Production Paradise

Hello and welcome to the latest issue of Showcase New York brought to you by Production Paradise. We present the latest news from across the visual media industry, and as always more information can be found in our directory.

If you're in NYC be sure to check out our pick of summer events:

nyc photography/photo production: CREATIVE CHAOS

Creative Chaos celebrates summer with the launch of the 2008 swimwear campaign from H&M, featuring supermodels Daria Werbowy and Lara Stone.

The campaign was shot on location in St. Lucia by Alexi Lubomirski.

nyc photography/photo production: MISSION PHOTO PRODUCTION

Mission Photo Production has been providing full photo production services to photographers and agencies since 2000.

Clients includes Microsoft, Visa, Mercedes, IBM, Land Rover and UBS, among many others.

A selection of photographers includes: Tom Nagy, Richard Renaldi, Kai-Uwe Gundlach, Mary Ellen Mark, Brad Harris.

For Danish costume fashion jewellery company Pilgrim, Mission co-produced a shoot with Copenhagen-based The Lab, with Helena Christensen modelling the latest collection.

nyc photography/photographers' agents: UTOPIA

For more than 10 years, Utopia has represented some of the finest talent in the areas of photography, hair, make-up and styling. With a full-time staff producer, the company also provides end-to-end production.

Utopia's core philosophy has always been to balance the two components of a successful career in the industry, namely editorial and advertising. The agency is also unique in that it maintains a high talent-to-agent ratio. Utopia has and will always be a boutique agency focused on providing talent and clients with the highest level of attention possible.

Recent agency highlights:

• new website featuring fresh artists and latest work.
• two new photo agents.
• three new photographers and two new stylists.
  

nyc photography/photographers: ANSGAR

Ansgar brought back new fashion spreads from assignments in Paris and Cape Town.

While in South Africa on commercial production he managed to find time to work for Marie Claire once again. See the results in this Showcase.

Shooting for Men Style in Paris, Ansgar and stylist Bernard Gustave were happy to have found model Thomaz of New Madison, whose statuesque features matched the chosen theme of classic and modern absolutely perfectly. Grooming by Go Miyuki.

nyc photography/photographers: ANDREA BLANCH

Known for producing sexually charged photographs, Andrea Blanch's most recent series 'Shirts' takes an unexpected and certainly refreshing approach to capturing sexual intimacy.

The concept, which was to take photographs of a man who changes shirts with every sexual partner, was changed when the female models approached declined to appear nude. To solve the problem, the roles were reversed: with the men now placed as the objects of desire, Blanch was able to create provocative imagery without being altogether sexually explicit.

Generally thought of as "the woman who knows how to photograph women", Blanch has proven with this series that her talents extend far beyond the gender gap.

nyc photography/photographers: NICK RUECHEL

German-born NYC-based portrait photographer Nick Ruechel has spent the last four years photographing notable Jazz musicians for an upcoming book retrospective, tentatively entitled 'Jazz (Revisited)'.

In 2007, he began developing ideas for a new series of conceptual portraits intermixed with urban landscapes, called 'Storyville'.

nyc photography/photographers: THOMAS SCHAUER

Thomas Schauer shoots for clients in Europe and the US. Recent work includes:

• Cookbook 'Made in Spain' for the Washington DC-based Spanish chef José Andrés. The book is related to his TV food-show on PBS and will be published this fall by Clarkson Potter.
• New book project with famous NYC chef David Bouley, for his new 'Bouley' and 'Japanese' restaurants based in Manhattan.
• Cookbook in Germany for Mario Lohninger, at 'Silk' restaurant in Dance-DJ Sven Väth's Cocoonclub, Frankfurt. Published by TreTorri.
• Book for Nespresso along with 23 Austrian chefs.
• New issue of Menu-Magazine and POS displays throughout all Wegmans stores.

nyc photography/photographers: JEFF OLSON

Jeff Olson just closed his first New York fine art solo show to much critical acclaim, after an eight-week run that resulted in an invitation to show at the prestigious Art Basil and purchases by many well-known collectors.

nyc photography/photographers: CLAUDIA GOETZELMANN

Claudia Goetzelmann is a true citizen of the world. Born and raised in Germany, she lived in Africa, Indonesia and Singapore before moving to the USA seven years ago. She currently splits her time between San Francisco and New York.

Featured in this Showcase is recent work for Zoo Zoom Magazine, Saffron Rare Threads and Queue Collection.

