Wild Plum is proud to announce three new additions to its roster for 2014. The New Year brings exciting new talent to the production company’s directorial team with the signings of Katie Bell, Trevor Cornish, and Ben Ross. The threesome compliments Wild Plum’s already diverse roster, allowing the company to take on virtually any project of any size or genre.
Katie Bell has the unique ability to make any aspect of our world look seamlessly beautiful and has a truly exceptional knack for capturing genuine, naturalistic performances from adults and children alike. After gaining a Graphic Design degree from Middlesex University, London, she spent the next few years in the design department of MTV Europe, where she designed titles and on-screen graphics. Katie then moved into post-production, combining her interest in special effects with title sequence design. She then began concentrating on directing commercials, shooting spots for brands such as KLM airlines, Dove, Capital Radio, Listerine, Pampers, Kraft, Wal-Mart, and Minute Maid. Most recently, she worked with Saatchi & Saatchi Singapore to create a beautifully cinematic piece for Tiger Biscuits featuring an outdoor impromptu movie theater, as well as some playful spots for Nestle out of McCann Paris featuring excellent child-actor performances. With her background in post-production and special effects Bell has become a collaborative director who brings a strong visual aesthetic and total commitment to every project.
Trevor Cornish has an engaging, thoughtful approach and strong comedic timing that has garnered him international awards for his commercial work at the One Show, Bessies, Shark Awards, New York Advertising Awards, and London International, just to name a few. Born and raised in Vancouver, BC, Trevor has been directing commercials, music videos, television and video games since 2000. His background came from production, having been both a producer and eventually an agency producer before setting his sights on directing. Trevor’s brand of strong visual comedy has been showcased four times on the World’s Funniest Commercials and nominated six times for a Cannes Lion (so far, always a bridesmaid). His work has also been featured in Creativity, Archive, Shoot, Marketing, Campaign, Applied Arts, AdCritic, Boards, Communication Arts and Shots.
Recently, Cornish’s short film, “ROLAND”, premiered at the 2013 Toronto International Film Festival and has since screened at the Vancouver Film Festival, Atlantic Film Fest, Film North, Tacoma Film Fest, and San Francisco Shorts. On the commercial side, Trevor most recently finished three separate projects for Burger King with Sid Lee, that capitalized on the breadth of his comedic capabilities, running the gamut from performance humor to animation. Additionally, Cornish has just wrapped a Becel spot out of Lowe Roche, as well as a launch spot for Scotia Insurance with Ogilvy.
The third exciting addition to Wild Plum’s roster is director/shooter/editor Ben Ross. Ross has a keen eye for capturing lifestyle/documentary film and has a special talent for creating cinematic moments from live, real-time action. He received his formal education at The University Michigan and while immersing himself in film theory and production in the classroom, he also took on a full-time position with the U of M athletic department as a videographer for their 21 varsity teams. Michigan Sports Television laid the groundwork for his documentary style, which has carried over into his commercial work, which included several years working with Ford, creating branded pieces with musicians, actors, and other personalities, as well as directing and editing web content for the Ford/American Idol partnership for seven seasons. In 2011, Ross returned to his sports roots, creating an award-winning recruitment video for the Santa Clara Broncos baseball team. Over the past two years, he has developed a creative partnership with Virgin America, creating branded and in-flight videos varying from launch parties, to highlighting new features. Other recent clients have included pharmaceutical giant Allergan as well as directing two episodes of the Virgin Produced series “Disruptors” with Will.I.Am and Scooter Braun.
Wild Plum’s three new directors join a roster that already includes the talents of lifestyle storyteller Vance Malone, director/DP Ericson Core, whose cutting edge work touches both the worlds of features and commercials, veteran action director Jan De Bont, adventure-film documentarian Aion Velie, and Justin Leibow, who seamlessly blends live action film with stunning graphic design. With such a diverse, well-rounded collective of talent and passion for filmmaking, Wild Plum is ready for a breakout year in 2014.
