Executive Producer Chris Zander and director Andrew Wonder have teamed to launch Tomorrow, a production company with offices in Playa Vista, Calif., and Brooklyn, NY, Zander, former managing director of Backyard Productions. and Wonder, who was previously on the roster of Station Film, will in their new venture produce work spanning commercials, films, music videos and branded content.
Tomorrow opens with a directorial roster that includes Wonder, Stuart Douglas, Erica Eng, Jesper Ericstam, and Parker Hill. Douglas and Ericstam had been at Backyard while Eng and Hill were previously unaffiliated with a production company.
Wonder’s filmmaking is emotional, approachable and textured; recent work includes the feature film Feral and projects for GM and Prudential. Douglas, who forged a name as half of the iconic photography team The Douglas Brothers, is equally skilled at directing real people, actors, and celebrities. Ericstam’s honest, funny, and humane voice as a filmmaker is evident throughout his work, including recent projects for IKEA, HSBC and McDonald’s.
Eng is an alum of SHOOT’s 2018 New Directors Showcase. She was also part of a select group of directors chosen for the Commercial Directors Diversity Program, the joint initiative of the AICP and DGA. Her varied work includes spots, music videos and short films, which have screened at film festivals including Holly Shorts and New Filmmakers. Hill is an accomplished photographer who has successfully transitioned to short films and music videos, work that reflects beauty and the mystery of human existence.
Zander related, “The production company model has stayed relatively the same forever. There’s nothing wrong with the heritage brands in our industry, but if you wanted to build the 2019 version of them, you wouldn’t and couldn’t build them the same way today. We created Tomorrow to take a stand for a new way of doing things, with an emphasis on creative collaboration and an empathetic and mindful way of working. This business is at a crossroads, and we are energized by the uncertainty and possibility.”
Wonder added, “Just as we expect agencies and clients to evolve, it is time we as directors and company owners do the same. At a time when anyone can be a content creator, everyone deserves a voice. Good ideas come from everywhere and no matter your gender, ethnicity or orientation you will not only be welcome but encouraged to be a part of the work we do. It’s no longer enough to be good, you need to be a good person too. Tomorrow doesn’t entertain ideas, we sponsor them. We grow our talent, putting fuel back into the creative fire.”
Tomorrow is represented on the East Coast by Diane Patrone of The Family, in the Midwest by Marni Halliburton and Sean Sullivan of Collective Content, and on the West Coast by Harrison Elkins of Hero Management.
