Trend Report from the OTO Film Group Puts AI at the Top of the Agenda
LBB asks the OTO Film Group about the latest trends shaping production in Poland, and which global developments it’s paying the most attention to in the upcoming months
- Behind the Work
“Global Cosmopolitan” Andre Troubetzkoi Knows How to Surpass Production Expectations
The head of development at OTO Film tells LBB all about his colourful career history, the 'no assholes’ policy that keeps talent happy, and why OTO and its location is uniquely positioned to solve modern production challenges
This industry isn’t short on characters who can claim to have ‘really lived’ through the heyday of advertising, a time when creativity was unbridled, budgets generous, and processes minimal. Then there’s Andre Troubetzkoi, head of development at OTO Film, who has lived in Moscow, London, Prague, Brussels, Dubai, Montreal, Mallorca and Toronto in his twenty years as a producer.
It’s those early days in mid-90s Moscow that deserve a special spotlight, which Andre calls “mad and euphoric”, words that can only approximate the feeling of the iconoclastic period in post-Soviet Russia. With only a three month TV station internship under his belt, and fresh out of film and photography school, Andre knocked on the door of all the American agencies in a desperate bid to land a steady job. BBDO answered, hiring him as the head of television, much to Andre’s surprise as he now confesses to not having seen a commercial showreel prior to the role. “It was simply a time when opportunity was given to those who showed potential,” he reminisces. What followed was a truly madcap two years. At one point Andre and his team had all but 30 minutes to shoot the Pepsi spokesperson, Cindy Crawford, who was in Moscow with her then partner, Val Kilmer. Andrew wrote the script and directed the supermodel himself – do read on to find out what happened to her chewing gum post-shoot…
Andre says he feels like a “mega-lottery winner” for all the experiences that an international life has given him, noting that he’s keenly attuned to the quirks and customs of many places with an ability to maintain relationships, personal and professionals, across continents and time zones. Though not without its challenges, he credits his “global cosmopolitan” status with the success he has today.
Now the head of development at OTO Film, Andre puts into good practice all the skills and experiences gained in his time by building OTO’s profile on the global stage and looking for new, exciting business opportunities.
Today, we spoke to Andre to learn about his anarchic career start in Moscow, why he couldn’t do his job without CRM, and the reason that Polish talent is key to the company’s international success.
