Director Shane Valdez & EP Norm Reiss Partner/Launch Realm Films

By Egotist / January 15, 2020 /

Director Shane Valdez with long-time Producer Norm Reiss have launched a new commercial production company Realm Films. In collaboration with visual effects and postproduction partner Jake Maymudes at Rebellion VFX. The trio has also unveiled their “Studio 8558”: a new store-front, production, postproduction & gallery space on Washington Blvd. in the heart of Culver City’s historic Arts District.

“Norm and I want to do something different with Realm,” explains Valdez. “To partner with clients on their brands and collaborate very closely with them to promote them over time. Not just be hired for their latest commercial project, but to work together to really understand what they are trying to do and shoot not just one piece but fifty.”

“When Shane is on-set, something magical happens,” says Executive Producer Norm Reiss. “I have worked with a lot of Directors throughout my career, some very well-known, but no one comes close to Shane in terms of his talent and his collaboration with clients. Everyone just loves him.”

Shane Valdez is an award-winning film, documentary, music video, and commercial Director. Since first setting his sights on this highly competitive creative industry with a Writer-Director debut, that went on to win countless accolades, he’s traveled all over the globe, working with some of the world’s most influential brands and celebrities across a wide range of products and categories including Bud Light, Corona, KFC, EGO/Skil, Chuck-E-Cheese’s and Five Below. With a rich history in documentary, music video, and full celeb access network promo work, Shane has developed an inherently collaborative ability to develop and problem solve in the moment. This sensibility allows him to easily and comfortably collaborate with agency and client and high-end celebrity talent alike, making production days fuller and big ideas bigger. Shane also directs promos exclusively through the award-winning content studio, Black Label Content, where he has directed content for “American Idol,” “The Oscars,” “Dancing with the Stars,” “American Music Award,” “The Espys,” and most recently “Live in Front of a Studio Audience” and “Jeopardy.”

For the past 25 years, Producer Norm Reiss has been producing movies, commercials, promos, and music videos. Norm has produced for the top Directors in the entertainment business and the top advertising agencies all over the world. Now partnered with Valdez in Realm Films, the duo is currently in the midst of several commercial projects for Ego, Skil and several other projects.

Realm Film’s partnership with Rebellion VFX & Post, not only on projects, but in their new space in Culver City is essential to the company’s new model and way of working. “I started collaborating with Shane on projects several years ago,” explains Rebellion Founder Jake Maymudes, “and we hit it off immediately. If they were shooting something and needed visual effects and post, we were able to step in. And if we needed production on a project, they were the perfect partners. We are able to package projects for clients and provide whatever is needed at any given time.” Rebellion VFX created visual effects for the feature film “Terminator: Dark Fate,” and is in the midst of the new “Dune” film due out in 2020.

Realm Films and Rebellion VFX have also partnered on the launch of Studio 8558, its new, store-front, production, postproduction and gallery space on Washington Blvd. in the heart of the historic Arts District of Culver City. The private launch event in October featured artwork from JM Art Management’s diverse and celebrated artists John Paul Fauves and Chad Muska. The new space features production area for Realm and postproduction area for Rebellion VFX, and also a gallery space, where they will be showcasing and rotating new and up-and-coming fine artists quarterly. “This is our way of giving back to the community,” concludes Realm Films’ Director and Founder Shane Valdez. “Culver City has such deep roots in the arts, both fine art and film. We are beyond thrilled to bring these two worlds of art and film lovers together in one place, joined by our incredible passions for both.”

Realm Films is represented by Executive Producer Norm Reiss on the west coast, by Lori Benson on the east coast, and in the Midwest by Laurel Dobose of Gypsy.