Boris Damast is an award winning director and partner in production company, Mechaniks, based in Venice, California
Boris’s feature film, “Pros and Cons”, for HBO/Cinemax, won the best actor award at he Aspen Film Festival for its lead actor Larry Miller and featured such names as Jerry Seinfeld and Paul Reiser.
Boris has also directed episodes of TV series including “The Invisible Man”, “ The Tick” plus the pilot of “Manhattan Arizona.”
Prior to launching his career as a director in 1992, Boris enjoyed a very successful period as an advertising agency creative director.
In the early 80’s, after stints in London and South Africa, Boris moved to the USA. Over a twelve-year period, he became a creative director at DMB&B, St. Louis, creative director at Saatchi New York and, finally, National Creative Director for all five offices for BBDO, Canada.
Since becoming a director, Boris has also made hundreds of commercials for dozens of major advertisers worldwide. Major accounts he has worked on include, Federal Express, Apple Computer, Budweiser, Nestle, GM, Fiat, Taco Bell, Polaroid, Gillette, Seagram’s, McDonalds, Kellogg’s, Coca Cola, Chrysler, Tuborg plus many more.
Over the course of his career he has won well over 200 awards in the world’s top advertising shows. He has also been a judge on many awards juries including Cannes. One of his proudest achievements was to help make BBDO the first Canadian Agency ever to become International Agency of the year as voted by Advertising Age.
Andrea Kikot is a multi award winning producer who is currently a partner in Mechaniks, a production company based in Venice, California.
Andrea started in the advertising and film business in Canada 20 years ago and has never looked back. After stints as producer on various films in Canada she moved shop to Los Angeles in the heart of the film business. As executive producer of Mechaniks, she manages a roster of 6 directors as well as development of TV and Feature projects.
Along with the film projects Andrea has produced she also has shot hundreds of commercials for many of the world’s biggest brands all over the world. Major accounts include, Federal Express, Apple Computer, Budweiser, Nestle,
GM, Fiat, Taco Bell, Polaroid, Gillette, Seagram’s, McDonalds, Kellogg’s, Coca Cola, C Citibank, plus many more. Andrea also has the honor of having an award wining commercial in the permanant advertising exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art in New York.
Owner: IDEA Produzioni (ITA), Partner EMOVIES,LLC (US)
Maximiliano Czertok is an entertainment professional primarily focus in production and cross media marketing. As producer and consultant is in care of production, marketing and film representation for both domestic and international markets. In 20 years in the audiovisual industry Max has been in care of production, coproduction, post production, financing, marketing, promotion, with high end’s results. Credits include: TV series, talk shows, documentaries, commercials, music videos, independent films and shorts, international film events, multimedia and cross media events.
2000 he directed and produced the indie feature “GAME OVER” that has become a cult movie in Italy.
2001, he produced and directed “Reflex” that has been selected to the art festival POLIPHONIX at the Pompidux Museum in Paris.
2003 to 2008 his company IDEA enters START Start-Up Incubator at Cinecitta’ Studios, jointly with company partner File-Video by Giulia Cerulli
2005 he has created and handed a cross media project called “Scriptblog Project” for online development of film scripts, involving the following partners: Cinecittà Studios, New University of Cinema and Television, Proxima VFX, Lazio Film Commission, Ile De France Film Commission, French Embassy in Rome, Supper Club Rome.
2005 to 2008 he has been developing between Europe and US, a unique entertainment franchise’s business model for independent films.
2007 he is head of marketing and coproduction consultant for Dujass Film spa in the production, still in progress, of a 3D animation movie “Orlando”; the marketing strategy has obtained the interest of 20th Century Fox Italy, 20th Century Fox International and Disney Italy as well as the interest of several major animation production companies in Asia.
2009 he is business development and marketing consultant for Warm Up, Stomach and Publitalia in the creation of a teen ager sport concept and property “JUNIOR” with the concept of an animation TV series actually in negotiation with De Agostini Group, a live sport event including San Siro stadium in Milan, a virtual world and multiplayer game, a property licensing franchise.