Marc Dube, executive producer of GearHead Entertainment, says the Vancouver-based spot shop is undergoing some changes. With a few new directors expected to create interest, Dube says GearHead is shifting its focus from the U.S. market to Canada.

"We’ve been doing a lot of local marketing lately," confirms Dube. "Over the last year and a half we’ve really focused on the U.S. market, but in the last three weeks we’ve been doing a lot of screenings with all the local agencies. We decided to hit up a lot of these guys in our own backyard that we’ve neglected over the last couple of years."

Dube, a Calgary native who has worked in Vancouver for the last 12 or so years, has been running GearHead for two years. He says with his current roster of directors and DOPs, which includes Canadian helmers David Straiton and Gregory Marquette, the time is right to make his move on the Vancouver commercial production scene.

"When we first started, I’d have to say we got somewhat of a lukewarm reception in the Canadian market," says Dube. "A lot of times we’d have difficulty even getting our calls returned. We found the Americans to be really receptive, especially with us being from Vancouver, which has been a big centre in production over the last little while. People in L.A. and New York were really quite receptive to hearing what we had to say and receiving reels."

Dube says his first target will naturally be Vancouver, but over the next little while he hopes to generate some significant buzz in Toronto as well.

To offer an extra bit of Cancon to the Canadian creative folks, GearHead recently signed Winnipeg director Keith Niemor. Niemor, who clocked 10 years as an in-house producer /director at CBC in Winnipeg, recently shot a spot for the Manitoba Credit Unions.

Dube was impressed with the results, given this ad was essentially Niemor’s first.

"The spot was really a breakthrough for him," says Dube. "Halfway through the spot it goes from this warm and fuzzy look to a very high-tech, modern music video feel. There is a really cool transition between the two and he follows the story through quite well, I think. His approach to it in everything the director controls, from shot selection, his casting, everything, was done well.

"This was his first spot shot on film since he left [the CBC] and they had a very limited budget, but they did an amazing job on it."

The DOP on the Manitoba Credit Unions job was Canadian Adam Sliwinski, who also just signed on with GearHead.

Another significant signing for the shop is Seattle director Jack Barrett, who will now get his Canadian jobs through GearHead.

Barrett, who worked as an editor before falling in love with the megaphone three years ago, has done a lot of local work in Seattle. His reel includes a comedy piece for Shop Now.com called "Mall Santas" as well as work for the Woodland Parks Zoo and Seattle radio station The Mountain 103FM.

"He’s amazing and I’ve probably had the best response from Jack’s reel over anyone on our roster from all the creative directors I’ve shown it to," says Dube.

With a strong and diverse roster of 10 directors (five of whom are Canadian) and DOP Sliwinski, Dube is confident the Canadian market is finally ready for GearHead now that it has returned triumphant from the U.S. with an enviable collection of jobs.

"These things don’t happen overnight," says Dube. You can’t ignore your own backyard." *