Spears & Arrows, the three-year-old production company founded by executive producer Jason Wolk, has announced the addition of directors Robert Logevall and Josh Miller. They join a roster that includes Arni Thor Jonsson, Ago Panini, John Grammatico and Don Broida.
Reportedly for Wolk, the additions of Logevall and Miller represented a continuation of the values that he founded the company on, which he summed up in the corporate philosophy: “Defend The Story.”
“‘Defend the story’ simply means putting the creative ahead of everything else – ahead of money, profits, margins,” Wolk said. “As one creative director told me, Spears & Arrows combines new school thinking with old school values. For me, that was a huge compliment. That’s exactly what I set out to do when I launched the company 2014, and it’s why we wanted to work with both Robert and Josh.”
Robert Logevall comes to Spears & Arrows following stints at production companies Supply & Demand and Anonymous Content. Originally from Sweden, Logevall began his creative career in Canada working as both an art director and production designer in film and television.
His visual style is exemplified in his Fiat spot “Immigrant,” a whimsical montage of various Fiat’s driving into the waters around Italy and arriving on American shores to highlight the brand’s reemergence in the U.S. market; and Chrysler‘s “Life Evolves,” which effectively uses a split-screen to highlight two distinct stages in a man’s life and the car’s that bridges them.
“Robert is famous for his unique twist on the auto spot,” Wolk noted, “but he is much more than your typical ‘car guy.’ His spots are always very composed and graphic thanks to his production design background. His eye for detail and sly wit have made him a favorite not only in Detroit, but agencies worldwide.”
In addition to his commercial work, Logevall recently wrapped shooting his second feature film, American Pets, as well as a short film, Kim and I.
Josh Miller began his career as an agency copywriter working at such top creative shops as Kirshenbaum Bond + Partners and Hampel Stefanides. He worked as a creative director at Cliff Freeman & Partners and Team One Advertising, before launching his own directing career that included stints at RSA Films, B-Reel Films and most recently Humongous Production.
“Josh’s agency creative background is a huge plus, he understands the pressures agency producers and creatives are under with their client relationships, and what the team is up against in general,” Wolk said. “He’s able to offer creative solutions that work for everybody, and always without ego.”
Miller currently has two series’ in development at Comedy Central; one based on his award-winning short film, Hand Job: Portrait of a Professional Male Hand Model.
Wolk added, “The whole business has changed — there’s less work, for less money that needs to be done quicker, but with even greater expectations. The days of an agency producer simply handing a board and a budget to a director are long gone. For us, every job is precious and a chance to do something great, which is why we treat every job as if it’s our last.”
Spears & Arrows is represented on East Coast by Mary Eiff and Michelle Stuart of Hello Tomorrow (www.hellotomorrow.tv); Brad Grubaugh and Sophie Moore of Goodrebel (www.goodrebel.tv) on the West Coast and Texas; and in the Midwest by Nikki Weiss-Goldstein of Nikki Weiss & Co (www.nikkiweissandco.com).
