After a year of shooting music and corporate videos Good Call Productions is moving into the commercial arena.

The Toronto-based spot shop, headed by executive producer Michael Lavelle, currently reps directors Terrance Odette and Sean Danby and is looking to expand its roster.

Odette recently wrapped shooting on Heater, a feature film out of Winnipeg’s Marble Island Pictures. Other credits include spots for Rockit Girl cosmetics, a safe-sex psa and more than 20 country music videos.

Danby, who is in the midst of putting together a documentary on his famous artist father, Ken Danby, has completed commercials for White Mountain Academy of the Arts in Elliot Lake, Ont. and a corporate video for Marine Safe Electronics.

*Even more Players

The Players Film Company has added South African director Kim Geldenbuys and l.a.-based Micheal Shapiro to its roster.

Geldenbuys, who has been directing commercials for about four years for clients such as Nissan, Old Mutual Direct and Gatorade, recently wrapped an international job for Honda.

The director opened his own spot shop, Eggs Productions, over a year ago in his hometown of Capetown, s.a.

A former art director, Michael Shapiro has helmed spots for Kellogg’s, Ford, Coors Light and Guess. Shapiro is repped by Sticks and Stones out of l.a.

*Sparks grows by one

Joining the team at Sparks Productions is director/dop/designer Bob Mowen.

Mowen got his start with an in-house production company at the University of Notre Dame and has spent the last six years directing for New York-based agency Lee Hunt & Associates. Recent shoots include work for BMG International, Norwegian Cruise Lines and Ameritech.

*Golden moments in Houston

Canadians grabbed for the gold at the recent WorldFest Houston International Film & Video Festival.

The best of show award for a television commercial went to Avion Films’ Ray Dillman for his Kellogg’s spot featuring the well-spoken baby, ‘We The Children.’

Avion’s Martin Granger earned gold in the movie trailer category with ‘Kung Fone’ for Cantel/at&t and Jean-Marc Piche took the home furnishings category with ikea’s ‘Wrapped House #2.’

Director Tim Hamilton picked up two awards: a gold for the Levis spec spot ‘Blueprint For The Future’ and a bronze for his short film Shrink, which will air May 16 on cbc’s Canadian Reflections.

George D’Amato out of The Partners’ Film Company picked up gold in the category of best dramatic original for his short film The Final.

The next WorldFest Houston Festival is slated for April 7-16, 2000, while sister festival WorldFest Flagstaff runs Nov. 5-14.

*News bites

Commercial editors Joel Zigler, previously with Partners’ Post and Shortcuts, and Krysia Szyszlo, ex of Daily Post, have joined Toronto’s Bullet Digital Post. Following its move to 55 Sudbury Street last year (space now shared with Lunch Box Post & Effects), Bullet has been making moves toward servicing the commercial market.

Bullet’s Tavia Charlton will assume the position of executive producer for commercial work.

* The Players Film Company director Carl Harvey will be expanding his long-form directorial resume with a stint on the new Alliance Atlantis Communications series I Was a Sixth Grade Alien. Harvey will helm an episode of the kids’ show, which features the earthbound adventures of a purple alien, this month.

* Leo Burnett is up one creative team with the addition of art director Ian Letts and writer Michael Gelfand, both formerly of Palmer Jarvis ddb, Toronto.

* Angel Films owner and executive producer Sarah Ker-Hornell joins Canada’s creme de la creme in the 1999/2000 edition of the Canadian Who’s Who.

Ker-Hornell started off in the business 16 years ago driving the camera truck for Schulz Productions. Since then, she has executive produced at both Partners’ and L.T.B. Productions, and in October 1996 launched Angel.

*Cut it out

Not only do the winners of the Audio/Post Top Shops nod (Playback, April 19) receive no fabulous prizes, some listings suspiciously disappeared, cut and pasted god knows where. . . subterfuge is suspected, possibly the handiwork of disgruntled Not On The List toon shops.

TOPIX/Mad Dog

Tel: (416) 971-7711

Fax: (416) 971-9277

E-mail: www.topix.com

Number of employees: 31

Senior staff:

Chris Wallace, president; Sylvain Taillon, exec producer; Lisa Hamon, Anne Deslauriers, Diana D’Amelio – producers

Primary business:

Specialists in character animation, special f/x, film titling, type and broadcast design, compositing and special effects post-production. TOPIX/Mad Dog creates for a diverse number of markets, including commercial advertising, feature films and broadcast television.