music video for Oren Lavie's "Her Morning Elegance" which became an internet sensation at the end of last year, and earned a spot for The Nathans in Saatchi's New Directors Showcase at Cannes (if not, just scroll down a bit). Well, Yuval and Merav are at it again...this time reinterpreting their vison for a Comcast Hispanic campaign out of Grupo Gallegos in Long Beach, CA.

You may have seen this featured in the last issue of Shoot Magazine, but we'll make it easy for you. Click above to watch two of the spots, as well as a couple of other music videos by the directing team (including Her Morning Elegance).

Acme signs designer/animator/director Michal Socha!

2009-09-17T10:34:00.000-07:00

We're excited to welcome Michal Socha to Acme Filmworks' impressive array of animation directors. Michal is a graduate of the Faculty of Graphic Arts at the Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw, where he received an honorable mention from the dean. His most recent short film "Chick" is a wondeful example of his unique and highly stylized vision. Click the picture to see what I mean, and view the rest of his reel as well.

A Cannes Lion in Our Midst!

2009-07-07T16:48:00.000-07:00

After a surprise Best in Show win at the national Addy's, Jerry Brown's Washington Lottery spot "Birds" has stepped into the international spotlight at the prestigious Cannes Lions advertising festival. Out of over 3000 entries, only 86 awards are given. Out of those 86, only 13 American directors took home awards, including our own Jerry Brown of Sticks + Stones!

Congratulations to the whole team!

Watch Jerry's reel with the winning spot here.

Jeffrey DeChausse Peeks Into Your Past...

2009-07-07T16:40:00.000-07:00

More great work from Boxer, this time by Jeffrey DeChausse for Ancestry.com. In this series of spots, 5 different people tell their stories of how Ancestry.com uncovered their personal histories, ultimately shedding light on themselves and bringing their families closer together. Heartwarming, human stories and beautiful visuals - DeChausse's trademark combination - bring these lovely spots together.

Watch them here, with the rest of Jeffrey's reel.

Yuval and Merav Nathan Rock the Saatchi New Director Showcase at Cannes

2009-07-07T16:26:00.000-07:00

When this music video for "Her Morning Elegance" first hit the internet a few months back it caused quite a stir, quickly reaching Viral Video Chart's number one spot and staying there for some time as it bounced around the blogs and social networking sites...probably for the same reason that it made it's way into Saatchi's New Director Showcase at Cannes. It's simply a beautiful and unique piece.

Congratulations to Yuval and Merav Nathan at Acme Filmworks!

Watch the video here.

Rob Groenwold lends Chrysler a little magic

2009-06-19T13:18:00.000-07:00

So, why is Chrysler shooting a multi-million dollar package at a time like this? We're not sure, and we don't really care. All we know is that they chose Rob Groenwold and Boxer to do it, and that it makes us happy.

These expansive cinematic spots intend to show that what Chrysler builds are more than just cars...and also serve to remind why Rob was chosen best new director of 2007 by Boards.

Check some of the new work, and Rob's reel here.

Best in show!!!

2009-06-19T13:14:00.000-07:00

We're happy to share that Washington Lottery "Birds", one of our favorite spots EVER, has graduated from the regional awards circuit (where it won gold in two different shows) to take best in show at the National Addy's!

Congrats to Jerry Brown and everyone at Sticks + Stones!!!

(Click picture to view Jerry's reel, including the winning spot)

Saarinen Gets Humble, Humble Gets Bitsack

2009-06-19T13:09:00.000-07:00

Saarinen (that's us!) is proud to announce our rather-newly-formed relationship with NYC production company Humble. This is a an exciting, nimble company, with a special flair for interactive and viral work, as well as offering turn-key solutions for traditional live action. With a brilliant team of producers and a roster including star creative directors, animation and multi-disciplinary directors, they're in a unique position to do pretty much anything, and make it awesome. But please, don't take my word for it.

Saarinen is announcing Humble, and Humble is in turn announcing the addition of Jeff Bitsack to their roster. Jeff comes from JWT NY where he served as an award-winning Creative Director on accounts such as Dominoes, Swedish Fish and Stride gum.

Humble reel HERE!

