Some Partners’ issues unresolved

During the ‘separation agreement’ period of the split among the Partners’ partners, it appeared most directors and nearly all affiliate companies would stand fast with Partners’ after partners Michael Schwartz, George Morita and Stanley Mestel set out on their own for Avion Films. Subsequently, in the ‘child custody’ period, talk is that the intentions of some of those directors and affiliate companies have become question marks.

Word is that Christina Ford’s Imported Artists is likely to leave the Partners’ fold, although no details are yet available. The future of The Directors Film Company is unclear, but persistent rumor has it that Doug Moshoian, a former Partners’ partner and former ally of the Avion founders, is negotiating some kind of investment position in Directors.

And at another former Partners’ affiliate, Otherworld Films, exec producer Peter Grech has added New York director Michael Schrom to his roster. Schrom, a tabletop and live-action type guy out of Michael Schrom and Associates, has been with Otherworld for a little over a month.

Meantime, unless the prevailing winds shift, one of Otherworld’s other directors will be seeking new representation in Canada.

Doubling back to Avion, cofounder Schwartz says directors Matthew Harris and Steve Vaughn (both New York) and Mark Story and Carrol Ballard (both l.a.) are on board, while negotiations continue with a few others. Schwartz says Ballard’s credits include the features Wind and The Black Stallion.

Elsewhere in the Queen Street West neighborhood, reliable sources are reported to have sighted Partners’ boss Don McLean noshing at The Left Bank, a place where Revolvers are licensed.

Who will rep whom, which of its three letters will go to which company and what beyond commercials will be involved when L.T.B. Productions splits in two? They’re being deliberately vague so far, but ltb’s William Cranor and Wayne Fenske are planning some mega-structural changes at their shop, hinting that they’ll concern themselves with more than commercial production. Meantime, Jeff Jones is gone – apparently looking at Radke Films – and Propaganda’s Greg Gold has arrived.

Busy, busy

Dog days of summer or no, Street is hearing about record busy periods from various production houses, including dvla where most of the roster is hopping, flying to the coast or otherwise putting storyboards on celluloid. The crew there reports the busiest July ever and Radke Films says it’s a happenin’ place, too. Skeptics argue that everyone is bidding ‘on all the same stuff’ and once the jobs are awarded it won’t be as busy as people expect, but we’ll see.

Star rising

‘Cosimo confusion syndrome’ may be coming to an end for director Cosimo Zitani of Apple Box, Toronto, as his star appears to be rising, thanks to two recent jobs, one for Bell Canada and one for sister Stentor phone company BC Tel. He’s moving and so is the company, as of July 29Énew address to come.

Creative moves

There’s been a bit of shuffling of the creative deck in Toronto recently involving some pretty big names.

First, Peter Lanyon returns to Toronto after a couple of years in Vancouver to become both president and creative director of MacLaren:Lintas. So now the speculation begins over whether there will be any fallout, especially since Brad Riddock had sort of been given the departmental reins on an interim basis after Bill Durnan left the top post.

Over at McCann-Erickson, it appears as though Michael Fromowitz’s tenure after returning from the Far East has been short-lived. The Street has heard that Fromowitz is no longer with the agency after seemingly getting the creative product back on track.

Philippe Garneau has departed Chiat/Day and is back uptown with Vickers and Benson Advertising.

And wait for an announcement soon from Backer Spielvogel Bates on its new creative director, apparently a local pick.

Why bother?

Now for everyone who ever wondered why some people take the time, trouble and money to go to the annual Cannes Advertising Festival, consider the reflections of agency-type-turned-production type, director Boris Damast. A regular at Cannes, Damast has put his thoughts about the importance of the trip in an essay for marketing trade newspaper Strategy, and has given Playback the nod to lift an excerpt:

‘According to the opinions of many in our industry, I’ve just spent an entire week wasting my time. I apparently learned very little. I lay around on the beach pretending not to be looking at bare-breasted women. I drank and ate to excess. Then I burped my way back to Canada. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, I (along with 4,499 others from the advertising world) was seduced by that good-for-nothing, Cannes advertising festival.

‘Why is it that so many people from this country view Cannes that way when so many people from the rest of the world don’t? Let me offer a few thoughts on the subject. The ‘boondoggle’ theory probably tops the list. The ‘how-on-earth-does-this-make-a-difference-to-my-business-in-Canada’ theory comes in secondÉ.As a veteran of six Cannes orgies, let me attempt to counter some of these widely-held beliefs.ÉNo doubt about it, if you’re a boondoggler, this is a truly religious occasion. However, for the rest of us, the sights and sounds of the festival are a little more mundane.

‘Crowded theatres on sunny days. Throngs in and around the steps of the Palais des Festivals grabbing a sandwich between screenings. Heated debates about the work. Well-attended seminars on the effectiveness of award-winning advertising (this deserves a lot more coverage), the annual new talent showcase (gifted new commercial directors), a presentation on new Kodak technology (exciting trends in post-production) and an exhibit of some of the world’s finest print and poster advertising. And yes, I admit it, the beach. (Why do we feel apologetic about Cannes as a location when our clients have been holding conferences in places like this for years?)

‘ÉIf you’re from a production company, Cannes week is one of the most important marketing opportunities of the year. Here are three facts for your consideration. Fact number one, the Canadian production pie is shrinking. Fact number two, there’s a lot of interest in Canada and Canadian directors. Fact number three, Cannes offers an international captive audience for an entire week.’