Vaughanster: Congratulations for winning a Telly Award for work on Jennifer Lopez's Teeology.com campaign! Does that have something to do with golfing?
Jamee Natella: No. Teeology is an internet based clothing company that allows its subscriber customers to engage in the process of choosing designs by voting on line. Jennifer Lopez helped launch the company and leads a team of curators to select designers for the clothing. We created a video featuring Ms. Lopez to tell this unique story.
Vaughanster: After looking at your web site (www.blueyedpictures.com), I gather that it has been up since 2010. Did you not have an online presence before that?
Jamee Natella: Blueyed has had a social Media & Website presence since its inception in 1988. Much of the web technology has changed throughout the years, In 2010 we hired the company,” Delicious Simplicity” to give our website a stronger presence.
Vaughanster: You are the "founder and executive producer of Blueyed Pictures." Why did you found this company, and why do you call it "Blueyed"?
Jamee Natella: On the merit of A short Film win at Venice Film Festival, I was offered a job to work at TBS (Tokyo Broadcasting system) where I stayed for a few years producing a local morning talk show. While I was there, I noticed a certain lack of western production knowledge and bilingual crews. I saw the need to implement a more western work ethic in the productions for foreign clients and to develop more confidence in the Japanese culture. I decided to leave TBS to create my own company that would deliver these standards to Advertising Agencies, Production Companies and PR firms. In 1998, I launched Blueyed Pictures in Tokyo. 6 years later, I opened the London office, since many of my clients in Tokyo where British. The name Blueyed came to me when I was sitting at a baseball game at Tokyo Dome with my girlfriend , Corrina. I had just gotten a phone call that my Japanese guarantor decided to back my new company. The catch was that he was leaving for a long business trip the next day and needed his attorney to draw up the contracts beforehand. It was a Thursday evening at 7 pm!I needed a name for the company within 24 hrs to ensure that my deal was going to happen. Ironically, my girlfriend who was sitting next to me asked me to move to the next seat in the stadium. Some other people had arrived to watch the game and blurted out -" blueyed gal move over!". So I just blurted out Blueyed Pictures! I never thought 18 years later I'd still be doing business with the name Blueyed Pictures, let alone have offices in Tokyo, London and LA.
Vaughanster: Your commercial reel indicates you have produced commercials for Adidas, Danone, Doritos, Factory, Guinness, Hewlett-Packard, Levi's, Lexus, Olay, the Olympics, Nivea, Red Bee, Reebok, Sansiri, Scion, teeology, and Under Armor. Which, if any, of these products and services do you personally use? Which are your favorites?
Jamee Natella: The brands above represent both work Blueyed has produced and also the work of our directors. I have used several of these products - namely Adidas, Danon, Doritos (alot) Guinness, HP, Levi's, Toyota, Nivea, Reebok and Teeology --- and of course would not have missed the Olympics.
Vaughanster: According to SourceCreative.com, Blueyed Pictures contracted three directors by January 2, 2013: Sean McNamara, Muriel Lacalmontie, and Alexander Love. What have they done for Blueyed since then?
Jamee Natella: Sean McNamara is a feature film director who is in preproduction on his next film shooting abroad. He brings his expertise in the family & children storytelling genre to Blueyed.
Muriel's work with Dove, Nivea and most recently Procter & Gamble for Naturella has positioned Blueyed as a major contender in the commercial beauty genre. Alexander Love completed a large successful campaign for Sansiri Luxury Condominiums in Thailand and continues to work internationally on client-direct projects.
Vaughanster: SourceCreative.com also indicates that Blueyed contracted another executive producer, Lorraine Schreyer. What has she done for Blueyed since then?
Jamee Natella: Over the past year, Lorraine has expanded and continues to expand our director roster to cover a wide range of genres and skill levels. She continues to build as well as execute marketing and growth strategies - via PR, social media and face-to-face opportunities. By attracting the right people to our team and by interfacing with existing potential clients both at the advertising agency and client direct level we have seen our brand gain momentum.
Vaughanster: SourceCreative.com quotes you as stating that "BLU" "offer[s] [its] clients an opportunity to partner with emerging A-list talent." "BLU" is apparently a nickname for Blueyed Pictures. Does B.L.U. stand for anything else?
Jamee Natella: BLU is simply a moniker we've adopted to abbreviate the full name.
Vaughanster: What are the names of specific A-listers you were referring to?
Jamee Natella: We are known for tapping into highly skilled emerging filmmakers all whose names appear on our roster (www.blueyedpictures.com). Each director has been recognized in the industry for his or her outstanding award-winning work across different platforms -feature, short-film, music video, commercial, and branded content. Each one is an emerging A-list director which is on track with the level of work that BLU has produced for brands such as Lexus, Scion, Under Armour and Pepsi.