Jeff Bitsack reel HERE!

Humble website HERE!

Surreal Love

2009-03-18T17:47:00.000-07:00

Rhino has just completed FX and animation for this fabulous international spot by director Eli Sverdlov. This is a beautiful, sweet and touching spot that also looks FANTASTIC. Due to the success of this collaboration, Rhino has gone on to sign Eli Sverdlov for exclusive US representation, where he will be joining an amazing group of artists already in residence. I cant wait to see what they come up with next!

Take a look at the spot, and click here to see Rhino's SEXY NEW MONTAGE.

Get that dog some Alpo!

2009-03-18T17:37:00.000-07:00

This is for all the dogs confined to purses. This is for any dog that has ever gotten a massage, or vacationed somewhere nicer than my own apartment. It's time to return to your canine roots! To once again run free and roll in whatever it is on the ground that smells so interesting! To eat a hearty MEAL!

Alpo is on a mission to remind us all that REAL DOGS EAT MEAT. And John Zissimos was there to catch the whole thing on camera. Watch the spot that was recently featured in creativity-online.com's "rate the spot" right here.

Reliability

2009-01-28T16:56:00.000-08:00

Laurence Thrush has recently completed a new Honda spot - and we're excited! In my opinion, Laurence is one of the best young directors out there. As anyone who's seen his work can tell you, he's destined for great things!

This fantatic spot called "Reliability", beautifully illustrates the hard work and determination of hockey families and their vehicular counterparts.

Take a look at the spot here, and check out Laurence's reel.

Her Morning Elegance

2009-01-28T16:15:00.000-08:00

There was a time on the internet when you could get noticed simply by creating something awesome. It would gain attention, people would start talking about it, and it would gain more attention and... voila! You've gone viral.

These days it's a little harder - with so much content being created specifically for that purpose, people have become numb to it. I had come to think that it wasn't even possible anymore - that creativity was going to need a new medium to reach the masses on the basis of it's merit. Luckily, Yuval & Merav Nathan (of Acme Filmworks) have found a way to prove me wrong - specifically with the music video that the brothers have created for "Her Morning Elegance" by Oren Lavie.

As I'm writing this, they've gotten almost 400,000 plays on YouTube alone, and are rated number one on viralvideochart.com, in addition to being featured on Motionographer. It's completely restored my faith in the possibility of reaching people by creating something unique and beautiful. Take a look and see for yourself.

Any questions or comments about Acme Filmworks or Yuval & Merav Nathan? I'd love to hear from you.

It's Christmas time again...

2008-11-21T15:11:00.001-08:00

It has been since about the end of October. I imagine there was a time when Christmas was just a day, but now it's a whole season of it's own. This new spot for L.L. Bean by Jerry Brown of Sticks and Stones brings the focus back to the incredible feeling of that one day, when family comes together, presents are opened, and ideally a few snow angels are made. Remind you of home? Unless you're one of those California natives, it should.

Have you seen the rest of his reel? I've included a handy link for you. Click here.

One Thousand Words

2008-11-13T14:23:00.000-08:00

A picture is worth a thousand words. I don't want to even try and calculate the word value of this new Mastercard spot by Laurence Thrush of Fools and Horses. A series of beautiful pictures that creates amazing expectation and suspense, without any dialogue at all. Take a look and see why everyone's raving about Laurence Thrush.

Want more? Check out his full reel HERE.

How Light?

2008-10-22T11:25:00.000-07:00

Bully Pictures Director/DP Frederik Callinggard has completed the newest spot for Corningware's new Simply Lite - in addition to illustrating the product's...well...lightness, it also shows off Callinggard's prowess as a VFX director and his eye as a DP.

Space party, anyone?
Watch the full spot here
Watch Frederik Callinggard's full VFX reel here

Sticks + Stones signs Sean Mullens!

2008-09-12T14:58:00.000-07:00

Wow. I can hardly tell you how excited we all are to welcome Sean Mullens to Sticks + Stones and our roster! We spent most of our day yesterday laughing out loud and shouting punchlines back and forth at each other...er...I mean...working hard to familiarize ourself with our new client's body of work.

