(l-r) Albert Kodagolian, Ian Kammer

“I was immediately intrigued by Ian, because he sent his reel in the most unconventional way,” said Albert Kodagolian, Director/DP and partner in Bueno Films. “It was packaged like a cherished, aged book. The real sell, of course, was the fact that his reel is far above average for a recent graduate.” Kodagolian added that Kammer already has established a unique style and sensibility. “He is able to integrate a product into a commercial with sensitivity and intelligence,” he said, “and his work distinguishes itself among that of other directors, which in this marketplace is an indispensable quality.”

A 2010 graduate of the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, Kammer took every opportunity during school to intern at production houses to gain hands-on industry experience. These internships expanded both his technical knowledge and familiarity with the on-set etiquette demanded of a commercial director.

“The opportunity to work with a director of Albert’s stature is wonderful in and of itself,” said Kammer. “To have him as a champion of my filmmaking is fantastic.” Himself a winner of D&AD, CLIO, Telly, and AICP Awards for his work with Levi’s, Sci-Fi Channel, and other brands, Kodagolian explained that hands-on support and guidance is increasingly rare in the industry.  “We have to get back to the practice of sharing the lessons we’ve learned, and nurturing talent to find their own path,” said Kodagolian, “so taking Ian under my wing is a real privilege.”

Kammer’s additional directing credits include the short film “Subconscious Disconnect” and a docu-short titled “Motion Blindness.”

Ian Kammer rounds out a Bueno Films roster comprised of directors John Hardwick, Nicholas Reynolds and Albert Kodagolian, who presides over the company with Executive Producers Chris Crawford and Annie Hanlon.

• SHOOT – Annie Hanlon Joins Bueno Films as EP 12.11
• Screen – Annie Hanlon Joins Bueno Films as EP 12.11
• Shots – Bueno Films Hires new EP 12.11

Hanlon had been a longtime admirer of Kodagolian’s work before he approached her about joining the company. “Albert is building a great company that reflects a collaborative effort among a diverse group of talented people,” Hanlon said. “I am excited to work with him and with Chris to build a brand that looks for talent with a unique sensibility.”

Hanlon began her career working in commercial production in Boston, MA, and went on to travel the world working on feature films with Oscar-winning actor James Caan before opening her own LA-based commercial production company TRIO FILMS in 2002. In 2006, she opened the TV production company Chromatic Films and developed a slew of reality TV projects with her partner James Tooley for networks such as Showtime and Ovation TV. Chromatic client Subaru hand-picked the company to create, produce and direct a 6-episode branded entertainment series, THE SCENIC ROUTE.

A tenure with award-winning production company GARTNER followed, after which Hanlon led the relaunch of production company The Joneses.

As Executive Producer at Bueno Films, Hanlon will be drawing additional directorial talent to the company (in addition to Kodagolian, the current Bueno Films roster is comprised of John Hardwick, Nicholas Reynolds, and Ian Kammer), as well as leading the sales force. “My primary interest is in finding talented people rather than seeking directors based on category or genre,” she explained.

Of the ongoing changes in the advertising industry, Hanlon concluded, “There’s a lot of growth and a brightness to the industry that has been lacking in recent years. Working at a boutique company is beneficial because it makes us more agile and able to adapt to the rapidly changing business models.”

“A Family Man is Still a Man.” This notion came to mind as we were studying minivans for another project. Of course, where research can arm an agency with data, life often provides the actual inspiration to tell a story honestly and with conviction.

RA’s three partners have eight kids and four minivans among them – two of which are Hondas. So we know the family man territory well, and we’ve each carved out our own place within it. One thing we agreed upon as we studied various minivan commercial campaigns is that we were under-represented. Amidst white-dad rappers and forlorn dudes longing for their glory days as garage band heroes, where were the hunters and gatherers, the modern day cavemen whose passions for their families and their friends shared common headspace?

We chose the Honda Odyssey for numerous reasons:

• We saw an opportunity to appeal to another segment of the minivan buyer demographic
• We spend a lot of time immersed in car culture and family life
• We wanted to develop creative that might otherwise not be realized

As our production partner, we chose Tim Damon (Square Planet), a name synonymous with automotive advertising. Along with years of experience behind the camera for every conceivable car brand, Tim brings to the party a great sense of humor, deep humanity, and incomparable energy. Likewise, composer David Della Santa (Volume Music + Sound) was the perfect person to bring our lyrics to life, turning “Day of the Hunter” into more than just a track…it became our anthem on this journey.

