Looking to bolster its senior management team as the company continues to expand, Werc Werk Works, the ascending indie production and finance shingle, has appointed two new executives to its executive staff. Geoff Sass has joined the company as Chief Marketing Officer and Andrew Peterson as Vice President of Production. The announcement was made today by Werc Werk Works co-founders Elizabeth Redleaf and Christine Kunewa Walker.
Launched in August 2008, Werc Werk Works has been highly active in sourcing some of the top independent projects and already has three strong films on its production slate. The company is financing and producing “Howl,” starring James Franco, about the obscenity trial of Allen Ginsberg’s groundbreaking poem, and the young poet who gained fame as a result; Acclaimed director Todd Solondz’s newest feature “Life During Wartime” (a follow up to Solondz’s “Happiness”), which is currently in post-production; and Bella Tarr’s “The Turin Horse,” which is now in production.
In his role as Chief Marketing Officer, Sass oversees strategic development of the Werc Werk Works brand as well as all marketing and advertising associated with the projects Werks produces and finances.
Prior to joining Werks, he served for seven years as the Senior Vice President of Digital Marketing and Advertising at OLSON Advertising. During his time at OLSON Geoff had a major impact on the success of some of the top brands in the world including Target, Nike, Capital One, Lee Jeans, Thomson Reuters, United Health Group, and ConAgra. His specialty has been using online communities to build engagement and sales (even before Facebook and YouTube existed) and as a partner, he helped build OLSON from a small boutique agency to one of the hottest agencies in the country. Sass’s work received numerous Advertising Industry awards including multiple Gold EFFIEs.
Joining Werc Werk Works marks a return to the world of independent film and performing arts for Sass. He began his career as a writer, performer, musician and composer for diverse productions from the Shakespearean to the Avant–Garde. He teamed up with filmmaker Shelli Ainsworth to create a series of highly regarded short films that appeared in museums and festivals around the world. He developed one of the first dramatic works for ITVS for the Television Families Series with coordinating producer James Schamus.
Werks’ new Vice President of Production, Andrew Peterson, is an award-winning filmmaker who has been working in independent film for over 15 years. Along the way he has not only made films, but has taught filmmaking and worked for years as a festival programmer. He brings extensive experience in creative producing, screenwriting, budgeting, production and editing. In his new position he will report to Werks’ Co-Founder and President of Production Christine Kunewa Walker.
Andrew began his career as a location manager working with many respected directors including Alan Rudolph, Ted Demme and David Lynch. This led him to New York University Graduate Film School where he received his MFA in Filmmaking and made several award-winning short films, which have screened at numerous film festivals, museums and on U.S. and British television. He has also produced two award-winning feature films, “World and Time Enough” and “Older than America.” Andrew served as Director of Production for the Minnesota Film Board and regularly consulted many independent films and film festivals.
Andrew had been Director of Programming for the Provincetown International Film Festival since 2006. Prior to that, he served as Director of Theatre Operations for the Sundance Film Festival and consulted with the festival on operations as well as prescreening US narrative features for the programming department. In addition to his programming work, Andrew helped secure acting and directing honorees for Provincetown including Quentin Tarantino, Todd Solondz, Gregg Araki, Gael García Bernal, Lili Taylor, Alan Cumming, Jane Lynch and Kathleen Turner. Andrew has spearheaded an initiative to partner the festival with IndieLisboa and has helped significantly raise the festival’s profile, resulting in coverage from a host of publications including CNN, Variety, The New York Times and BBC America.
Commenting on the hiring of Sass and Peterson, Redleaf said, “Geoff and Andrew will be instrumental in the continued growth and success of the company. They undoubtedly strengthen the company’s position as we hone in on our mission to make Werc Werk Works one of the best film companies to be in business with.”
About Werc Werk Works:
Werc Werk Works is an independent film production and finance company founded by Elizabeth Redleaf and Independent Spirit Award nominated producer Christine Kunewa Walker (“American Splendor” “Factotum”) and is dedicated to the production and financing of high caliber, story-driven films with wide appeal.
The company strives to be a consistent supplier of commercial projects for both the studios and strong independent distributors worldwide. Current productions include Todd Solondz’s upcoming feature (a follow up to “Happiness”), “Howl” – the feature film about Allen Ginsberg’s groundbreaking poem, and Bella Tarr’s “The Turin Horse.”
In addition to traditional film production, Werc Werk Works is set up to take advantage of digital convergence in the entertainment arena and become a vertically integrated film production, distribution and financing operation.
For more information, please visit www.wercwerkworks.com
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