Somoroff+ Studios, a New Model Content Production Company, Launches at Mana Contemporary

Led by Director Michael Somoroff and CCO Jack Cohn, the studio debuts with an emphasis on food and beverage tabletop work, VFX, photography and design. Director Michael Somoroff and veteran Executive Producer Jack Cohn have announced the launch of their new content production company, Somoroff+ Studios (http://somoroffplus.com/). Housed at an international art destination, Mana Contemporary in Jersey City, the sprawling arts complex just 15 minutes from SoHo, the studio is designed to meet the needs of today’s global marketers and their ad agencies. Somoroff is an accomplished tabletop director whose career includes extensive credentials, both in the US and Europe. Prior to launching Somoroff+ Studios, he was Founder and Senior Partner at the New York production company MacGuffin Films. Partnering with him on this new venture is Cohn, who built the careers of many of the industry’s leading directorial talents. In co-founding Somoroff+ Studios, Somoroff and Cohn are applying decades of combined experience in the advertising world to create a company structured in a significantly contemporary and disruptive form than most other content production studios. “It’s a very exciting time,” Somoroff notes. “Clients’ needs have evolved, and the amount of content they require has exploded. I’ve have never seen a greater need for excellent production work like today. With budgets being spread across so many additional platforms, it’s an environment that screams for innovation and problem solving, something we find very seductive. We want to be at the cutting edge, and we’re willing to invest in projects to prove it.”

“Our model is built around finding solutions for our clients, both financially and creatively,” adds Cohn. “We provide flexible creativity in every area with the utmost in terms of high quality production value for varying budgets. We do this in large part by relying on teamwork, tapping a group that’s highly experienced yet can work in a flexible, collaborative manner, and backing them up with a fully equipped, world-class production facility – soup to nuts.”

The company opens with an expansive and growing roster of directors with experience in the areas of food, beverage, casual dining and QSR brands, as well as lifestyle, fashion, beauty and apparel. In addition to Somoroff himself, it includes veteran tabletop specialists Vittorio Sacco and Etienne Proulx. The roster also includes directors Darren Bult, Astrid Sterner and Tom Bracone, with more additions in the works.

Somoroff+ Studios will offer multi-media production and still photography packaged with motion. Leading the studio’s integrated print operation will be the photographer James Salzano, who has also worked together with Somoroff for many years on the directors’ many print assignments.

Occupying two floors of the Mana arts complex, S+ comprises 18,000 square feet of studio, creative and office space. It boasts a full working commercial kitchen and a scenic construction unit able to fabricate anything required for product, food, package goods or beverage-related content. Housed on its main floor is The Lab Plus (http://somoroffplus.com/facility/the-lab/), a division which offers agencies, production companies and members of the S+ network access to robotic camera units and proprietary software tools for digital capture, motion-control, design and effects work.

A key part of the S+ team is award-winning editor Charlie Cusumano, formerly of Red Car, who’ll lead its post division. The company has also partnered with Provider Media, an outsourced post production service, to offer everything from color grading to finishing, rounding out its concept-to-completion capabilities.

Joining as Director of New Business is Cameron Gray, who comes over from The Mill, where he was Color Producer. Leading its West Coast presence will be Robert Wherry of FANCY Content, whose company will represent the S+ slate of directors in that part of the country. In the Midwest, the studio is repped by Miller + Miller, with Joanne Ferraro providing representation in the East. And S+ has established representation in Europe with BLM Film in Germany, and in Japan, where it’s repped by PMC.