Fighting Monk is a full-service commercial, film, and video content production company based in Austin and New York.

 

Our first film production “Lemonade” was a project by and about those affected by layoffs during the great recession. Since then, we’ve grown to create international, award-winning advertising campaigns, feature films, and social good projects for partners of all sizes.

 

Whether it’s for agencies or brands, non-profits or our own original content, Fighting Monk’s mission is to kick ass and do good through impeccable visual and emotional storytelling.

Erik Proulx | Director & Executive Producer

Erik’s storytelling career began at the Boston Phoenix where he helped craft Personals Ads for lonely singles. Quickly realizing that matchmaking wasn’t his calling, he became a writer and eventual creative director for advertising agencies all over the US, including VML, Arnold, StrawberryFrog, Lowe, Dentsu, and Brokaw. His transition since then to award-winning director and producer was spawned by the Great Recession when he, along with 150,000 of his fellow advertising brothers and sisters, was laid off from his dream job as an Associate Creative Director at Arnold Worldwide. It was then he produced his first film “Lemonade,” which told the stories of 17 laid-off advertising executives as they turned their natural creativity inward to find a new career.

Erik’s deep history in advertising, combined with his experience in filmmaking, has led to commercial directing roles for brands like Dell, Chevron, Yahoo!, Loctite, and Boys & Girls Club. His recent work for Delo earned Fighting Monk 2 Silver Telly Awards in 2016.

Ira Brooks | Producer

Ira’s career began as a PA and then Production Manager for Travisano Digiacomo Films, where his early claim to fame was ruining a take for Francis Ford Coppola on The Cotton Club’s Since then, he has produced commercials and corporate content for companies such as HSI, Taxi Films, MJZ, AFI/Filmworks, Uber Content, Johnson Burnett and Aero Film. A Much of his experience also includes facilitating productions for foreign companies, including Thomas Thomas Films, Tomboy Films, HLA, Therapy Films and Quiet Storm.

For a brief stint in the 90’s (doesn’t everyone have one of those?), Ira was the Director of Production Management for Comedy Central and helped them launch their longform division, including The Daily Show and South Park.

With too many years experience to count, you’d think he’d seen it all. But every new project is another opportunity to exercise his creating problem solving skills.

Paul Raila | Cinematographer / Director / Editor

Paul cut his teeth as a Photojournalist for ABC and NBC TV affiliates. His meticulous eye for detail, framing, and composition has led to extensive work as a DP and/or director for documentaries, commercials, live events, short films and TV shows. In addition, Paul is a master of all things lasagna.

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SARA BEECHNER | Post Production Supervisor

Sara is a true champion in the world of advertising, production and marketing with 30+ years of pushing creative boulders uphill and wrestling greased watermelons across finish lines. She first served as a Production Associate on the feature film D.O.A. (Dennis Quaid, Meg Ryan) shot in Austin, Texas, but her career really took off at the William Morris Agency in LA. From there she went on to Walt Disney Production, Marketing Corporation of America and then teaching college kids media and production in Boston and Nebraska. After finding her way back to ATX, Sara served 18 years as Executive Producer and Vice President, Creative at EnviroMedia Inc., serving clients such as Don’t Mess with Texas, Green Mountain Energy, Car2Go and Texas Tobacco Prevention & Cessation.

More recently, she has delighted in post-producing with Fighting Monk on a wide range of projects (docu-style video series, radio/TV commercials and brand films).

Brands

Films

Social Good

ERIK PROULX

KOHL NORVILLE

SEAN SCHIAVOLIN

CHRIS JOHNSON

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