Jamee Natella: There are so many talented A listers we have worked with. To name a few artists, Jay-Z, Justin Timberlake, Jennifer Lopez, Russell Brand, Lea Michelle, Dan Akroid, Jon Voight and Halle Berry. Directors, Lorriane and I have Produced for, are Brett Ratner, Michelle Gandry , Elliott Lester, Joseph Resnick, Sean McNamara, Greg Poppin ,Marcus Nispel, David Lachapelle.
Vaughanster: Have you met a lot of these A-listers personally? If so, which, if any, exceeded your expectations, and which, if any, disappointed you?
Jamee Natella: Yes, I have met many and worked closely with them. They have always lived up to their reputation.
Vaughanster: You have headquarters in Tokyo and London, as well as Los Angeles. What are some of the challenges you face operating in Asia, North America and Europe?
Jamee Natella: Sometimes implementing the level of production standards is not the same. Also maintaining a good level of communication despite cultural differences. I know Lorraine and I try to have face to face relationships but sometimes distance can make it difficult . We are very thankful for Skype, face time & ichat!
Vaughanster: Do you intend to eventually have headquarters in Africa and South America?
Jamee Natella: I don’t have any plans as of now. Currently we have great partners in both countries.
Vaughanster: Where do you spend most of your time - in which city? Where do you call "home"?
Jamee Natella: My home is now in LA. However, I spend an equal amount of time in London and Tokyo.
Vaughanster: What, if anything, would you like the world to know about your parents, siblings, significant others and children?
Jamee Natella: My Mother and Father are very modest people from Chicago, they worked hard their whole lives and instilled a strong work ethic in me. I am the youngest of three children. My older brothers, make sure to remind me to live life to it’s fullest and never take anything for granted. They keep me grounded, which I believe is a good thing in this business. I like that they remind me that at heart I am a mid-western girl! My happiness comes from my daily life experiences. My Boyfriend and son, Sam bring me a lot of happiness and laughter.
Jamee Natella: Originally I wanted to act. I had roles on the TV shows, Doogie Howser, 90210, and the Trials of Rosie O’Neill to name a few. However, I realized my passion and expertise were behind the camera. I never modeled.
My mother was a ballroom dancer so when I as little she had me take ballroom dance lessons. I loved it, however I never perused it professionally. I shortly realized a dancers life is physically demanding. I have the utmost respect for any dancer, they leave the audience with a lasting impression of what our body can achieve when pushed to the limit.
Vaughanster: What musical instruments, if any, do you play?
Jamee Natella: I wish I continued playing flute and Violin. But I would not garner that I can play any instrument. However my brother Randy is an incredible pianist. It’s a shame he never perused it professionally.
Vaughanster: Where haven't you traveled, that you intend to visit?
Jamee Natella: I feel fortunate I have traveled to many countries. I would still like to explore, Africa, The Amazon, Belize and the Middle East.
Vaughanster: What are your favorite vacation spots?
Jamee Natella: Necker Island and the Maldives. I like to be on far away islands!
Vaughanster: What languages do you know?
Jamee Natella: Japanese and English
Vaughanster: As the founder of such an impressive organization as Blueyed, that has continued to grow since 1998, when Bill Clinton was the President of the United States, what, if anything, would you like to tell the world about politics and/or religion, and how these ideologies affect your business?
Jamee Natella: Politics affects the commercial entertainment industry in every way. Our leaders are elected based on the moods and tastes of our time. The messages that brands send out need to be in sync with what people value and demand historically, Advertising is a reflection of ideologies, aspirations and temperaments. For example, In the past decade as the U.S. navigates its way out of the recession we've seen a focus on "real people and real stories" driven themes in commercials.
Vaughanster: What advice, if any, would you like to give people in the entertainment industry who are not A-listers, but are struggling to make a living?
Jamee Natella: In the Entertainment business you never know when a job might arise. Work hard and be honest. I believe no job is too small or too big. Constantly keep working on your craft and try to develop strong lasting work-friendships. Always make a good impression because you never know who might be your on your next job!
Links:
Watch 2013 commercial reel here - https://vimeo.com/blueyedpictures/review/71451527/b8d07abc8d
Please review some of their insightful and compelling work below:
SourceeCreative - www.sourceecreative.com/news.php?ID=7289
Production Hub - www.productionhub.com/classifieds/view.aspx?item=4020
Shoot Online - http://web11.shootonline.com/go/index.php?name=Release&op=view&id=rs-web4-1825521-1355969392-2
Little Black Book Online - http://lbbonline.com/news/blueyed-pictures-expands-directorial-roster
Interview by William Mortensen Vaughan
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