chicago Jan 2009

The mission statement for Open Flame Films is simple: to produce distinctive, high quality, multi-genre entertainment through the medium of film and digital video.

Working in the industry for over 15 years, Open Flame has received accolades for its short film 'Collision', the trailer for which can be seen at the company's website. Open Flame currently has several shorts and features in various stages of production. The company is in pre-production for 'Broken', a dark and edgy drama, and is also looking forward to getting the comedy 'Twice The Man I Used To Be' underway.

Open Flame Films is proud to be in Chicago and shoots primarily in the Chicagoland area.

Aaron Corey is a photographer specialising in environmental portraiture and locations. His work, which has been described as "quirky" and "narrative", always has an interesting story to tell.

Originally from Ohio, and having worked in Miami, L.A., and Las Vegas, Aaron recently settled back in the Midwest. Now based in Chicago, he continues to pursue both commercial and editorial assignments.

Jeff Dahlgren is as much a storyteller as he is a photographer. Unique and versatile, he has built a blue-chip roster of satisfied corporate, editorial and advertising clients.

When he isn't shooting commercially, Jeff relies on the time-honored elements of traditional photography - film, composition and existing light to persue his Fine Art photography. He currently resides in Chicago.

Editorial clients include - Chicago magazine, Conde Nast publications, Fortune, Michigan Avenue and Wine & Spirits.

Commercial and Advertising clients - CDW, Central Dupage Hospital, Carmax, Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation, FTD, General Mills, HGTV, Humana Healthcare, Hyatt Hotels & Resorts, Lockheed Martin, National Geographic, McDonald'sMotor City Casino, Mystic Lake Casino, The Republic of Tea, Sears and Target.

Following stints as a bicycle racer and mechanic, as well as 'chum-boy' and 'bucket rat' on a deep-sea fishing boat, Saverio Truglia attended art school at Mass Art, Boston. Coming of age in the early 90s - reading about Post Modernism, fascinated by media theory, and living at the crossroads of a New World Order - the obvious tensions between real and fabricated worlds stirred him. Artists like Philip-Lorca di Corcia, Gregory Crewdson and Gary Winnogrand showed him the unknown possibilities of photography.

Saverio is now requested when intelligent, concept driven imagery and polished productions are expected. His work has gained a reputation in industry competitions and is regularly commissioned for international advertising and editorial publications. Awards include:

• 2008 International Photography Awards (IPA), Environmental and Open categories.
• 2007 International Photography Awards, Children.
• 2006 International Photography Awards, Best of Show, People and Self Promotion.
• 2006 PDN Digital Imaging, Collaborative.
• 2006 London Photographic Association (LPA) 'Face It 3', Portrait series.

Saverio is represented by Patti Schumann from Schumann and Co.

Karen I. Hirsch won the Grand Prize in a Kodak newspaper competition with a photo she took in Barcelona while a college student. Since then, her photos have been published in Communication Arts, Graphis, Architectural Digest, Forbes , The Chicago Tribune and many other magazines, newspapers, books and calendars. As a commercial photographer, she has partnered with clients including Draft/FCB, Leo Burnett, Four Seasons Hotel, State of Illinois Department of Tourism, Slam and Nike.

In 2007, the Chinese government invited Karen to be one of ten photographers to participate in the project 'Rizhao China in the Eyes of Foreign Photographers'. The Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and the Illinois Arts Council sponsored her one-woman exhibit, 'My Chicago', featuring more than 200 images of Chicago's people, places and events.

In addition to assignment photography, Karen has an impressive collection of travel, sailing and abstract photos used for fine art decor and licensed as stock.

One of Abel's greatest influences continues to be the ethnically diverse neighborhood of Chicago's Logan Square in which he grew up during the mid 70's. After graduating from Columbia College with a Bachelor of Art degree, he began his journey into photography with client-driven assignments. Today he makes his home in Oak Park, Illinois, along with the love of his life and their three dogs, four cats and two birds.

Melanie Trombley has been working as a producer in Chicago for over seven years. She accidentally entered the commercial photography industry in 1996, building sets in the midst of a tour break as merchandising coordinator for the band Sebadoh.

Realising photography was better matched to her frenetic pace than the Graphic Design degree she was pursuing, she switched gears to focus on all aspects of behind the camera work. From casting and prop buying, figuring out how to air freight in 1000 square yards of sod from California to Chicago for a Sears lawnmower shoot, to planning domestic and international shoots for clients like Abbott Labs, CDW and National Geographic, Melanie can handle the details for any size production with grace and aplomb - on time and under budget.

Recent clients include NutraSweet, County of DuPage Hospital and Follets.

Big Shoulders Digital Video has provided production, post production and emerging media services for broadcast, advertising, PR and corporate clients in the Midwest and across the country for the past 12 years.

The company operates from the iconic John Hancock Center in downtown Chicago. Its award winning staff of camera crews, artists, editors and producers utilise the latest digital technologies, offering clients the best talent and tools in the industry.

Recent work includes shooting the 4th season of a nationally syndicated home improvement show, advising a major Chicago-based advertising agency on an emerging media campaign, and helping a Chicago-based PR company with a sport drink campaign.

Leslie Pace is a graduate of the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York and holds a degree in Fashion Buying and Merchandising. As a commercial artist in Chicago, Leslie has worked with top directors and photographers on national ad campaigns. Her advertising work is sophisticated, while her costume design is whimsical and organic.

"I love what I do," says Leslie. "I've been so fortunate to style and design for some of the most creative people.  Paid to shop for 27 years - what a feat!"

The comfortable 2000 Sq. ft. dim-light studio is an ideal rental location for castings, photo and video productions. Located 10 minutes outside of downtown Chicago, it is easily accessible by public transportation (CTA) and Interstates 290 and 90/94.

Call for availability and rates.

Big Delicious Planet has been Chicago's premiere rock-n-roll caterer since 1994. Creative menus from Indian to Caribbean, vegetarian to vegan are what got the company noticed. BDP has since catered for more than a thousand concerts, including stadium shows by the likes of Bruce Springsteen, Pearl Jam, Radiohead, Bob Dylan, Neil Young, Cher, Sting, Ozzfest and Lollapalooza.

With owner Heidi Moorman Coudal's background as a commercial film producer, BDP also caters for film and photo shoots. People who are shooting the likes of Michael Jordan, John Travolta, Will Ferrell, Julia Roberts, Tom Hanks and chef Rick Bayless know BDP will make them look great and delight their clients and crew.

Clients share the common desire to hire a highly creative caterer who takes great pride in the quality and presentation of their food, in a friendly, low-key manner. BDP has the years of experience and clients to prove it.