William Perna, also known as Bill Perna, is an American documentary filmmaker who currently lives in South Freeport, Maine and Italy.[1][2][3] He was president of the Association of Independent Commercial Producers (West and National branches) during the early 1990s.[4][5]
William Perna | |
|---|---|
| Born | United States |
| Nationality | American |
| Other names | Bill Perna |
| Occupation | Documentary filmmaker |
Perna is known for producing documentary films and music videos, including Alan Parsons' "Don't Answer Me" (1984), Billy Joel's "We Didn't Start the Fire" (1989), and Janet Jackson's "Escapade" (1990). In 2018, Perna filmed and edited Two Pillars episodes featuring Vietnamese painters Trần Văn Cẩn and Nguyễn Tư Nghiêm for the Indochina Arts Partnership.[6]
Education and career
editPerna studied pre-law at the University of New Mexico. Later, he transferred to New York University's (NYU) film school. After his studies at NYU, he worked in advertising in the late 1980s. Perna worked with people such as William Bernbach of Doyle Dane Bernbach (also known as DDB Worldwide), David Ogilvy of Ogilvy & Mather, and Mary Wells Lawrence at Wells, Rich, Greene.[7]
In 1991, Perna moved to California.[8] He and film director Peter Smillie formed Smillie Films, a commercial production company. Smillie Films made commercials and produced music videos for musicians such Janet Jackson, Billy Joel, and Sting.[9]
He was also president of AICP/West[4] and was elected to AICP/National,[10] which represented the interests of commercial production companies.[5][11][12][13][14][15] He has also served on the Boards of Camden International Film Festival and Sea Meadow Marine Foundation.[16]
Perna returned to the New York to create an ad agency called the Artustry Partnership.[17] During this time, Perna collaborated with David Sklaver, former president of Wells, Rich, Greene and film director Bob Giraldi.[1] He later left the agency to form a new agency called DCODE.[2][18]
Bill and his wife, Deanie, lived in Connecticut, and had a house in South Freeport, Maine. After 2001, they moved to Maine. Initially, Perna founded Sparhawk Brewers in Maine. Perna was then contacted by Maysles Films and began to work with documentary filmmakers Albert Maysles.
In the mid-2000s, Perna began to direct independent documentary films. His film, Welcome to Lee Maine (2007), aired on PBS.[19] Perna's second film, Running with Luci (2010), co-written with his son Michael Perna, raised awareness and funds for a rare childhood illness. Perna and Hanoi-based Creative Director Suzanne Lecht of Art Vietnam collaborated to film contemporary Asian artists throughout Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia.[20][21][22] Perna also created The Art of Nom, a film about five Vietnamese artists known as the Zenai Group. The Zenai Group was reviving a Vietnamese script called Chu Nom.[23]
Podcast
editPerna also hosts a podcast called Maine Aquaculture.[24]
Filmography
editMusic videos
edit| Year | Artist | Title | Credits | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1984 | Alan Parsons | "Don't Answer Me" | ||
| 1989 | Billy Joel | "We Didn't Start the Fire" | Producer | |
| 1990 | Janet Jackson | "Escapade" | Producer |
Documentaries
edit| Year | Title | Director | Producer | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Welcome to Lee Maine |  |
PBS | ||
| 2013 | Running with Luci | |
|||
| 2016 | Art of Nom | |
|
[25] | |
| 2017 | Gray Matters | |
|
Filmed for Rhode Island PBS | [26] |
| 2018 | Two Pillars - Trần Văn Cẩn | |
Filmed and edited for Indochina Arts Partnership | ||
| Two Pillars - Nguyễn Tư Nghiêm | |
Filmed and edited for Indochina Arts Partnership | [6] |
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b Elliott, Stuart (1999-02-17). "An upstart tries to appeal to marketers that want to work beyond the realm of traditional agencies". The New York Times. Retrieved 2024-09-20.
- ^ a b Stout, David (2000-07-28). "Artustry Executive Forms New Agency". The New York Times. Retrieved 2024-09-20.
- ^ Welcome to Lee Maine.[non-primary source needed]
- ^ a b Horovitz, Bruce (May 5, 1992). "RIOT AFTERMATH: GETTING BACK TO BUSINESS : Riots Lay Waste to L.A.'s Fun and Sun Facade". Los Angeles Times.
- ^ a b Horovitz, Bruce (December 18, 1990). "Hard Times Trickle Down Onto Companies That Film TV Commercials". Los Angeles Times.
- ^ a b "The Indochina Arts Partnership turns Twenty-Five – Art New England".
- ^ "About". Perna Content.[non-primary source needed]
- ^ "Film and Video Magazine". September 1, 1991. p. 36.
- ^ Horovitz, Bruce (September 25, 1990). "Producers Flee Hollywood for the Beach". Los Angeles Times.
- ^ "Film and Video Magazine". January 27, 1993.
- ^ "AICP - Association of Independent Commercial Producers". aicp.com.
- ^ "Shoot Magazine". June 14, 1993.
- ^ "Shoot Magazine". January 21, 1994. p. 1.
- ^ "Hollywood Reporter". October 24, 1989.
- ^ "New York Magazine". May 31, 1993. p. 16.
- ^ Schreiber, Laurie (2021-12-22). "Nonprofit buys Yarmouth boatyard to preserve working waterfront". Mainebiz. Retrieved 2024-09-23.
- ^ Elliott, Stuart (2000-07-21). "Prominent Copywriter Returns to Madison Avenue at a Less-Than-Traditional Agency". The New York Times Web Archive. Retrieved 2024-09-20.
- ^ "Artustry Partnership Executive Bill Perna forms new agency DCODE". Wall Street Journal. July 20, 2000.
- ^ News. Welcome to Lee Maine.[non-primary source needed]
- ^ "Vietnamese Art: A New View with Suzanne Lecht | Society for Asian Art". www.societyforasianart.org.
- ^ "Art Vietnam Gallery: About the gallery and cultural forum, the Art Director and specialty services". www.artvietnamgallery.com.[non-primary source needed]
- ^ "Q&A: Gallery Director Suzanne Lecht on the 'Gang of Five' and Building a House of Arts | Saigoneer". saigoneer.com.
- ^ "Art of Nom". Antenna Film Distribution.[non-primary source needed]
- ^ "Maine Aquaculture - Stories of Resilience and Innovation". Apple Podcasts.[non-primary source needed]
- ^ "Art Vietnam Gallery: The international gallery of contemporary Vietnamese art based in Hanoi". www.artvietnamgallery.com.[non-primary source needed]
- ^ "Rhode Island PBS". Rhode Island PBS.[non-primary source needed]