RABBIT READIES ITSELF FOR BRAVE NEW WORLD

shots caught up with Rabbit founders Douglas Howell and Brent Harris about taking their time and a talent pool that ranges from Google to Hollywood.

Rabbit may not be a name on everyone's lips quite yet, but it's a project that's been in development for some years now. That's because founders Douglas Howell and Brent Harris have been biding their time underground, creating a network of burrows and rearing their brood. It's only now that they feel ready to poke a twitchy nose above ground.

EP Howell and director Harris met about five years ago when Harris was at RSA. They came up with the idea of creating a production company that would be a vehicle for Harris. However, as they started thinking about setting it up the industry - and with it, their ambitions -started to evolve. And over the past two years, the pair have been slowly building an integrated, forward-looking model, gathering together their ideal roster and recruiting influential figures from advertising and beyond.

"Those two years, looking back, is when the whole industry started to shift," muses Howell. "We slowly looked at it, discussed it and saw what other people were doing and how things were changing. That conversation gathered pace, and that's what you see now.

Emerging almost fully formed, Rabbit has offices in New York, LA, San Francisco, Brussels and Paris - and in a bid to draw from both traditional and new media experience have drawn together directors, creatives, web heads, designers and more. The roster as it stands now includes Lieven Van Baelen, Kevin Fitzgerlad, Raf Wathion, TWiN, Matt Ogens, Lionel Goldstein, Catherine Owens, Tim Abshire, Trevor McMahon, Dimitri Karakatsanis and +jacksonkarinja - and of course, Harris.

And at the heart of Rabbit is their group of new directors, which includes the likes of +jacksonkarinja. For Harris, watching how these directors have thrived in this new integrated model has been particularly rewarding. "We've got a few young 'uns here who have come in and have immediately blossomed because they've got stuck into a new way of working which is more collaborative. That's been really interesting for me as a director, to see these guys come in at that point in their career path."

Where Rabbit differs from more traditional models is that Howell and Harris have gone beyond advertising and production to bring in some leading figures from the world of film, entertainment and technology.

For example, Hollywood producer Kevin Lake has made his name in movie development and distribution, working for Mel Gibson's Icon Productions. He'll be helping directors develop long format projects, bringing his entertainment know-how to branded content. "When you're a commercials director it's often difficult to turn to long form. It's great to have someone like Kevin Lake [because] with that experience it immediately helps you to tread that course and lengthen your stride into that arena," says Harris.

But it's not just about traditional film skills. Rabbits COO Eric Filler has spent seven years at Google, where he oversaw business operations, North American sales, and finance. And Lee Einhorn, who is creative director at Rabbit and has established the company's integrated and branded entertainment group in San Francisco and LA, brings with him years of experience working on short films and integrated campaigns for the likes of Sprint, HP and P&G.

According to Howell, having these people on board will help them better take advantage of the evolving media landscape. "You can have a great story but if it's told in the wrong place in the wrong way, it's pointless. Now it's not about having a cool message its how you get it out there, you have to think smart. It's an intellectual exercise and it's a strategic one. When you have guys who are programmed like that and have that technological reach its great for us because we don't come from that world - we're filmmakers."

The Rabbit team also includes the likes of Ruben Goots, president of the commercials film producers of Belgium, executive producer Tom Wright formerly of Cutwater, executive producer Anura Idupuganti and George Johnson who will head Rabbit's digital practice.

Setting up a company during what has been a fairly turbulent year could have been pretty nerve wracking but in Howell's eyes it has levelled the traditional hierarchies and opened up a brave new world of opportunity. "Last year has been incredible helpful to us. No one's happy about what's happening, people are losing their jobs and its tough times. And I'm not going to turn around and say we're rolling around in money. However if you look at what we're trying to create, this is 'opportunity time'. If you look at the people we've got on board, there's no way something like that would even be considered four years ago," he says.

So with all this talk on integrated projects, experiential work, long format films and online distribution, it's difficult to define exactly what Rabbit is. Although it does the job of a traditional commercials production company - TV spots and the like - there's also quite a lot more going on too. "There is an opportunity for directors to transfer their skills into arenas beyond 30 second spots," says Harris. "There's an opportunity to participate creatively with brands. I think that's the essence of it there."