L.A. Basks in Glow of Ads Up for Emmy

Los Angeles producers swept the Emmy nominations for outstanding television commercial on Thursday, underscoring the city’s importance as a production center for commercials.

Four of five nominations went to Los Angeles commercial production companies and the fifth went to advertising agency TBWA Chiat/Day.

“Los Angeles is the commercial production center of the world,” said Frank Scherma, chairman of the Assn. of Independent Producers, a trade organization. “Most of the agencies are in New York, but most of the production is here.”

Commercials were first eligible for Emmy awards in 1997.

Spots nominated Thursday are rich in emotion and story-telling. Among ads nominated is one titled “Freshman” from New York ad agency Young & Rubicam for AT&T.; In that spot, produced by Gartner, a mother takes her daughter to college and leaves her with a phone card. The daughter then uses the card to contact her mother’s car phone.

“There’s lots of advertising awards and it’s nice to win them, but the Emmy is special,” said Rich Carter, executive producer at Gartner. “We’re grateful to the academy for including commercials.”

Another emotion-rich spot is “Working Mother,” created by advertising agency Leo Burnett for Hallmark cards and produced by Lieberman Productions. The ad shows a weary mother who agrees to read her children a story. As she turns the pages, she sees a card thanking her for being a great mom.

Other ads nominated are:

* “The Elopement,” a send-up of the film classic “A Streetcar Named Desire” from ad agency Young & Rubicam for Pella Windows. In the ad, produced by Coppos Films, the Marlon Brando character gives up on Stella because he can’t open her window.

* “Think Different” from TBWA Chiat/Day for Apple Computer, a montage of legendary figures. The ad generated controversy for including such spiritual figures as Mohandas K. Gandhi and the Dalai Lama.

* “Virtual Reality” from advertising agency Ogilvy & Mather for American Express, produced by Propaganda Films. The spot shows a customer disappointed that he can’t buy a virtual reality headset because he’s over his credit limit on his Visa card.

According to the city’s film office, Los Angeles accounts for about 70% of commercials produced to air in the U.S., up from about 60% a decade ago. New York ranks second, with about 15% of commercial production.

Scherma, also president of Radical Media, a commercial production company, said an improved regulatory climate that makes getting permits faster and a deep pool of cinematic talent are why the business in Los Angeles has grown in recent years. Because Los Angeles is the center of the entertainment industry, talented producers can move between commercials and TV and film, Scherma said.

Rob Lieberman of Lieberman Productions, which produced the Emmy-nominated spot for Hallmark, has been involved in TV production. And Propaganda Films, which produced the American Express spot, is owned by entertainment giant PolyGram.

Tighter commercial budgets are another reason production is up in Los Angeles. Cody Cluff, president of the city-supported Los Angeles Entertainment Industry Development Corp., said advertisers working with tighter budgets and production schedules are choosing to get the work done closer to home.

“They don’t have time to shop locations,” Cluff said. “They go where they know they can get the look they want and the talent, and that is L.A.”