Director Moh Azima says he and producing partner Zach Mortensen designed Dirty Pictures to be a true virtual entity: no staff, no space, no equipment. "We thought if we had to have meetings we'd rent a limo and drive around."

The minimalist model is based on Azima's experience at creative shop Office with director and creative director Paul Meijer. "We did creative and produced our own work for agencies and clients. We worked virtually, with a pool of talent from around the world. You keep your overhead really low, you don't take projects you don't like and you hand-pick the talent for the job."

Azima uses a simple online system of bulletin boards and virtual meeting spots to manage creative collaboration and facilitate production.

Since launching the company at the Sundance Film Festival last January with the premiere of their short film TRAPPEDINFREEDOM, Dirty has completed the "Clovis" spot for MTV, six 60-second and six 15-second spots for Elle, and Azima will direct a video this winter for alternative rockers Calla.

Dirty has also developed and pitched short films with Hypnotic (a distributor owned by Universal) for brands like Jose Cuervo, Chrysler and others. "There's not as much work as there used to be and there's a lot more competition," says Azima. "A new company has to make work for itself."

He believes there's not as much work in New York as there is in LA, but there is a plus side. "Maybe it's patriotism, but I've found that when there's work in New York people go for New York directors." All his current work is coming from relationships built in the past, but he is also talking to an East Coast rep.

Azima is the only director on the roster but Dirty has relationships with Tommy Pollotta (Waking Life), with whom the company did Zero 7's "Destiny" video, and French director Laurent Seroussi, for whom they produced Pure's new video for the European market.

WEBFILES:
Dirty Pictures> http://www.dirtypicturesinc.com