Ex-Torontonian Nadine Gray has returned to her native Montreal and joined Kissfilms as executive producer.

Gray is well known in the Toronto market as a freelance executive producer and line producer, having worked for such commercial production companies as Frozen Man, The Players Film Company, Radke Films and others.

Born and raised in Montreal, she says she’s happy to be back in her hometown.

After observing the slow Toronto market earlier this year, Gray says she felt it was time to draw up a resume and send out some reels. One of her packages landed on the desk of Kissfilms founder Barry Bittle, who brought Gray in for some freelance projects.

In her new position, Gray looks forward to making an impact on the Montreal scene by taking Kiss to the next level.

‘I don’t want to let the cat out of the bag too much, but as an executive producer I do have certain things that I have discussed with Kiss with regards to where I would like to position the company,’ says Gray. ‘It is very well positioned right now, but I’d like to take it even further.’

Cheek brings Spirit to Sparks

Toronto’s Sparks Productions has signed on three new commercial directors for exclusive Canadian representation.

The first is London, Eng.-based Simon Cheek, whose roots are with London’s Spirit Films. The award-winning director excels at dialogue and storytelling spots, as evidenced in his work for McDonald’s, Hallmark, and Cadbury, says Sparks president/executive producer Andy Crosbie.

‘I think he is the director’s director,’ says Crosbie. ‘He is really good at directing talent and getting real performances and I find it refreshing. I think a lot of people are looking for that right now, so I’m pretty excited to see the [Canadian industry’s] reaction to his work.’

Another London-based newcomer is Jamie Lane, who recently signed on with Moon Productions in London. Crosbie describes Lane as an up-and-comer who has already amassed an impressive reel, including spots for Sony PlayStation, Amazon.com and a cinema ad for Cherry Coke.

The final addition to the Sparks roster is director/DOP Johnathan Taylor of L.A. commercial house Cuculoris. Taylor, who grew up on a game preserve in South Africa, is what Crosbie calls a ‘visual stylist,’ something Sparks has been getting a lot of calls for recently. Taylor’s reel includes work for Prudential, Country Time, Iams and American Express.

Crosbie also hints that a number of new faces will be added to the ranks at Sparks in the next couple of months, but won’t get into details just yet.

-www.sparksproductions.com

Circle signs four

Circle Productions reports four new director signings for exclusive representation in Canada. The rub with these L.A.-based gents, according to Circle, is that none has been available to the Canadian market through a local production company before.

First up is Dick Buckley, who is perhaps best known as the director of the Cannes Gold Lion-winning Tobasco Sauce ad, ‘Mosquito.’ Buckley, known for his subtle comedy and high-end special-effects spots, recently served as second unit director on Sam Raimi’s Spiderman feature, due out next year. Buckley is self-repped in the U.S.

Red Grainge has also signed on with Circle, which will manage his career in both Canada and the U.S. Grainge, a former agency art director, is still in his first year as a commercial director, but already he has helmed spots for Motorola, Pacific Bell and others.

Dave Myers comes to Circle with an extensive music video reel. He has directed clips for Creed, Kid Rock, Janet Jackson, Britney Spears, Dido and Outkast to name a few. In making the transition to commercials, Myers has peppered his reel with a trio of ads for Pringles and one for Jaguar.

Thomas Kloss comes on board as a director/DOP. Kloss, known largely for his cinematography work, will now be available in a dual role through Circle. Both he and Myers are repped in the U.S. by FM Rocks of L.A.

All four directors are available through Circle’s Toronto and Vancouver offices.

Fleisig gets Imported

New Jersey-based commercial director Jeffrey Fleisig has joined Toronto’s Imported Artists for representation in Toronto. He was previously repped through Toronto’s The Players Film Company. Circle Productions continues to represent Fleisig in the Western Canada market

Fleisig, who has shot a number of the spots on his reel in Canada, says he looks forward to working with a new set of clients via Imported and hopes to continue to evolve as a U.S. director in the Canadian market.

-www.importedartists.com