Glenn Lazzaro, Director/CD, Crossroads Television, steps up to answer Five Questions.
1. What are you working on today?
Developing creative for the new promo campaign for Bravo’s reality series “Shear Genius.”
2. What have you found is the best tool or innovation that has come out in the last year?
The great compact consumer HD cameras that have keep getting better with each new model.
3. The project (film, television, commercial or music video) that most impressed you in the last year? Why?
I loved the video Patrick Daughters directed for “1,2,3,4” by Feist. A cleverly choreographed camera follows synchronized dancers around a warehouse. All in one 4 minute take. Simple yet brilliant.
4. The best or favorite project that you worked on in the past year? And why?
There were lots of great ones but I think the most fun was a Promo Campaign I wrote and directed for the new season of “Survivor.” It involved hijacking “Survivor” fans, throwing them out of an airplane only to have them end up on a deserted beach where they had to face-off with the show’s previous winners.
5. Name the top 4 artists on your iPod?
It changes constantly but this week it’s:
Calexico
Serge Gainsbourg
Broken Social Scene
Dntel
Now Seating: Crossroads Opens A Restaurant For Bravo’s Top Chef Press Release
The menu? Mouthwatering. The chefs? Too many to count. The restaurant? Now seating, in a promo campaign for Bravo’s Top Chef. But don’t call for reservations—Crossroads built, shot, and struck the stylish eatery over the space of one elaborate production.
Chicago is the setting for season four of Top Chef, Bravo’s hit creative competition series. Crossroads, the NY-and-LA-based branding and promotion agency, shot previous promo campaigns for Top Chef in abstract kitchen environments. “Bravo thought it was time to raise the temperature,” said director Glenn Lazzaro of Crossroads.
For the new campaign, Crossroads built a stylish restaurant from scratch. Writer/producer Amanda Hanig and graphic designer Han Yi collaborated with Lazzaro on the concept, aiming for a place that seemed warm and inviting. The resulting set features a sunken lounge, dining area, wine bar and food service area. “We tried to create a place viewers would want to hang out in, to spend time with Padma and the cast,” said Lazzaro.
The set’s style ranges from “mid-century modern to ultra modern,” featuring natural dark woods, a repeating wall filled with portholes, and sleek furniture, all lit by intimate, practical lighting. It serves as an appealing setting for the show’s host, Padma Lakshmi, and the show’s array of competing chefs.
“It’s all about giving the cast a place to showcase their styles and quirks,” said Lazzaro. Each chef had the opportunity to make the restaurant their own, lighting things up with fiery flambés, trays of cocktails, and tempting dishes. Not to mention flashes of competitive, even eccentric, personality.
Season four of Top Chef airs Wednesdays at 10 p.m. EST on Bravo.
Crossroads credits:
Creative Director/Director: Glenn Lazzaro
Executive Producer: Dean Winkler
Producer: Rick Rosenmeyer
DP: Pierre Rouger
Art Director: Peter Benson
Post Production Supervisor: Mandy Key
Bravo credits:
Jason Klarman, EVP, Marketing & Brand Strategy
Jane Olson, VP, Brand Strategy/Creative Director
Amy Troiano, VP, On-Air Promotion
Justin Reichman, Creative Director
Amanda Hanig, Writer/Producer
Han Yi, Graphic Designer
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Glenn Lazzaro, Director/CD, Crossroads Television, steps up to answer Five Questions.
