Adolescent, a production company founded by commercial/feature director Ramaa Mosley and executive producer Hope Farley, has signed a spot representation deal with Andrew Droz Palermo whose documentary Rich Hill–which he directed in tandem with Tracy Droz Tragos–won the Grand Jury Prize at this year’s Sundance Film Festival. Rich Hill follows three Midwestern boys on the cusp of adolescence living in Rich Hill, Missouri, carrying hopes for a brighter future. It is a very personal depiction of the town where the film’s directors still have family.
“I wanted it be heartfelt,” Palermo said. “I often feel with docs there’s a distance between the camera and the person, as well as a lack of intimacy between the directors and the subjects. I felt if we could be as close as humanly possible for comfort, that would just be so much better.”
In addition to directing, Palermo is an accomplished cinematographer. In 2011 he shot the smart horror film You’re Next which premiered at SXSW. He also lensed A Teacher and Black Metal, which both premiered at Sundance in 2013.
After growing up in central Missouri, Palermo studied graphic design and advertising at Columbia College in Chicago. He then progressed quickly from photography to directing and shooting music videos for indie bands such as White Rabbits, The Walkmen, Arms, and Believers.
Palermo is a MacArthur Foundation grantee, a Sundance Institute Fellow, and a Film Independent Fellow; he is now based in Los Angeles.
Adolescent–which represents young directorial talent, ages 13-27, for commercials and branded content–is a satellite of Splendid and Co (formerly known as Trio). Adolescent is repped on the West Coast by Lisa Houck at Salon and on the East coast by Tara Averill and Erin Wahed at Representation Co.
