The Directors Bureau is pleased to announce that director David Altobelli has joined their roster. He will be represented by Executive Producers Melissa Culligan and Cayce Cole for commercials, and Executive Producer Sue Yeon Ahn for music videos. “David’s is a terrifically gifted storyteller, and has an impeccable visual style,” said Culligan. “We’re extremely proud to be working with him.”
Altobelli grew up in New Hampshire, and went on to study film at Emerson College. After graduating in 2008, he split his time between New York and Los Angeles, directing music videos for artists such as Cults, The Belle Brigade, Hammock, Sia, and Philip Selway. Altobelli quickly garnered attention for his haunting and beautiful imagery, as well as his uncanny ability to tell stories that feel at once epic and intimate. i-D Magazine called him “the hypnotic and understated moving image maker, encouraging the mind to explore abstract lands the body can’t reach.” His video “By Some Miracle” for Philip Selway was shortlisted for the Young Director Award sponsored by CFP-E/SHOTS, and was a finalist for the Celeste Prize. It has also been featured in the music video programs at the LA Film Festival, the Hammer Museum FLUX Screening series, and at SXSW.
Most recently, Altobelli teamed up with Karen O from the Yeah Yeah Yeahs on the heart-rending short film “Abandoned,” created on behalf of Farm Aid and the Chipotle Cultivate Foundation. He is currently finishing up another short film, this time teaming up with composer Keith Kenniff on behalf of 55DSL.
At The Directors Bureau, Altobelli will now work among the production company’s other great talents including Roman Coppola, Mike Mills, Sofia Coppola, Patrick Daughters, and Shynola. "I’m honored to be amongst people I’ve long admired," Altobelli said of his new home. Then, noting the Bureau’s long-standing tradition of wearing suits to set, he laughed and added, “But I’m gonna need to hire a tailor!”
