new york May 2010

MergeLeft is an artist agency with a select group of talent. The agency represents photographers and hair and make-up artists who collaborate with clients in the advertising, corporate, editorial and publishing markets.

The MergeLeft photographers include:

• Mark Tucker - Portraiture/Lifestyle.
• Gustavo Marx - Fashion/Lifestyle.
• Karen Pearson - Beauty/Fashion.
• George Fulton - Conceptual Advertising.
• Margaret Malandruccolo - Celebrity/Advertising.
• Jerry Errico - Food/Still Life.

The company also represents hair and make-up stylist Ronnie Peterson.

DB Media Productions has carved its own niche in the world of unique and creative media. With offices in New York, Miami and LA, the nomadic wanderings of a lifestyle constantly "on the go" have forged their unique blend of creativity, energy and real world logistics.

The driving force behind the company, JC, is fluent in English, Spanish and French. With a background in industrial engineering, a certification as an American Red Cross first responder, and a passion for all things artistic, his pursuit of transparency, flexibility and pragmatism set him apart from the competition. His team is second to none.

Email, call (+1) 954 305 2770, or visit the website for more information.

ESW Productions is a full service production company located just outside of New York City. Elle Sullivan Wilson has spent the last 16 years sourcing and co-creating with the best teams from all over the world, ensuring every job gets produced responsibly and with talent qualified to do so. ESW takes care of all its clients' needs for a successful shoot, from the very first phone call until the production is complete.

Elle Sullivan Wilson is a local in the New York area as well as the state of California. ESW Productions is just finishing a new Vicks campaign, shot in New Orleans, and is currently planning a large production with Todd Selby for a brand new fall campaign.

Kim Handley of George Productions acted as art buyer, casting director and producer for the new Motions 'Get You Pretty' TV and print ad campaigns. The concept was a complete breakaway from the usual African American hair ads that tend to be rather static and shot in the studio.

Both projects were approached with a much more fashion-forward feeling in mind, with the TV spot deriving from a 1970s Guy Bourdin reference and the print campaign (three ads launching this summer) having a much looser, editorial feel. Eddie Brannan was the creative director, Brand Asset Group the agency.

"The campaign has a modern look using modern girls with an editorial approach," says Kim Handley. "We continued with our print girl from the summer, Tia Shippman, and used her as our principal girl for the TV spot. Not only was she a real trooper, but she was able to keep a smile on her face from 5am to 9pm and did it all without complaining. She was a joy to work with. In support we had our tried and tested glamour team, Chuck Amos (hair), Billy B (make-up), and John Moore (styling). Together they guaranteed an edgy, 'of the moment' look to all the spots."

The print was shot last summer by Marc Baptiste in NYC, and the TV spot in December by Daniela Federici in downtown Los Angeles using a NYC backdrop.

Established in 2000, Mission Photo Production under the guidance of Mary Pratt has experience with a broad spectrum of projects. Yet it was a genuine first for Mary to be working with two photographers, Gilles Bensimon and Andrew Dunn, back-to-back on a tandem fashion shoot for Bogner.

It essentially meant producing two jobs that were tied together by the client and the art direction, as well as managing a “behind the scenes” video shoot - short stories being told on in-store screens and also on the Bogner website. As technology and markets are shifting, Mary increasingly finds herself producing moving images and still photography simultaneously.

Visit the website for more information.

Lucas Allen is an Australian born, New York-based photographer, specialising in interiors, still life, people and travel. He has 16 years experience shooting for many international magazines and advertising campaigns.

Lucas' style is often described as graphic and clean. His composition, technical skill, understanding of light and strong work ethic are key factors in repeat work with a diverse range of clients.

Clients include: Martha Stewart Living, Real Simple, Country Living, House & Garden UK, Condé Nast Traveller, Crate & Barrel, Target, Macy's, Domino, House Beautiful, Metropolitan Home, Vogue Living Australia, Inside Out, Vogue Entertaining & Travel, Hunter Douglas and Ritz-Carlton Magazine.

Visit his website for more information.

Director and photographer Stewart Cohen is known for his boundless energy in capturing the spirit of the people he directs. A recent client commented, “His good humour is evidenced in the work and helps create a great atmosphere on set.”

Shooting both stills and motion gives Stewart the ability to maintain continuity in his clients' message. His skill set is now being utilized in interesting ways in the emerging world of interactive technology.

Stewart is represented by Bernstein & Andriulli - (212) 682-1490.

Visit his website to see more of the story.

Born in South Africa in 1972, Warwick left for London after graduating with a BA.Honours in Art and Philosophy. He worked as an apprentice for five years before launching out on his own.