Sean is an amazing high-end comedy director, with smart, hilarious, offbeat spots that all manage to hit dead on. We can't wait to start getting him out there. In fact, I don't think we have waited. Check him out!

Changes at Saarinen

2008-09-05T17:00:00.000-07:00

This past month Saarinen has said "Goodbye" to Erika Sheldon, and "Hello" to two new members. Erika has moved in-house at Moo Management to be a print photographer's rep for the entire US, and left us here to figure out how to work the coffee machine ourselves. She will be missed!

Joining the team is newcomer Brandon Pico, who's jumped in full force in the two days that he's been here. Brandon is a former member of the Chicago Cubs minor league team, and also performs long-form improv comedy in Hollywood on the weekends. He's been repping independently for close to a year, and we're happy to have him on board.

Congratulate him!

Also moving up to start working sales is myself, Mitchell Sheldon, Erika's very own brother. After moving from Seattle some 5 months ago on a whim, I apparently stepped into some sort of tornado, and here I am. I'm still trying to piece together the sequence of events, but I do know that I came in to temp at Saarinen for a week almost on arrival and I haven't left since. Sometimes things just work out, wouldn't you say?

Go ahead...say hello!

So now we are three strong, which I believe qualifies us for the term "Power Trio". Just like Rush.

And the newest addition to Bully Pictures is...

2008-07-30T11:53:00.000-07:00

Gaute Hesthagen! Gaute was just a finalist for two spots in the Cannes young director's festival... for his work for Gnist and Green Box. Whether animation, live-action, or combining the two, Gaute has developed a unique vision for spot work that is taking him all over the world to shoot. See his reel HERE

Now available....

2008-07-30T11:32:00.001-07:00

It's a perfect storm of box office perfection, and all three of these amazingly talented directors are now available for your special project. Click on the names below to see trailers for all three of these films.

Peter Berg - Hancock

Jon Favreau - Iron Man

Loius Leterrier - The Incredible Hulk

Charlotte Ronson turns a diner into a runway

2008-06-03T19:42:00.000-07:00

This absolutely stunning black and white piece directed by world famous photographer Pamela Hanson turns a New York diner into an impromptu dance party.

OH MY GOODNESS MOO, STOP. JUST STOP.

2008-05-28T15:35:00.000-07:00

Moo Studios and McCann have teamed up for this amazing new piece for the Boys and Girls Club. Rumor has it that is has received no less than two standing ovations so far. Prepare to be astounded, uplifted, and then warm and fuzzy feeling all over.

IT'S OFFICIAL. SAARINEN + THE LODGE = LOVE

2008-05-28T15:34:00.000-07:00

The Lodge and Saarinen have teamed up on the West. We are so happy to welcome them to the fam. We are, obviously, HUGE fans of the work, and if you haven't seen it lately, you should check it out (click here for the most recent reel). The Lodge now works on over 400+ spots a year, which is impressive considering they have only been around a little over 5 yrs. The reason for the success? This company is artist owned, and every person working in any of their 4 offices worldwide are all truly passionate about music. The difference shows.

Also in the Lodge Family are The Diner, for customizable needle drop/stock music and The Station, A soup to nuts, one stop shop for all your budgetly challenged productions including TV, internet, and Corporate videos

The West coast office is headed up by EP Jessica Entner and Creative Director/Composer Ryan Rehm.

CAUSE IT'S CAR SEASON

2008-05-28T15:29:00.000-07:00

Allesandro Bosi & Matteo Sironi have been directing for over 10 years and are considered one of the top car shooters in Italy & Europe. They have the perfect combo of technical and creative, and the result is stunning. They are the most recent addition at Pony Show, and they are hungry to break into the US market! They shoot often in South America, Prague, etc, and are experts on creative solutions to budget challenged jobs. Take a look at the work HERE.

Boards Mag - Drive-A-Tron

2008-05-06T21:07:00.000-07:00

Boards just did a sweet (as in awesome) write up about Sway and our beloved Drive-A-Tron. You can read it HERE

Jean Paul Goude does a spread for the NY times

2008-05-06T20:56:00.000-07:00

Jean Paul is one of the most influential image makers of all time. This spread, his first fashion assignment in over three years was recently featured in the NY times. It's stunning, surreal, and just so, uh, Goude. Wow I wish I could afford these clothes.

