As the hordes headed back to various educational institutions, director/cameraman Greg Hoey also packed his pencils and filofax to join a new outfit, Stripes.

Stripes: it used to be a place to earn them. On the heels of procuring Alan Marr, this signing confirms a fundamental shift for the Toronto spot shop. Originally set up as a place to nurture novice directors, roll call now turns out established talent. The seasoned roster of three firmly fledged directors - Raymond Bark, David Storey and Jim Weiner - now swelled by two commercial veterans, is a response to the reality of the market, according to Stripes head Ross McLean.

"The city just isn't interested in taking guys off the street and making new directors," he says. "There's so much less work out there you can't even buy spots for money."

Accordingly, as "one of the last suckers in town to give guarantees," McLean went out, recruited Marr, and now Hoey, a major comedic talent. And a bonus for agencies is that the newly svelte Hoey, who has residences in both Chicago and Toronto, will be billed as local talent. No airfare whammy (proclaimed as such or otherwise) should intrude on one's reel-screening mirth.

About 90% of Hoey's work in the past few years was done in the u.s., so there's a lot of spot material to provide a fresh chuckle. Like the one about the guy talking to a stuffed dog. He throws a frisbee at it, hits it on the head and topples it. V/O: "Some things are better live."