“We knew in taking this on we weren’t overtly utilizing comedy or sex, the two surefire selling points on the Web,” notes RA CCO Hesh Rephun. “We were leading with fun. It was important in terms of conveying the message we set out to send.”

In crafting the video, we shied away from “selling” the car itself. Rather, we wanted to convey the spirit of the minivan driver. We also chose to celebrate the sturdiness and usability of the Odyssey as opposed to the sexiness. The Odyssey isn’t sexy, and in our view, it needn’t be. The tricked out Swagger Wagon from Toyota got tons of attention, but in reality the Sienna is not sexy. And honestly, if Porsche, BMW, and Mercedes minivans aren’t sexy, why should Honda crave that distinction?

Perhaps as one reaches “minivan age” sexy becomes relative. Perhaps men grow to relish their role as hunters – and the fact that they get the job done is what’s sexy. The fact that they can choose the right minivan for their family is sexy. And if, in the course of a day off they can drop off the wife and kids, work in a trip to the driving range, make new friends, engage in a paintball fight with a dude in a tutu, and make a trip to the car wash, why not? Spontaneity never goes out of style, and neither should family-manhood.

Project Credits:

Title: “A Family Man is Still a Man”
Client: Honda Odyssey (spec)
Launch Date (www.MinivanCampaign.com): September 20, 2011

Agency: Raging Artists/LA
Creative Directors: Justo Diaz, Hesh Rephun, Ernie Noh
Associate Creative Director: Justin Young

Production Company: Square Planet/LA
Director/Cameraman: Tim Damon
Producer: Kendra Wester

Song: “Day of the Hunter”
Music Company: Volume Music + Sound/SF
Composer: David Della Santa
Lyrics: Raging Artists
Vocal: Pismo

Audio Post Company: M Squared Productions
Mixer: Mark Pitchford

Editorial Company: Raging Artists
Editor: Brendon DeVore

Digital Color Correction: New Hat/Santa Monica
Digital Colorist: Bob Festa

Project Statistics (click to expand):

As a result of our campaign, the film has appeared on every BMW fan blog, racked up 1,600,000+ views for one video alone on YouTube, has increased traffic on the Bandito site more than 2000%, and is covered from a filmmaking perspective on countless online mags. Anyone at BMW and their agencies who has NOT seen it is living in the dark (in fact, Bandito has since worked with Ford, Toyota, BMW, among other automotive brands). But it was marketed to the PEOPLE first.The views, Web traffic, and the coverage, have helped to deliver the most powerful evidence of the campaign’s success: new business. Since the launch of “Living in the Lights,” Bandito Brothers has been enlisted by BMW and Ford to bring their business model to projects for those automakers.

The film has also proved to be a sustainable piece of content in the hot topic of digital production, specifically the Canon 5D. Press continues to stream in, with the latest an in-depth 2-part interview with Matthew Jeppson of FreshDV.

A roll call of other press coverage can be viewed HERE.

BMW M3 Film from BanditoBrothers on Vimeo.

• Ad Pulp- Royals and Rogues Alike Flock to the Golden State 07.11
• Advertising Inflatables- Royals and Rogues Alike Flock To The Golden State 07.11
• Shoot- Director Alex Anderson Joins Beef Films 06.11
• Shoot-Street Talk: Seth Townsend 06.11
• Shots- Newsletter: Danny Trachtenberg 05.11
• Shoot – Joe Schaak 05.11
• Zombie Cat Productions- BlackBoxTV’s “More Than You Can Chew” 03.11
• Screen- Yessian Creates Music for Dark Short Film Featured on BlackBoxTV 03.11
• Maslidukan.com- SF Short: March 2011- More Than You Can Chew 03.11
• Genre Addict- Watch Dan Trachtenberg’s MORE THAN YOU CAN CHEW Short Film 03.11
• Blessed Are The Geek- More Than You Can Chew 03.11
• Short of the Week- More Than You Can Chew 03.11
• At The Cinema- Please Watch: Dan Trachtenberg’s ‘More Than You Can Chew’ 03.11
• CineHouse UK- More Than You Can Chew- Dan Trachtenberg’s New Intense Short 03.11
• FirstShowing.net- Watch: Dan Trachtenberg’s Stellar Short ‘More Than You Can Chew’ 03.11
• Geeks Of Doom- Watch Dan Trachtenberg’s Short Film ‘More Than You Can Chew’ 03.11
• Twitch- Dan Trachtenberg Bites Off More Than You Can Chew 03.11
• Slash Film- VOTD: Dan Trachtenberg’s ‘More Than You Can Chew’ 03.11
• GeekTyrant- Dan Trachtenberg’s Short Horror Film- MORE THAN YOU CAN CHEW 03.11
• MovieCarpet- Dan Trachtenberg’s Short Horror Film- MORE THAN YOU CAN CHEW 03.11
• BuzzPop!- Showcase: Danny Trachtenberg’s More Than You Can Chew 03.11
• BlackBoxTelevision.com- VFX Breakdown- Episode 12: More Than You Can Chew 03.11
• Sonic Scoop- Yessian (NYC) Creates Music & Sound Design for New BlackBox TV Short Film 03.11
• Shots- AICE Gets The Chop 03.11