Covet - Behind the scenes...

2008-05-06T20:52:00.000-07:00

Sarah Jessica Parker and Jean Paul Goude go together like macaroni and cheese. Two fashion superstars, one ad. Jean Paul directed SJP's new ad for Covet, her new scent. This behind the scenes gives a fun look at the process.

Dude, whoah

2008-05-06T20:36:00.000-07:00

Sometimes I see something and I just have to be like whoah. Eli Richbourg's new piece is one of those for me. He had a dream (not literally), and made it come true. Well, he did a test to see if it was possible, and IT WAS. Now he hopes someone will pay him money to actually make it fully come true. FACT! For those of you lucky enough to witness Point Break Live LA you may see some familiar faces.

Sway and Pontiac, blowing your mind

2008-05-06T20:35:00.001-07:00

Pontiac and Sway Studio have teamed up to come up with these two amazing new spots to remind you of the childhood fun of auto's. One spot has you actually driving in the classic game Spyhunter, while the second puts you on your own life size hotwheels track. Both spots are completely CG, and utilized sways's proprietary technology, the Drive-A-Tron. Interesting Fact: The Hotwheels track footage will actually be turned into Pontiacs running footage for the year.

Illicit Iphone?

2008-05-06T20:33:00.000-07:00

Danny Kaufman with Bully Pictures hilariously offensive iphone spoof virals are not for the easily offended. From a grateful hooker, to a concerned fraternity brother, Danny shows us even more ways the iphone makes life better. Hope you enjoy, and don't say we didn't warn you...

2008-05-06T20:29:00.000-07:00

Fredrik Callinggard with Bully Pictures has two brand new spots for Europe. T-Mobile hug is a stunning single shot piece, showing how T-mobile brings people together. The piece is perfection from film, to concept, to music, to art direction. German Road Safety is a chillingly effective message to drivers to slow down. Fred is definitely a director to watch.

Ellen Von Unworth is shaking it up

2008-02-06T11:24:00.001-08:00

Ellen Von Unworth's sensual style crosses over into her short web film for Equinox. This campaign is quite controversial, the racy themes of the web and print campaign are causing quite the stir. Ellen, a celeb herself, is well known for her amazing celeb and fashion print, and is equally talented in the role of director. View here.

CG is the new Black

2008-02-06T11:14:00.001-08:00

Wow, SWAY, you rock. You're taking CG to a "whole 'notha leva". We're sure you've heard the buzz surrounding SWAY's patented Drive-A-Tron, and we have just completed a demo site where you can learn a bit more about how/why CG is changing the way we shoot. Please peruse, and call us for your personal demo. CLICK HERE!

Berg and Pony, it's official!

2008-02-06T10:53:00.000-08:00

Peter Berg (Friday Night Lights, The Kingdom) has officially signed in the US with Pony Show! Welcome Peter!!! Check out the trailer for his new movie starring Will Smith, Hancock. Peter was previously represented by HSI.

Press For Daaaayyyyyssssss....

2007-12-04T15:45:00.000-08:00

The buzz around Music Forever and the speechless campaign is growing by the day! Make sure you take a peek so you aren't the only one on your block who isn't in the loop.

Music, sound design, and final mix by Anthony Marinelli of Music Forever.

Best Ads

Shoot

Creativity

Deadline Hollywood

Boards

And you can view the full campaign HERE

Speechless...

2007-11-27T17:12:00.000-08:00

Actors without words are like Jockeys without horses (I'm so good at these analogy things it's not even funny). Anthony Marinelli and Music Forever have just completed sound design and music on over 30 shorts for WGA featuring actors speaking out. Or rather, not speaking, and making a loud statement. These are beautiful "Andy Warhol" screen test 'esque, with each one being completely unique. No agency was involved, these were all done pro-bono and at each artists discretion. Anthony's subtle and perfect accompanying sound design and music really compliment this powerful campaign. Please take a look at the press release (thanks Hesh) and website, new episodes are being released daily.

