Executive producer and line producer Michele Abbott has launched Road Trip Films, a new production company designed to accommodate commercial shoots anywhere, on any scale.
“Our goal is to serve as master facilitator and faithful traveling companion,” said Abbott, whose career spans two decades and who has been involved in the production of music videos and television commercials for some of the industry’s leading artists and agencies.
Breaking with tradition, RTF will not maintain a formal directorial roster. Rather, the company has ready access to an array of freelance directors depending on the creative and production requirements of the project. Creative talent includes director/cameramen, agency creative directors, feature directors, visual effects artists, postproduction houses, promotional directors and field producers.
Road Trip is Non-DGA. It is, however, an IATSE union signatory, which allows for access to top-level commercial crew and directors of photography. Road Trip is also a member of the AICP.
Before opening Road Trip, Abbott served as a freelance producer with production companies such as RSA, Partizan and SMUGGLER. She has produced for directors Jake, Luke and Jordan Scott, Sam Jones, Laurence Dunmore, Sam Bayer, Hype Williams, Brian Beletic, Bryan Singer and Warren Kushner. Music videos for Madonna, Mary J. Blige and The Wallflowers share space on Abbott’s resume with commercials for Amex, AT&T, Nike, Visa and over 10 years of producing campaigns for California Tourism.
“My love of road trips rose to a new high on one of my all time favorite jobs, Nike’s ‘Magnets,’ featuring Lance Armstrong and directed by Jake Scott,” Abbott explained. “It started off with a brilliant idea for ‘tech scouting’ all over the state with the crew in a rock ‘n’ roll bus. We ventured from Northern California to the Arizona/California border to Austin, Texas, chasing bikes, trains, geese and buffalo along the way.”
Abbott’s other inspiration for Road Trip Films was producing the California Tourism campaigns. Traveling with the agency, client and crew to the best places in California could hardly be called work, she explained. “We traversed Tahoe to Napa, San Francisco to San Luis Obispo, Disneyland to San Diego with celebrities in most every scene. Logistics, diplomacy and organization combined with truly enjoying the views along the way, make for successful and memorable adventures.”
Road Trip Films will act as both production company and production service. Capable of any size job – from full-sized commercial film shoots, to a smaller HD video projects. Road Trip will offer bidding, location scouting, travel coordination, payroll, insurance and overall production support.
“Agility should never be confused with compromise – whether it’s a complex production or an insert, we maintain a standard of excellence across the board,” Abbott concluded. “At Road Trip Films, whether putting together a large-scale commercial shoot or working lean, from agency boards and web content to running footage, I strive to create more memorable work and continue the adventure!”