His talent was quickly recognized by Dutch Magazine in 1999, who published his first editorial. Other editorials in Dazed & Confused, Arena and Numero were quick to follow. His early successes soon transpired into campaigns for Puma, Nike, Costume National and Diesel.

Warwick portraiture is in constant demand by celebrities including, Lady Gaga, Adam Lambert, Drew Barrymore, Cate Blanchett and Sharon Stone, amongst others.  He has shot campaigns for magazines such as Rolling Stone, Interview, GQ, Flaunt, Citizen K, Blackbook, London Sunday Times, Arena and S Magazine.

He currently lives in Brooklyn and works between London, Paris, New York and Los Angeles.

The champagne of photography!

Timothy Hogan is proud to announce the launch of the new look of Miller High Life. Timothy and Landor in San Francisco worked closely together to develop a look and feel for the iconic brand.

He has recently also shot projects for Olympus and Starbucks from his studio in New York, a location beauty production for Oral-B and the widespread ´Tummy Loving Care´ campaign for Danone in London.

Timothy also won a Gold Award in the Graphis 2010 Photo Annual for his Smoke series.

Check his video gallery for new examples of his motion work.

Jim Jatcko is a fashion and beauty photographer based in New York City. His friendly, light-hearted personality puts his subjects at ease and helps bring out their inner, as well as their exterior, beauty.

Equally comfortable working in the studio or on location, Jim's style is clean, sharp and full of impact. Having "grown up" in the crazy world of advertising, he enjoys collaborations with other creative talent as he truly feels that the sum of everyone's talents is much greater than each individual's parts.

His most recent work has included fashion editorials in Gladys Magazine (USA) and Foty Mody (Ukraine).

Wei K. Pun works with leading agencies and production companies in New York, Hong Kong, Shanghai and Beijing, including Saatchi & Saatchi, FCB, Dentsu and Grey Worldwide, among many others. Her clients have included Hutchinson Telecommunication, Nestlé-Nescafé, Rejoice, Epson, Matsushita Electronics and HSBC, to name but a few, and she has also worked with celebrities such as Alan Cumming, Zhang Ziyi, Eric Tsang, Athena Chu and Gigi Leung.

Wei is currently based in New York City, Dubai and Hong Kong and works on many award-winning independent films as Director of Photography as well as Steadicam operator.

She recently worked on the Japanese feature film 'My Darling is a Foreigner' with Director Ue Kazuaki and DP Kato Hitoshi. She also worked on Taiwanese pop sensation Show Luo's music video in NYC. Wei works and thinks fast, always looking to push the creative envelope, and is a constant problem solver on and off set. She is a team player and great collaborator and never tires of finding ways to combine the breadth of her cultural diversity and experience with the projects she does.

Growing-up under the tutelage of her make-up artist mother, Stephanie Peterson was already a veteran in the beauty business at an early age. Born and raised in Texas, her professional journey began while dabbling with the photography crowd in New York. It was there that she quickly realised that doing make-up for photo shoots was where she felt most at home, both professionally and creatively.

She has since worked with a number of photographers, producers and art directors to build the portfolio she has today. A known workaholic, she is constantly pushing herself to create and inspire beauty as well as recreate the iconic glamour of the past. As an artist, Stephanie feels her work is never done and is always honing and improving her technique. It is her great ambition to refine and expand the boundaries of beauty.

Home Studios is a 4000 sq. ft. daylight loft studio that provides the perfect location for film, video and photography. It can also be transformed into a spectacular space for culinary and corporate events.

Conveniently located in the historic Flatiron/Union Square neighbourhoods, on the corner of Broadway and 18th street in Manhattan, the studio features three-phase camlock power, east and south facing windows, a fully functioning designer kitchen, and much more. 

Visit the website for more information.

Built in the late 19th century, the 1896 recently opened as a shooting location and film stage hosting more than eight unique locations under one roof.

The two main brick warehouses feature 6,000 square feet of sky-lit space, as well as a wide-ranging diversity of century-old textured walls throughout. Joining the main stages, a 2,000 square foot brick-lined courtyard and drive features a balcony, fire escape and massive roof complete with smokestack. Other locations such as a richly textured freight elevator, modern loft apartment and numerous artist studios are filtered throughout the property.

Modern shooting amenities abound, with full hair and make-up rooms and a green area for clients all fully powered and heated. The 1896 also has a budding 300+ piece prop collection as well as talented set, scene and prop builders on site.

A hybrid shooting location and film stage, the 1896 has all the uniqueness of a turn-of-the-century warehouse and outdoor venue, as well as the area and conveniences to build out any imaginable type of set.