Director/dop Ron Baxter Smith has joined NewNew Films. The Toronto-based filmmaker and photographer represents NewNew’s first Canadian-based director/dop, making the jump from Blink.

‘I am very excited about doing something new,’ says Smith. ‘It was time for a change and this presented itself and it was a very good change.’

Smith began his career as a still photographer whose portfolio wound up in the hands of the late Richard Radke. Radke believed, based on Smith’s pictures, that Smith would make an excellent director and offered to finance a shoot for him. Smith recalls that reaction to his direction was immediate and the first two spots he ever helmed (for the ago’s Barnes exhibit and the Toronto Symphony Orchestra) both won Bessies. The awards kept coming as Smith made the jump to Blink. His fabled campaign for Fruit of the Loom in 1995 alone won him a fistful, including a Mobius Campaign Gold Award, The New York Commercial Festival Gold Award and even landed him on the shortlist at the 1995 Clios. He says awards are a great bonus in recognition of hard work, but should not be necessarily viewed as a motivator.

‘Any time you think you are going to do something and win an award for it, you probably won’t,’ he says. ‘If you just do your best work at any given time you’ll be surprised – that’s when you’ll win your award.’

Smith says although he is known for having a keen eye for fashionability in his work, thanks to his photographic past, he insists the need for a particular style as a director can only hinder the work.

‘Everyone tries to nail (what I do) as style-based-fashion-conceptual, which just confuses the hell out of me,’ he says. ‘I’ve done so many different kinds of things and it is so hard to describe that. A good director doesn’t necessarily have a specialty. It just makes it easier for people to understand what they do.’

NewNew executive producer and founder Teri Walderman is excited to have Smith on the NewNew roster.

‘I’ve known Ron for a couple of years, and we just click as a team,’ says Walderman. ‘We think the same way, business-wise, we both have the same sense of humor and we both want the same things.’

With NewNew still a relatively new company, Walderman has very specific ideas about how things will be run, and she believes Smith can help make NewNew a top shop in Toronto.

‘Everybody wants to have a company where you all have great relationships and you all work together as a team,’ she says. ‘Sometimes, as years go by, you lose sight of that. We are not going to lose sight of that. We are going to hold on to that.’

At NewNew, Smith and Walderman are making it a priority to get the director/dop some car jobs. Smith says, ‘I worship in the church of internal combustion,’ to which Walderman adds, ‘Send us the metal!’

Smith recently shot his last commercial for Blink, a Pillsbury Green Giant spot through Leo Burnett.

*Murphy’s law of comedy

Director Ron Murphy has signed with Toronto-based Big Films. The accomplished television director took the long route in getting to his goal of spot-making, but now looks forward to the challenges of telling tales in 15, 30 or 60 seconds.

‘It’s kind of ironic,’ says Murphy of his winding road to commercials. ‘I made some spec spots in order to get into commercials years ago and I ended up getting television work out of them – long form – three years worth, so I kind of got distracted.’

Murphy says he brings a comedic style that Big can use in its pitches. Having spent a great deal of his youth in smoky comedy clubs, Murphy virtually grew up around comedians and has a great deal of admiration for comedy and those who perform it well.

‘I’ve always been fascinated by comedians,’ he says. ‘I think they are the most interesting people in the world – and what a way to express your pain, to make people laugh. I think my gift is being able to understand comedians, having been around so many of them and so many great ones.’

One of those ‘great ones’ is the late John Candy, for whom Murphy served as personal assistant in the last few years of Candy’s film career. One of Murphy’s tasks was to shoot behind-the-scenes Super 8 footage of Candy on various sets for the comedian’s personal archives.

After shooting his initial spec spots, Murphy helmed a one-off in Halifax called Daily Blade and several episodes of cbc’s Street Cents. During his time with Street Cents, Murphy was able to revisit his enjoyment of commercial-making by shooting a number of commercial parodies for the show.

Now a real commercial director with Big, Murphy hopes to put his comedic foot forward as soon as he can, and plans to help build Big’s reputation as a comedy spot leader.

‘I think Big recognized there is a need in the marketplace for lots of comedy,’ says Murphy. ‘I guess every company wants to have their bases covered.’

For his part, Murphy hopes to make spots which can hit people in a number of ways.

‘The best commercials to me are just memorable,’ he says. ‘I love a commercial with a twist. If you can set someone up and spin their head around in 30 seconds – that to me is the ultimate. I really think the best commercials are the funniest commercials by and large. If they get to your heart and your funny bone, you’re winning two ways.’

*Partners’ parties on

‘We’ve been in the funhouse three times, so Mommy it’s your turn now!’ This, exclaimed by a supercharged six-year-old to his awestruck mom, as they wove among the throngs of the delighted last month at The Partners’ Film Company’s annual kids’ Christmas party.

Hundreds of staff, clients and industry watchers – plus many other merrymakers – streamed to a pair of enormous halls in the Toronto outskirts for a dollop of carnival sound and sight, a pinch of midway eats and a dash of Santa.

There was an abundance of rides, prizes, food, music and holiday magic for all who celebrated.

In due course, the proprietor bid them welcome, and offered some kind advice, indeed, for those who would hold on to every morsel of the season’s goodness: steer clear of the Whirly Ride Thing, especially after lunch!