FFAKE, a new production and animation production company, has been opened by industry leader Paul Golden. The FFAKE talent roster includes such well-known animation directors as Carl Willat, Nicholas Weigel and the Maverix Art Collective, which includes Ed Bell, Robert Valley, Tom Rubalcava and Charlie Canfield. Also included on FFAKE's roster are up-and-coming talents: David Lobser, Peter Richardson and Ben Meinhardt. FFAKE is represented for commercial projects in the East by Perry Schaffer and Corey Rogers of SchafferRogers/New York.
"I decided to open FFAKE because I saw a real opportunity in this evolving marketplace to create a boutique, hybrid production/animation studio/label that can offer the best talent and technology for each individual project and client," says Paul Golden, founder and executive producer of FFAKE. "Large studios today have trouble dealing with the 'feast and famine' realities of this business. With FFAKE, I wanted to free ourselves from the large overhead of a big facility, but also not have so many directors on our roster that we are a 'rolodex' company. We have selected our talent very carefully, and they are artists who like to be independent, yet want someone with my expertise to help guide their careers."

Paul Golden's career in film and television production has been spent at some of the most creative and innovative outfits in the business, including Wild Brain and Colossal Pictures in San Francisco, Hibbert-Ralph in London, Dream Quest Images in Los Angeles, and Broadcast Arts (now Curious) in New York. Most recently, he was President of Advertising at Portland's Vinton Studios, (now known as LAIKA), under the ownership of Phil Knight, founder of Nike. Paul has produced and managed many hundreds of projects: national and international television commercials, music videos, television show packages, international programming, feature film material and special venue installations. Among his clients have been such household names as MTV, M&Ms, Disney, Nickelodeon, Cartoon Network, HBO, Paramount, Warner Bros., Budweiser, McDonald's, Coca-Cola and Nike. The industry has recognized both projects and talent under his direction with numerous awards and accolades including: several Clios, an Emmy, the London International Advertising Award, the Broadcast Designer's Association Award, the Annecy Award, The San Francisco Show Award and the Annie Award, among others.

For Golden, the FFAKE roster is made up of a fine balance between well-known artists, with whom he has worked for many years, as well as several young talents he looks forward to introducing to his clients. According to Golden, the first thing he looks for in an artist is "creative self-sufficiency," as well as "strong narrative abilities." "It's very important to me that they are dedicated to the art of filmmaking," he notes, "And that they have a driving interest to make their own films, and to tell stories." In the younger talent, Golden looks for what exactly makes them unique. "If they can make beautiful work with extremely limited resources, then I can only imagine what they can do when given a real budget."

"I have worked with Paul on and off over the years, and I was happy to have another opportunity to collaborate with him," says Director Carl Willat. "I have a history with him. He knows me, and what my strengths are. And at this point in my career, I prefer to work with someone like that since my goals now are to invent new techniques, and to do more experimental projects."

"I've joined FFAKE because I like the idea of working with a small and focused group of talented directors," adds Director Nicholas Weigel. "There are a lot of agencies or reps that handle upwards of 10-20 directors at a time, and it's easy to lose track of what exactly the 'group' is doing that is unique. Paul Golden knows production on many levels and FFAKE offers great opportunities for expression. There is a true sense of ownership in the work we create. We all want to craft visually appealing work and retain a strong sense of individual style."

Ed Bell of Maverix Studios comments: "A co-production arrangement between Maverix and FFAKE is a natural extension of an ongoing production history with Paul Golden. Paul knows our work, and he understands how we work." Adds Tom Rubalcava: "The crew here at Maverix looks forward to working with FFAKE. Paul Golden brings a wealth of advertising experience to the table, and he will certainly be an important conduit between Maverix and the ad agency world."

The goal for the first year at FFAKE is quite simple, says Golden. "Our directors are all very talented people who love doing interesting work, so our first objective is to provide them with fulfilling projects without worrying too much about a profit motive." Golden adds, "There is a lot of 'noise' right now about the transition to portable technology and its impact on animation. Even now, animation doesn't need to be "dumbed-down" to work on the web and mobile platforms, so the quality that FFAKE can create is a real plus in terms of cutting through. At the same time, we understand that the technology to create animation may indeed be easily available but not everyone has the talent or ability to use that technology in a way that creates truly high-quality and engaging animation."

Why, you may ask, would Golden name his company "FFAKE? "Well, the name FFAKE pays homage to the title of Orson Welles' final 1974 film "F for Fake," which is a charming examination of the essential duplicity of art and cinema. I became fascinated with "fake-ness" as a concept quite a while ago," he concludes. "I find it a really interesting idea that we accept something like good animation, which is really sleight of hand or essentially fake, as something very enjoyable. We don't worry about the fact that it's fake but accept it as real. FFAKE is the new real."

www.ffake.com