2010

• Shots-Schiller Meats Santa (Monica) 12.10
• Shots – Beef Films has secured Deirdre Rymer of repping firm BlushLA for West Coast representation 11.10
• Freshdv – Interview with Chop House Edit’s Stephen Hens on RED Production Workflow 11.10
• Shoot – Santa Monica-based Beef Films has connected with Deirdre Rymer of BlushLA for West Coast representation 11.10
• Adweek – Margaritas “Pigeons” 10.10
• Sourceecreative – Adams, Hens Take the Snap from IWFL for Reality TV Play 10.10
• Screen – Adams and Hens Ink Exclusive Agreement with Independent Women’s Football League 10.10
• Screen – Beef Films: Rhode Island Food Bank Campaign via NAIL Wins 2010 Jay Chiat Award for Strategic Excellence 10.10
• Shoot – Beef Films has signed the collective Little Red Robot to its directorial roster for exclusive representation on the East Coast and in the Midwest 10.10
• Creativity – Little Red Robot has joined the roster of Beef Films, for exclusive representation on the East Coast and in the Midwest 10.10
• Screen – Beef Films Signs LITTLE RED ROBOT for Exclusive Spot Representation 10.10
• Shoot – Production company Beef Films has secured Cathi Connor for Midwest representation 09.10
• Shoot – Production company Little Red Robot has secured San Francisco-based Sandra Riley of Riley Represents to cover the West Coast 08.10
• Adage – Why TV, and Why Now, for Vistaprint 07.10
• Cannes Lions Dailies – North American Film Production 06.10

“Anderson’s work reflects depth, creativity and a non conformity — something that you don’t see every day,” said Ashley Adams, Executive Producer and partner at Beef Films. “His curiosity as a director is what makes his work come to life. He is an incredible addition to our culture.”

Anderson was inspired to direct while repping a number of commercial directors over the years. After experimenting on his own with miniDV projects, he and Wieden+Kennedy Creative Director Mike Byrne (now a partner at Anomaly) co-directed a series of streaking-themed web films for Nike. Anderson made the leap into directing full-time when Wayne Best at TAXI recruited him for a couple of projects. One was for Amp’d Mobile and featured comedian and “Chelsea Lately” regular Jo Koy. The second project, for hank music, is noteworthy for the credible performances given by two dozen of advertising’s favorite personalities, from David Lubars to Ted Royer.

Anderson went on to join ONE, the production arm of Optimus, for representation. While at ONE, Anderson won a Chicago/Midwest Emmy in 2009 for directing “Done,” a commercial promo written and conceived by creatives Jane Ackerson and Nate DeLeon of DDB. The script for “Done” was the winning submission in a Chicago ad contest put on by agency, Scott & Victor LLC.

“I’m excited to work with Beef. They’re intelligent, streamlined, and extremely responsive to the market. Stephen and Ashley are doing something new and interesting,” said Anderson, who joins a roster of directors that includes Danny Trachtenberg, Ian Schiller, Joe Schaak, Little Red Robot, Michael Pescasio, Nick Spooner, and Seth Townsend. “There is just a progressive optimism in Beef’s formula that I like and which I find necessary in attracting and executing the type of projects I want to do.”

CULVER CITY, CA, May 20, 2011 — Hot Wheels has just released a breathtaking 1:30 trailer for their expansive brand re-awareness campaign. That campaign culminates in the broadcast of a world-record breaking stunt at the Indy 500 on May 29. Featuring stunt driving with life-size Hot Wheels models and VFX worthy of a blockbuster action flick, the spot was created via Mistress and produced by Bandito Brothers. It builds on the Area-51 mythology the classic toy brand created for their “Hot Wheels For Real” campaign. Hot Wheels has secured airtime on ABC to showcase the high-adrenaline spot, and the brand’s Internet videos boast over 2 million views.