Claudia also recently shot a 'superhero' story for Wondertime, cover shots and an 11-page fashion feature for Ready Made Magazine, a For The Bride cover shot and beauty story, a fashion story for Brides, and a fall/winter look-book for Gianna.

More examples of Claudia's work can be seen on her website, or alternatively by contacting her agent.

nyc photography/photo postproduction: IMPACT DIGITAL

Impact Digital officially launched its CGI division in 2008, providing powerful new capabilities for clients to achieve their creative vision.

With extensive 2D expertise and production capacity, Impact Digital seamlessly incorporates CGI into projects while meeting the print industry's high resolution standards, rapid turnaround and precise colour management demands.

Impact Digital won a 2005 Gold Effie for its CGI work on the 20th anniversary Air Jordan ad campaign. Most recently, the company worked with Jamie Isaia on 'Consume', a visual project exploring the theme of over-consumption and realism.

nyc photography/photo postproduction: GLOSS POSTPRODUCTION

With offices in Hamburg, Barcelona and New York City, Gloss postproduction offers CGI to creative designers, photographers, clients and production companies around the world.

The company's expert knowledge of CGI processing, combined with high-end creative retouching and image development, has created a photorealistic image quality that is impossible to distinguish from authentic photography.

Gloss hasn't stopped at simply remodelling cars or stills based on CAD data: the company continues to explore the possibilities of CGI, backgrounds, cities, skylines, visuals, and much more.

nyc photography/photo postproduction: ZERONE INC.

[ zerone ] New York continues to work on a large range of projects.

While creating the next 'Network' for Verizon and working on a new brochure for Toyota, the retouching team at [ zerone ] still found time to work on other artistic projects, as well as portfolio pieces for many of its photographers.

Whether on location or at its studio in Midtown Manhattan, [ zerone ] offers some of the very highest retouching standards in the industry.

Clients include BBDO, Ogilvy&Mather, DDB, McCann Erickson, Publicis, Saatchi+Saatchi and Young&Rubicam.

nyc photography/photo postproduction: POP RETOUCH

POP Retouch is a full service digital retouching house that offers digital and retouching services to a varied clientele. Recent work from POP Retouch includes:

nyc photography/rental studios photo: SOHO 548

Soho548 is a unique event and photography location in the heart of Soho, New York City. It houses its own prop and furniture rental closet, which is also accessible online. The prop collection includes a selection of small tabletop props, backgrounds, flooring, carpets and furniture.

Available for all events, a sommelier is on-staff to assist with wine tasting and party planning. Soho548 has a wide range of clients from Hannah Montana to O at Home magazine.

Soho548 is a stunning location with an excellent, friendly staff.

nyc photography/rental studios photo: LOVESCOOL STUDIO

"At LOVESCOOL Studios, anything is possible."

Located in the heart of Williamsburg, Brooklyn, where creative energy is flourishing, LOVESCOOL fits in perfectly with one single 5,000 square feet studio that encourages visions without limitations.

The company's in-house set designers can help create virtually any idea, and with fifteen-foot high ceilings, drive-in access and an in-house wood shop to play with, the possibilities are endless. LOVESCOOL also has a full range of capture and equipment options available.

Experience the latest Williamsburg has to offer the photography world - experience LOVESCOOL.

nyc photography/rental studios photo: HOME STUDIOS

Since opening in the spring of 2005, Home Studios Inc. has shown itself to be one of the most versatile and stunning studios in all of New York.

Its 4,000 square-feet of loft space is flooded with natural light, featuring southern and eastern exposures along with fourteen-feet high ceilings.

The studio is outfitted with a fully equipped and top-of-the-line professional kitchen. Amenities include a dressing room, production office, and wireless Internet connection.

Recent clients include Topman, Victoria's Secret, Cache and Garnett Hill.

nyc photography/equipment rent photo: THE DIGI DUDE

TheDigiDude.com is a fresh New York digital capture production company founded by London-based digital technician Carlos Cicchelli. The prestige and passion that brought success in Europe continues to make The Digi Dude a beneficial service to many clients throughout the US.

Since its beginnings in January of last year, the company has expanded its clientele to serve photographers including Bill Abranovicz from Art+Commerce, Aaron Warkov from PIM, Roxanne Lowit, and Sheila Metzner. TheDigiDude.com has also been helping brand and magazine clients TARGET, Emirates Airlines, TJX and InStyle Magazine, to name just a few.

The company offers market-leading top-of-the-range equipment that includes an impressive list of cameras, lenses, digital backs and computer solutions for all sorts of scenarios. Equipment rental (dry hire) is also available through the website.

