Shoot: Apollo Films, Dallas, adds director Tim Williams

DALLAS - Apollo Films, Dallas, a 10-year-old production house, which has until now worked exclusively with freelance directors, has signed director Tim Williams for national representation.

Williams comes over from his own Dallas-based production house, Thunderbolt Films, which he opened in 1997. He will retain Thunderbolt for long-form projects. Previously, Williams worked several years at Teleworks, the in-house production arm of DDB Needham Dallas, where he helmed projects for such agency clients as GTE, Pepsi and Doritos.

Williams' most notable directorial credit is a six-spot package for Turning Stone Casino, Verona, N.Y., he completed through Thunderbolt that won "Best of Show" at the Dallas Ad League's Tops Awards, held in June. Concepted by the Admen, a sideline project of Jim Weber, an associate creative director at Irving-based Temerlin McClain, the spots were shot on black-and-white 16mm and depicted the quirky, day-to-day routines of casino employees.

One spot, "Dealing With Dinner," features a female blackjack dealer who takes her work so seriously that she deals her family their dinner as if dealing a hand of blackjack. Another spot, "Mr. Popular," features a happy-go-lucky blackjack dealer who explains he's been a loser at every game his entire life. The spot concludes with the dealer, now surrounded by throngs of people waiting to play at his table, dealing himself a 24.

Williams' other credits include a spot for the Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission via GSD&M, Austin.

Apollo Films executive producer Claude Locke related that the company had been looking for a Dallas-based director for some time. "We talked with a number of people," said Locke, "but when we met Tim and saw his work, I thought it showed so much promise. And he is just a quality person. I felt this is the step we should make now."

The company will continue working with select freelance directors, including automotive specialist Jeff Smith (who has recently worked on Ford spots out of J. Walter Thompson, Detroit) and comedy director Herb Stott. But Apollo will now focus on trying to build up Williams' reel, said Locke. "Tim's got a nice five-spot reel now," he elaborated. "Far and away, the strongest work is the Turning Stone Casino work; those are very impressive spots both in technique and style. So I feel we've got a good base upon which to build."

The company expects to market Williams for people, storytelling and comedy work. Apollo is repped nationally by Dallas-based Don Sundeen.