Town Entertainment Launches With Trifecta of Talent
Identity's Founder and Executive Producer Joe Masi and Executive Producer Bill Curren are proud to announce the launch of Town Entertainment, a close-knit production company built upon the same collaborative principles as parent company Identity. Town's model will be to provide a platform for a small, selective roster from various disciplines to closely collaborate with assorted clients on creating dynamic content for commercial, film, web, and television distribution. Andrew Walton, Karina Taira and Paolo Monico will form the frosh company's directing corps, bringing their combined industry experience to interact with Town's creative teams. Alana Hall will occupy the role of head of production.
Town has hit the ground running with a "real people" spot campaign for AARP directed by Walton for GSD&M Idea City. The spots broke mid-May, 2009.
Walton has directed commercials, short films and web content for some of the world's top ad agencies and brands. His humanistic style of storytelling uses evocative portraiture and striking realism that captures his subjects with engaging honesty, whether he is shooting real-life stories or actors. By becoming deeply invested in the personal details of his subjects' lives, Walton finds profound meaning in otherwise ordinary events. Spots for software giant SAP and the U.S. Navy, along with an episode of the Discovery Channel's Next World series, Future Ships, highlight Walton's recent diverse body of work. His first documentary feature, Arctic Son, premiered on PBS' award-winning P.O.V. series in 2007.
"I've been searching for a new production company for some time, and Town really stood out beside the three or four other shops I was talking to," noted Walton. "I was struck by their commitment to quality and excellence, and the type of talent they were attracting. Both Bill and Joe are incredibly down to earth and savvy, and they have a great understanding of the ad biz and a solid industry reputation."
Japanese-American photographer and film director Karina Taira splits her time between New York and Paris. Her resume includes major editorial and advertising work in Paris, Milan, Tokyo, and London, including provocative spots for Nestle, Toyota, Nivea and Cerruti Cologne. Her career began at 19 after attending the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena.
Director Paolo Monico is best known for his work in the music video arena and commercial space. His commercial clients include Ray-Ban, VW, and Tuborg, and he has just returned stateside after lensing recent spots for MTV and Honda in Europe. Summer 2008 saw Monico direct an English-language TV film in New York, 4 Single Fathers, which was then distributed through the Canale 5 Network in Italy in 2009. His viral video, MTV The Chat, which he wrote, cast, and shot, was published in SHOTS' "New Directors" issue and earned inclusion on the shortlist of the Young Directors Award in Cannes. The Italian native began his directing career with a music video for reggae-punk-ska band I Quattrocento Colpi from Bologna.
"With Bill Curren running the day to day for Town, this will allow us to keep the same philosophy we have for Identity, which is to be very involved with every director on every project. The role of the Exec Producer is very important to the success of directors and for Town," stated Masi. "We have a great group of visual talent and are excited to watch them grow with the company."
"We're excited to open our doors, even during these challenging times we see opportunity for talented people" stated Curren, whose most recent experience was as EP of legendary Doc shop Maysles Films and Shorts. "Our directors work across all mediums and are well suited to operate in any climate."
Though Town will be a distinct entity, the directors will have full access to the resources of established industry presence of Identity Media.
About TOWN:
Town Entertainment was founded in early 2009 by Joe Masi of Identity Media and is led by Managing Director/EP Bill Curren and Head of Production Alana Hall. Town is a community of visual artists committed to creating memorable and entertaining content for commercial, film, web, and television distribution. Town cultivates a collegial atmosphere where directors and creatives collaborate to carefully craft each project with shared vision, innovation, and commitment.
Town was created to meet the challenges of a rapidly changing media industry and utilizes a small, flexible business model to better meet the unique challenges of each new project. Masi and Curren both feel production must be a team sport that brings great people from assorted disciplines together with strong guidance and support allowing them do what they do best. While Town utilizes the full resources of Identity, the roster remains a distinct entity with talent that includes Paolo Monico, Karina Taira, and Andrew Walton.