New customers can take advantage of a 10% discount on digital packages during June and July. 

nyc film/film production: MOTOMICHI

Motomichi is a 2D animator based in New York City. He is specialised in TV commercials, music videos and character design. His work has been shown at several film festivals including Onedotzero, Res Fest, and Sundance, and has been published in DVDs such as Pictoplasma, Onedotzero Motion Blur, Submarine Channel, and Stash DVD.

The music video created for The Knife was awarded Best Music Video at the Platform Film Festival, 2007.

As a VJ, Motomichi has performed at the Museum of Modern Art in NYC, as well as in other recognised venues in the US and Europe.

nyc film/film production: NOT A ROBOT

For the past eight years, NYC-based designer/animator Manny J. Palad has created graphic packaging for TV promos and shows, film and documentary titles, interstitials and site-specific installations.

He has worked on projects for CBS College Sports, MTV, CBS, Nick, ESPN Classic, the NCAA, the Public Theater, Shakespeare in the Park, Vogue, HBO, and a variety of film and documentary projects that have premiered at Sundance, Slamdance and the Tribecca Film Festival.

Manny is currently available for freelance projects on or off-site.

nyc film/film postproduction: IMAGINEER SYSTEMS

Imagineer Systems is an award-winning developer of visual effects software for film, video and broadcast production customers and has made its mark in such blockbuster films as 'Pirates of the Caribbean', 'Casino Royale' and the 'Harry Potter' series. As Adobe Photoshop brings the magic of photo manipulation and retouching to still images, Imagineer Systems offers powerful rotoscoping, rig removal and planar tracking technology to film and video editors, post production facilities and VFX artists worldwide.

Imagineer Systems makes high-end visual effects tools for the desktop and is offering a limited discount on its cutting-edge VFX tools for the freelance postproduction community.

Imagineer Systems offers a special discount to Production Paradise members: 90% off for Monet, Mokey or Mocha.

This fantastic offer runs until July 15th, 2008.

nyc film/film postproduction: RICH PERNICE

Compositor. Colourist. Animator. Rich Pernice is a freelance artist who is constantly hungry for what's fresh throughout the Entertainment and Production industries.

Residing in Brooklyn, New York, Rich has provided his talents for companies including Psyop, Mass Market, Lifelong Friendship Society and Bunker New York. Rich also recently completed his thesis at the School of Visual Arts. Entitled 'Drop Shot of Doom', his work received an Outstanding Achievement Award for the Best Visual Effects within the Schools program.

This summer, Rich will continue his freelance career and is open to begin a staff relationship.

nyc hotel/hotels: 60 THOMPSON

60 Thompson reflects the mid-century rhythms of metropolitan New York, translating them into a modern scale of intimate glamour. The play of light versus dark makes each area of the hotel a model of chic, sexy, yet simple restraint. Its furnishings and amenities provide indulgent comfort and reflect the modern style and needs of its guests..

nyc talent/model agencies: Q MANAGEMENT, INC.

Q Model Management, founded in 1998 by Jeffrey Kolsrud, is one of the top modelling agencies for men and women in America. Having just celebrated its 10 year anniversary, Q is poised to launch a new and improved website that will continue to revitalise the industry by providing clients with a streamlined viewing experience. With offices in New York and Los Angeles, and a strong network of industry contacts that spans the world, Q works with the top photographers, editorial and advertising clients in the business.

The men and women of Q Models have featured in advertisements for Oil of Olay, L'Oréal, Cover Girl, Ralph Lauren, Gaultier Fragrance, Sean John, Marc Jacobs and Belvedere Vodka.

Editorials have included Numero, Purple, Flaunt, American GQ, British Vogue and the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue.

Notable photographers that Q Models have worked with include Dewey Nicks, Terry Richardson, Peter Lindbergh, Rankin, Mattias Vriens and Nicholas Wagner.

nyc media/magazines: RESOURCE MAGAZINE

Resource Magazine, the only publication for professional photo productionists, has been working round the clock to publish the latest and most interesting information from within the industry.

A May 9th event at Splashlight Studios marked the successful release of the spring 08 issue, with over 1000 guests in attendance. This was followed by a huge presence at the NYPH 08 in the same month. The summer issue is due for release in early July.

Look out for upcoming articles and features, including 'Goodbye Polaroid', photos by Jody Ake, 'The Story Behind the Nirvana Nevermind Album Cover', and more.