The trailer offers a sneak-peak at a half-hour special directed by Bandito Brothers’ own Mike “Mouse” McCoy with VFX by Cantina Creative. The show will air on ESPN after the Indy 500 broadcast and will include cameos by Mario Andretti and other racing legends.
“It’s been fun working on the biggest branded content project in America,” says Jeff Rohrer, Bandito Brothers EP. “Between the web films, the global brand television campaign, and the thirty minute television show that’s going to air after the Indy 500, it’s been one of the most exciting projects I’ve worked on.”

Credits

Client: Hot Wheels
Agency: Mistress Los Angeles
Producer: Kay Lynn Dutcher, Lyra Rider

Production Company: Bandito Brothers
Director: Mike “Mouse” McCoy
Executive Producer: Jeff Rohrer
Producer: Ryan Slavin
Director of Photography: Mitchell Amundsen
Cameramen: Tristan Kolkhorst, Dean Mitchell, Mike Svitak

Editorial/Post Production: Bandito Brothers
Post Producer: Jacob Rosenberg
Editor: Jeff Tober

VFX: Cantina Creative
VFX Producer: Sean Cushing
VFX Director/VFX Supervisor: Stephen Lawes

For this spot, Sugar Film Production went all out. “It was a big undertaking, since we had so much content to cover,” says Director. Chris Smith. “It was a nice, long, three-day shoot.” To get all the footage they needed, Sugar employed 8 different cameras, including 3 smaller, more maneuverable digital cameras that were fixed to the trucks’ undercarriages. The footage was shot in Detroit and at a ranch outside of Los Angeles. Sugar Film Production made the process as painless as possible for the client. “We put a premium on painlessness,” says Executive Producer Tony Miglini. “Next to delivering great work, it’s a core tenant of Sugar’s professional philosophy. We’re not just a busy company,” he points out, “we’re busy because we have great relationships.”

Their work with Richards Group is a testament to that relationship-building. “The client was asking for an ambitious amount of footage, on a very aggressive schedule. Our first choice was Sugar and Chris Smith,” says Mike LaTour, Art Director at Richards. “Having worked with them on numerous projects in the past we knew they’d nail everything the client wanted, and then some. Needless to say, they killed it.” Ally Tarter, Broadcast Producer at Richards adds, “It’s awesome to hear our client say that their footage of the trucks is the best they’ve ever seen.” The groups have worked together on two other Dodge ads, as well as recent spots for Prestone, Motel 6, and grocer HEB. Sugar’s approach to client relationships clearly pays off. 2010 marked a banner year for Sugar Film Production and the fourth quarter was its most profitable yet.

“A lot of factors contributed to 2010 being a great year, including bringing in some amazing new people.” concludes Miglini. “And we pride ourselves on our seamless productions, and in the end maybe it’s as simple as that.”

“We’ve admired Byron since we met him about eight years ago,” said director Chris Smith. “Tony and I have wanted to add a new executive producer for

years, but admittedly we were very picky about who we wanted to recruit.” “We’re protective of our company, our brand, our culture,” Miglini noted, and most importantly, “our relationships with our clients.” The team saw Fitts as a good match, a pro who would contribute greatly to the company. Fitts started in production directly after college in Dallas, working his way up the ranks. “Right off the bat, I was working and travelling all over on a series of Walmart projects. And I never slowed down.” he said. After 10 years of production, however, he desired a change, and sought agency work at The Richards Group (with whom Sugar Film Production collaborated on four commercials in the fourth quarter of 2010, including “Chassis” for Dodge Ram, “When” for Prestone, a campaign for HEB and Motel 6). He worked with Richards between 2005 and 2007 as an agency producer until he was drawn back into production. “I circled back to production and fell in love with it all over again. I just couldn’t stay away any longer.” “There’s no question that the exponential growth we experienced late last year is due in part to Byron’s passion and skill,” said Miglini, “and his addition to their ranks “is a really big deal.”

Tongate, who worked previously at Charlie Uniform Tango, knows Sugar Film Production well. He first met founders Miglini and Smith when they started the production company in 2001. It wasn’t until their friend, Tongate, started looking for a change in scenery that this mutual admiration would blossom into a professional relationship. “We asked the obvious question, ‘How come we don’t work together?’” Smith recalled. “Sugar was a new opportunity for me,” Tongate noted, “A chance to rep a production company of outstanding quality.”

In addition to Smith, the Sugar Film Production roster is comprised of directors Brian Bain, Francisco Garuti, and Sarah Pirozek. The company is represented by Rich Schafler on the East Coast, Lisa Shreiber-Naber on the West Coast and, of course, Perry Tongate in the Southwest and Southeast.