Bi-coastal production company Original has partnered with award-winning editor/director Jonathan Del Gatto as creative director of its newly-formed postproduction division. Original (formerly Original Film) has been expanding recently and the new post offering will allow it to provide turnkey services for broadcast advertising, branded content and other forms of visual media.
“The worlds of production and postproduction are blending,” said Original executive producer Joe Piccirillo. “Ad agencies and others are increasingly coming to us for turnkey solutions. For 20 years, Original has been a very successful production company, but we are evolving and are no longer just about production. Clients are now coming to us for design and editorial. We are a resource for whatever they need.”
The new division will offer editorial, design, motion graphics, visual effects and animation. It will handle projects produced by Original and by outside producers. In addition to leading the new venture, Del Gatto will offer his services as a director and editor. In his first project with Original, Del Gatto directed and edited “The Ambassadors of Wow,” a series of web videos for Jamba Juice and The Neighbor Agency, Los Angeles.
Del Gatto, who has been a top commercial editor for more than 15 years, arrives from the Chicago-based digital studio Foundation Content where he expanded into directing. His work there included web-based video series for United Airlines and real estate developer Del Webb. He also directed and edited two music videos for the punk duo Matt & Kim.
Del Gatto’s background includes seven years at Terminal Media, an editorial house he founded, and eight years at Red Car. He is the winner of seven Clio, eight AICP and seven LIAA awards. In 2009, he edited a 30-minute film, created by Minneapolis agency Barrie D’Rozario Murphy for the Chambers Hotel, that won a Gold Lion at the Cannes International Advertising Festival. In addition to his advertising work, Del Gatto has extensive experience in feature films, documentaries, music videos and shorts.
“Jonathan is not only a great talent, he is a good friend and someone whom I enjoy working with day in and day out,” said Piccirillo. “We’re excited to have him helm this new division and to have the opportunity to help him build his directorial career.”
Del Gatto said that he plans to develop Original’s post division into a state-of-the-art digital production studio. “As advertising media continues to expand into web and mobile platforms, the production industry is becoming increasingly post-centric,” he observed. “We plan to capitalize on that trend by offering a way to develop projects in creative, smart and modern ways.”