OMG YOU GUYS THIS ROCKS SO MUCH

2007-11-14T12:11:00.000-08:00

We have a brand spanking new montage for Moo Studios. It's in Moo's trademark punk rock bad ass brit flavor, well maybe it's not not officially trademarked, but whatev. CHECK IT OUT. I've watched it 14 times just this morning!

Need some high profile PR for your awesome spot?

2007-11-13T12:52:00.000-08:00

Well... We got what you need. Some very high profile actor/directors are eager and available right now for your special project.

Chris Rock - I Think I Love My Wife, Head Of State

Kevin Bacon - Loverboy

Ricky Gervais - The Office, Extras

Jon Favreau - Iron Man, Zathura, Elf

PT Annderson - Boogie Nights, Magnolia

There are more names where these came from, so make sure you give us a call if you have a specific director in mind for your project.

The Other Mini

2007-11-12T13:46:00.000-08:00

Aixsponsa, a three person team of graphic genius housed at Acme Filmworks, has just completed this spot for Mini Cooper. AixSponsa always wows us with their artsy awesomeness, and this spot doesn't disappoint. Take a peek!

Shweppes Shorts are the Sh*&

2007-11-08T11:17:00.000-08:00

You can read the Shots article HERE, but to sum up...

Schweppes groundbreaking new campaign features 4 Sweet Shop directors in a whole new light. Dark, intense, edgy, and slightly scandalous, these adult aimed shorts will have people buzzing. A 60 second "trailer" will run for TV, and the full shorts will be found online. These are truly stunning and powerful pieces, and a must see. Please let us know if we can send you a copy for your viewing pleasure.

Northern Poets of Lively Images

2007-11-08T11:12:00.000-08:00

Check out this article in the LA times in which our own Janet Perlman, Caroline Leaf, the duo of Wendy Tilby and Amanda Forbisand, and Oscar winning Torill Kove of Acme Filmworks are featured.

New Work - Randy Roberts

2007-10-31T15:10:00.000-07:00

Randy Roberts with Sticks and Stones has just finished a visual extravaganza for Visa Debit Card/Chiat. It’s been getting some great attention and press, and has been playing about every 5 minutes. If you haven’t seen it yet, make sure you take a look below!

How Sweet It Is

2007-10-31T14:30:00.001-07:00

The Sweet Shop is officially launching in LA! They are opening offices in sunny Venice Beach, and preparing to add some new US based directors. Noah Marshall is also packing up and moving to SoCal after the completion of a massive project for Barclay's (which he won after a stiff competition with Tarsem and Andrew Douglas), and will be the first LA based Sweet Shopper! Welcome Noah and family!!!!

New Work - Kathi Prosser

2007-10-30T10:31:00.000-07:00

Kathi Prosser with The Sweet Shop has recently completed a spot for Three Musketeers Mint, which actually gained their new candy bar so much attention that sales doubled, and they had to temporarily pull the spot off air so they could keep up with production! Congrats Kathi!

It's Moo Time Baby

2007-10-29T22:28:00.000-07:00

Moo Studios, masters of stop motion and photo cutouts, are also the home of beauty and celebrity director Ellen Von Unworth. The artists at Moo have done some outrageous web work for Snickers and Guinness to name a few, and are the genius behind the Xbox Claymation spot . We recently completed a top secret Web campaign with Moo that launches Dec 2cnd, so stay tuned! Check out their reel here .

Sway Locks It Up

2007-10-29T22:15:00.000-07:00

S/W/A/Y/ Studio has CG on lock. They’re so good you don’t even know they’ve been there. Specialties include photo-real anything, but specifically landscapes, environments, tabletop, and cars. Yup, I said cars, and they are the best. The half artists/half scientists at Sway have perfected the elusive CG car using their patented Drive-A-Tron™ driving simulator. If you haven’t been lucky enough to take it for a spin yet, call us. It’s like a video game, complete with steering wheel, slap shift, and sound effects. It creates 100% physically correct car movements and reactions, all based on the specific specs of the vehicle. The results are astounding, and it’s makes shooting literally anywhere in the world a piece of cake. Click HERE for Sway’s show reel, and HERE for the Drive-A-Tron montage. GAME – Only one of the cars in the montage is real, and we betcha a sushi/saki lunch you can’t tell which.