Donnybrook Production Services

I was recently brought on board to help production manage a global IPO Roadshow campaign for IMS Health, working in tandem with Exton, PA based production house Paksima Productions.  Executive Producer Jamila Paksima and I have known (of) one another for quite a while, but we’d never actually collaborated directly on a project to point.  It turns out that Jamila is every bit the force of production nature I’d heard about, and the project was a perfect fit for her challenge oriented and thrill-seeking approach to producing.

The assignment called for ENG style field shoots in no less than 5-countries, spread across multiple continents, time zones, and cultures…at times, in simultaneous fashion.  I had a few key production allies in the mix to lean on, with DP Steve Buckwalter and Producer phenom Tracy Schott along for the ride.  I’m better off for knowing Alexa Danner now as well, a seasoned NY production head that I met for the first time on this project.  I was also able to re-enlist the key aesthetic sensibilities of Israeli Cinematographer Alon Grego, whom I’m once again indebted to for his consummate professionalism and versatility.  And it was nice to have an excuse to collaborate with the resourceful fella’s at Prime TV in the UK again, a vendor I was first introduced to while filming on location in London a few years back.

A key takeaway for me in all of this is just how small the planet can feel with technology and ingenuity in the mix.  Partial reliance on integrated communication tools like Skype were vital, as was the ability to think outside of the box with regards to ambitious expectations and timelines.  It’s safe to say that nothing is terribly unorthodox when it comes to 11th hour production travel needs, and it remains true what they say…where there’s a will, there’s a way.  Many lessons learned, and mission accomplished.

A few other critical production peeps that came to my foreign and domestic rescue – Mark Gambol @ MG Pictures, India Film Services,  Sabrina Vogel @ Kameramann in Basel, and freelance Producer Linda Epstein in Jerusalem.

After a recent stretch of producing shoots OUTside of the Philly philm production world, it’s nice to be playing in my own backyard again. This month, Donnybrook had the chance to join forces with MG Pictures as I jumped on board to co-produce a promotional spot for Hawaiian Airlines with Director Mark Gambol. Mark and I have been friends and colleagues for years, so it was bound to be fun to step behind the camera together for his longtime client Barclaycard while managing the creative reins for the Delaware-based credit card provider’s latest production effort.

The shoot was a 3-day endeavor that witnessed location filming pit stops in West Chester, Media, and Swarthmore…in addition to a green screen sponsored layover at the client’s own swanky digs in Riverfront Wilmington. Local Philly-harvested talent included Patrick Michael, who’s always a blast to work with. And Patrick might have reason to get the Guinness folks on the horn, after donning more than 2-dozen authentic Hawaiian leis in a single take…who knew Orchids weighed so darn much.  That’s gotta be some kind of record, right? I’ll look into it, and get back to you…as well as Patrick, who’s still nursing a sore neck (& a free Mai Tai)!