The Bereaved Families of Ontario raised more than $100,000 at its annual Big Night Out fundraiser, held Nov. 4 at the Phoenix Concert Theatre in Toronto. Reps from Toronto’s commercial houses, ad agencies and post shops turned out in force to partake of a night of music, gambling, bidding and schmoozing.

Under the supervision of honorary chair Lesley Parrott, the evening featured several different auctions, including a live gala auction where Imported Artists director Richard D’Alessio was purchased to serve as the host of a catered and kegged karaoke party for 20. D’Alessio’s services went for $1,400. Another popular item up for auction was drinks with Parrott, which brought in a top bid of $700.

The live auction also featured a Wayne Gretzky autographed Edmonton Oilers jersey, a diamond bracelet, and the original artwork for the Big Night Out flyers and posters.

There was also a celebrity auction featuring items such as a signed Rolling Stones framed poster, a Gibson Epiphone guitar signed by the members of Our Lady Peace, and a much-joked-about autographed Britney Spears poster. The event also included a silent auction, an art auction and gambling tables.

‘The thing that is nice is that it really does pull the [advertising] industry together,’ says Parrott of the evening. ‘People really seem to enjoy working on it and I get quite overwhelmed by people’s generosity. It’s an evening that I think people really enjoy. It’s not about getting business, but giving back some of our good fortune.’

‘The Big Night Out makes a huge impact on our ability to continue programming year on year and it is our single biggest event,’ says bfo executive director Michael Nettleton. ‘It is a credit to the volunteers who made it happen, which include people from the advertising community, who really give a lot in terms of making this particular event happen.’

*New at Navigator

Toronto’s Navigator Films has added a wealth of new directing talent to its roster. Over the last month, Navigator has signed five American directors to Canadian representation deals along with Canadian-based helmsman Warren Sulatycky.

Sulatycky, who was most recently repped by LTB Productions, says he already feels right at home at Navigator.

‘I wanted to go to a shop that was small but had aggressive new energy to it,’ says Sulatycky, in Navigator’s stylish, lofty new digs on Toronto’s Queen Street East. The admittedly ‘anti-effects’ director says he relies often on the strength of his actors to make a spot work, using comedy and dialogue as his selling points. He adds that he uses a guerrilla style and enjoys ‘fast and dirty’ shooting.

He brings to Navigator an extensive reel and a new feature film, Kiss Me, currently in post-production. Sulatycky wrote, directed and costarred in Kiss Me, his first stab at long form.

Spot work includes jobs for Pizza Pizza and Chubby Subby and Sulatycky also helmed a video for jazz musician John Stech which aired on Bravo!

Other new additions to the Navigator roster are directors Craig McCord out of Dallas and l.a.-based directors T.G. Herrington, Suzanne Kiley, Rene Eram and Ron Fricke.

*Circle rounds out

Other directors on the move include Don Bernard, who recently signed on with Vancouver’s Circle Productions.

Circle exec producer Chris Bowell says Bernard, a Canadian who honed his directing craft in Asia for several years, is a welcome addition.

‘He developed his reel in Asia,’ says Bowell. ‘He has a very sophisticated visual reel.’

Circle is also welcoming back Wade Ferley into its fold. Ferley left Circle some years ago to explore other representation options, most recently with Vancouver’s Aviator Pictures.

‘Wade Ferley has a lot of experience dealing with real people scenarios and just has a really solid all-round reel,’ says Bowell. ‘We did a lot of work with him when he was with us the first time. He was really popular.’

*On the move

Apple Box Productions has signed award-winning director/cameraman Gillean Proctor. Known for his abilities with tabletop and car work, Proctor has been at the helm of spots for Chrysler, Molson, Nescafe and McDonald’s.

Imported Artists has signed l.a.-based director Scotty Bergstein for exclusive Canadian representation. Bergstein is known for his comedic and dialogue-driven style of commercial making, and his tireless hunts for the best possible cast members for his spots. His reel features work for Budweiser, Finishline and Sony PlayStation.

*Dwyer named at Padulo

Mark Dwyer has been named senior vp creative director at Padulo Integrated. Dwyer, who joined the agency a year and a half ago, moves up from associate creative director and senior writer. He will continue to oversee the work being done for the company’s client roster, which includes cibc, Toronto Hydro, Ontario Government and Suzuki Canada.