Toronto prodco Sparks Productions has signed London-based television commercial production company Rogue for exclusive representation in Canada. With the addition of Rogue, Sparks gains five new directors, Johan Tappert, Sam Cadman, Nick Jones and directing team Gervais and Merchant. Over the next four months, Sparks plans to introduce the new directors to the Canadian market one by one.

While working on his Paramount comedy series Trigger Happy TV, aired on Channel 4 in the U.K., British director Cadman did 12 spots for Nike out of Wieden+Kennedy. Cadman has also directed award-winning spots for Fox Sports through Saatchi & Saatchi, Playstation 2 through TBWA/Chiat/Day and two Lucozade Sport campaigns for Oglivy & Mather.

Swedish director Tappert’s recent credits include Sony Rayman for TBWA and Volvo Nokia and Holiday Inn for Leo Burnett. Tappert has been chosen as Campaign Screen’s ‘One to Watch’ and was selected from 366 entries for the CFP-E Young Director Award at Cannes.

A writer and director, Jones’ commercial work has been described as more like short stories than conventional spots. He has worked with agencies such as TBWA, D’Arcy, Ogilvy and Leo Burnett for clients including Kodak Advantix, Fiat Punto and McDonald’s.

Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant cowrote the British comedy series The Office, which is moving into its second season. They contribute regularly to The Mary Anne Hobbs Show and Cosy’x Breakfast show on Radio 1 and are looking to build a name for themselves in commercial directing.

Brambilla melds art and advertising at Steam

Steam is continuing to build its roster of Canadian directors by adding esteemed Canadian filmmaker Marco Brambilla. Italy-born, Toronto-raised, Brambilla is not only a successful commercial and feature film director, but has also gained recognition as a visual artist for his acclaimed video installations, which have caught the attention of agencies like Saatchi & Saatchi and Leo Burnett.

As a visual artist, Brambilla has exhibited his work at galleries in Seoul, Korea, Bourges, France and Bern, Switzerland as well as at New York City’s Henry Urbach Gallery and the Christopher Grimes Gallery in L.A.

Brambilla’s long-form credits include the TV series Dinotopia and feature Demolition Man. As a commercial director, he has worked with clients such as Nike, Coca-Cola, IBM and Budweiser and has won advertising awards in Canada, the U.S. and France. Brambilla is repped by David Naylor and Associates/DNA in the States.

Brazilian directors join Film Blanc

Film Blanc has added two South American directors, Guto Carvalho and Guilherme Ramalho, to its roster.

Carvalho has directed campaigns for some of the biggest agencies in the Brazilian and South American markets including Bates-Newcom and BBDO Chile. He has worked for clients such as Volkswagen, Unilever, Bayer and Johnson & Johnson.

Carvalho’s innovative approach has given him experience in various production techniques including live-action, CGI, F/X and animation. He helped renew Brazil’s special F/X and animation markets while at Trattoria di Frame, a production house that has focused on melding new technology with traditional wisdom and innovative design. His awards include a Bronze Lion at Cannes and recognition at the Annecy International Animation Festival.

In addition to success as a commercial director, Ramalho has directed videos for some of Brazil’s biggest stars including Marisa Monte and Carlinhos Brown. He is know for his striking character creation and well-developed skills working with F/X. He has worked for agencies such as Lowe and AlmapBBDO and clients like FedEx, Hershey, M&M’s and BMW.

ABP brings on Rondinelli, signs three helmers

Barbara Rondinelli has joined Apple Box Productions as a sales and marketing representative. A regular fixture in the Toronto advertising community, Rondinelli has worked as an executive producer at Panic & Bob Editing and now joins executive producer Lisa Broadfoot in representing ABP’s directors in the Toronto market.

The prodco has also signed Canadian brother and sister directing team The Boultons and U.S.-based director/cameraman Alex Fernbach.

The Calgary-based Boultons have finished a pool of spots for Greyhound Canada targeting younger riders by featuring older Greyhound executives trying to speak the language of today’s youth to comic effect.

Fernbach, an Emmy Award-winning documentary filmmaker, has shot a number of commercial parodies for Saturday Night Live and owns and operates his own 12,000-square-foot full-service studio facility in New Jersey.

Noon returns

After changing suites earlier this year, Brian Noon has returned to Flashcut Editing – this time as a partner. Noon, editor on award-winning material such as Halls’ ‘Golfing’ and Bud Light’s ‘Ulterior Emotions’, left Flashcut about eight months ago to join Third Floor Editing.