Industry veteran Michael Di Girolamo has launched integrated commercial production company Hey Wonderful. Part of Ridley Scott’s RSA Films family, Hey Wonderful is home to a roster of talent including directors and other varied artisans. The new shop creates commercials, branded entertainment, music videos, film and digital content, while offering a unique synergy with RSA for branded entertainment and new technology capabilities.
Di Girolamo brings a wide breadth of experience to Hey Wonderful as its managing director/executive producer, most recently as an EP and partner of production company Station Film, which he co-founded in 2008. He has helped shape the commercial careers of some of today’s most accomplished directors, and as a recent Chairman of the AICP Show and NEXT awards, has been an advocate of the industry’s growth and power to be a positive Influencer. Di Girolamo enjoyed an auspicious start to his career, working at commercial production houses such as Anonymous Content, Propaganda and RSA Films.
“Bringing Michael and Hey Wonderful into the RSA family speaks to our longstanding tradition of disrupting the industry,” commented Jules Daly, president, RSA Films. “Everyone stands to win with multi-platform creative partnerships like this. The best and the brightest under one roof can only serve our advertising partners in the most positive and creative way.”
“I’m thrilled to be working alongside the Scotts and Jules at RSA,” said Di Girolamo. “The synergy provides a brain trust with one of the most accomplished and well-respected film, TV and commercial production companies in the world. Storytelling is at the core of everything we do and with RSA at our side, the directors at Wonderful will be able to tap into the many resources and opportunities in content that RSA has to offer. It’s exciting to be in a position to share my vision and grow a new model company that encourages collaboration and celebrates innovation.”
Hey Wonderful recently completed its first project for David agency, a Burger King campaign directed by Sam Cadman, who is about to begin an ongoing project with DigitasLBi. Cadman is known for masterful hidden camera work and documentary storytelling. He also directed the Virgin Atlantic Cannes Silver Lion-winning experiential film Upper Class Bench, and the thought provoking Cancer Research UK PSA “The Lump.”
Other Hey Wonderful directors are Drake Doremus, whose credits include Intel’s The Beauty Inside episodic social film which received three Cannes Grand Prix honors (Film, Cyber, and Branded Content & Entertainment) in 2013 (Pereira & O’Dell), this spring’s feature film release Equals, with Kristen Stewart and Nicholas Hoult, and 2011’s Sundance Grand Jury Prize winner Like Crazy, starring Felicity Jones and Jennifer Lawrence; Peking, the multi award-winning documentary team who in the ad arena directed Skype’s highly acclaimed Family Portrait and Born Friends short film series; and director/cameraman Jonathan Hyde, who brings a contemporary sensibility to visually-driven commercial work including California Lottery, Modelo, Converse and Levis.
More Wonderful talent includes Cedric Nicolas-Troyan, director of this spring’s highly anticipated The Huntsman: Winter’s War with Chris Hemsworth and Charlize Theron; prolific episodic TV director Tricia Brock whose credits span Girls, Orange is the New Black, Casual, and this year’s Golden Globe winning series Mozart in the Jungle and Mr. Robot; Alek Keshishian, renowned for his work with celebrities that includes Selena Gomez’s sultry new video “Hands To Myself,” and comedic campaigns for Chelsea Lately with Sandra Bullock and Conan O’Brien, and Smart Water with Jennifer Aniston; and Sam Spiegel, a director, music producer, composer and DJ who most recently directed “Jihad Love Squad (feat. KRS-One),” a provocative video which re-contextualizes the word jihad.
Composer Spiegel continues to maintain his music/sound house Squeak E. Clean. Prior to joining the Hey Wonderful roster, Doremus was with RSA. Brock lands her first full fledged commercialmaking/branded content roost in Hey Wonderful. And directors Cadman, Peking, Hyde, Nicolas-Troyan and Keshishian were formerly handled for spots and branded fare by Station Film.
Hey Wonderful is represented by Mischief on the West Coast, Wry Wit in the Midwest, RSA’s Trevor King and Tori Palmatier on the East Coast, RSA London for London and Sequoia Content for Canada.
