The company was started in 1972 by general manager/executive producer Herb Sidel, and was the long time roost of director Howard Zief ("That's a spicy meatball!").

Today, Independent Artists is part of Screen Gems, with director/cameraman Ian Leech working as its main North American director (he works in Canada through Partners', where his intense dialog and evocative visuals have shaped campaigns for Invis and Royal Bank). The more recent changes however have been the addition of Italian talent scout/associate producer Patrizia Comello and a group of international directors: Tracey Rowe, Julio Del Alamo, Mike Berkofsky and Paolo Calcagni.

Comello, who worked as writer producer for a number of Italian TV programs, agency producer for Ammirati Puris Lintas and producer for Milanese production companies such as Filmgo, Groucho Film and Tark Film, describes how she built the roster.

"I tried to find directors good enough for this market without US representation," she says. "I tried to give the company some differentiation in directors, comedy, fashion, strong design and visual style."

Rowe, from Australia, specializes in visuals both sultry and atmospheric, while Del Alamo's (owner of Spain's Alamo Films) spots for Audi A4 ("1000 Reasons") and Caja Madrid ("Mortgage") display human truths and comedic visual metaphors. Berkofsky's work is highly anchored in visual effects while Calcagni's work ranges from global visuals to intense narrative.