On the crest of Utopic’s second year anniversary in December, partners editors Jan Maitland and Tim Kloehn, and executive producer Michael Antonucci have succeeded in evolving their company into the full-service model they had envisioned from the beginning.
Calling itself “integrated” (“It’s our mantra,” says Antonucci), Utopic offers a range of visual media services: post, print, mobile, web, interactive, audio – and now production.
“We are staffing up with a full-fledged directorial roster going into the New Year, to aggressively compete in the marketplace,” Antonucci says.
On the roster are three new directors, Alex Beh, Al Wyatt and Kevin Banna. A fourth, Michael LaBellarte, joined last August.
North Shore native and currently based in L.A., Alex Beh is a comedic spot director and actor, “with a phenomenal reel of commercials, comedy shorts and performance dialog,” says Antonucci.
He moves over from One at Optimus where he was a writer/producer/director. Beh directed and/or appeared in spots for Motorola, Gillette, Sears, Bud Light and Burger King, among others.
He also has an award-winning filmography spanning more than 50 shorts, music videos and TV appearances. His latest short is “Coffees,” in which he also stars, with Nicky Whelan (“Scrubs”), Efren Ramirez (“Napoleon Dynamite”) and Julie McNiven (“Mad Men”).
Al Wyatt, like many a successful spot director, comes from advertising. He spent two decades in the agency business as a creative director/copywriter, the last nine at Energy BBDO, earning Clios and One Show awards and being short-listed at the Cannes Lions.
He, too, has directed comedy dialog, a genre that receives a lot of requests, notes Antonucci.
Wyatt started his directing career with international Smuggler and spent the last three years with Chicago-based 59 Films, whose clients include the Illinois Lottery, Right Guard and Jiffy Lube.
Apart from commercials, Wyatt also writes and directs shorts. His slightly dark romantic comedy “Focus,” is currently making the rounds of the festival circuit.
Kevin Banna, an advertising, editorial and lifestyle photographer for 26 years, with a studio in Fulton Market, has shot major print companies for major New York and Chicago agencies.
Starting last January, he made the transition to motion, calling it “storytelling on steroids” and saying he loves the challenges of motion and collaborating with clients and crews.
Banna has shot Foster Grant and Kellogg’s “Tony the Tiger” spots for Kellogg’s, some pieces for trade show use, and an ironic piece based on Craigslist ads called “I Need Your Help.”
Michael LaBellarte, who previously owned Outsider, Inc., was the first director to join Utopic and has been working non-stop ever since. His latest project as a long-form piece for an Abelson-Taylor pharmaceutical client.
The directorial team is represented by Laurel Dobose, who recently opened her own repping firm, after many years with Hilly Reps.
Antonucci, a former Leo Burnett production executive has relinquished his executive producer/post duties to Heather Mitchell to focus on the new production entity.
“We are fully implemented and hitting our stride as we go into our third year of business,” says Antonucci. “We have all the bases covered, shoot, edit, web design and implementation. We started with a core team, fleshed out the offering and strengthen the talent as we move forward.”
Utopic now employs a staff 19 and occupies the entire 9,800-sq. ft. fourth floor of a former loft at 420 N. Wabash Ave.
