British comedy director JJ Keith has signed with Los Angeles-based A Common Thread for exclusive representation for commercials in the United States. Keith, who has an Academy Award® nomination as well as a slew of advertising awards to his credit, has earned high regard in the U.K. and elsewhere in Europe for an inventive style of comedy that he has applied to such brands as Guinness, Subway, Coca-Cola, Land Rover, Vodafone and The BBC.
A Common Thread became interested in signing Keith through an Olympics campaign that he directed earlier this year for Shanghai agency BBH and Coca-Cola’s Ice Dew. The spot, in which pint-sized athletes attempt (but fail miserably) to compete with normal-size athletes, was short-listed at Cannes.
“JJ has a unique gift for comedy and we are thrilled to have an opportunity to introduce him to the U.S. market,” said A Common Thread executive producer J.P. McMahon. “We believe there will be a lot of demand for his brand of humor.”
Keith first gained notoriety for a series of comedy shorts that he directed after completing film school at Edinburgh University. One of them, Holiday Romance, earned an Academy Award® nomination for Best Short Film (Live Action). He went onto direct for British television before focusing on advertising. Working principally in comedy, he has directed ads for brands as diverse as Wonderbra, Mars and British Telecom. He has won two Silvers at Cannes for work for Guinness and the business directory 118 118, along with honors from London International Advertising Awards, Eurobest, Creative Circle, The One Show and British Arrows.
Keith’s style is distinct yet versatile, showing a flare for the visual approach and subtly observed performance and comedy. “I view my best skills as casting and directing performance,” he said. “I enjoy combining humor with a stylistic element, whether that is a soundtrack or cinematic style. In that way, it’s not purely about performance and results in a fuller, more well-honed piece of film.”
A Common Thread is located at 4081 Redwood Avenue, Los Angeles, California 90066. For more information, call 310.823.7300 or visit www.acommonthread.tv.
Contact:J.P. McMahon Executive Producer/Partner A Common Thread 310.823.7300 Contact J.P. via email
Contact:Tristan Drew Executive Producer/Partner A Common Thread 310.823.7300 Contact Tristan via email
“Ǝvolution” Comes Full Circle At The Chelsea Film Festival
The Chelsea Film Festival, running from October 16th through October 20th, 2024, at Regal Cinemas here in Union Square, is set to host the East Coast premiere of Ǝvolution, a thought-provoking experimental micro-short film that proves big ideas can come in small packages and in perfect circles.
In just 1 minute 16 seconds, this cinematic gem by Award-Winning Director Romina Schwedler, with original music by Argentine Composer Ignacio Montoya Carlotto, explores a cycle as old as time: life leads to progress, progress leads to destruction, and destruction, well, leads back to life. But is this vicious circle unbreakable? Ǝvolution suggests the answer is yes, unless we decide to open our eyes.
Inspired by the overwhelming number of recent events that threaten human existence, Ǝvolution, possibly the shortest film in this 12th edition of the festival, plays out entirely through the symbolism of circles, cleverly illustrating —in the blink of an eye— the repeating patterns of history, and confronting viewers with the uncomfortable truth that our so-called “progress” may, in fact, be guiding us to our own ruin.Premiering at the Regal 14 Union Square, New York City, on October 18, 2024, at 11 a.m., Romina Schwedler's micro-short, featuring Leah Young with cinematography by Alan J. Carmona, will be sure to spark conversations longer than the film itself! Forcing viewers to reconsider the true meaning of evolution, not just as a biological process, but as a reflection of our collective journey as humans.
With a string of festival appearances across the globe, including CineGlobe at CERN (Switzerland/France), Oscar®... Read More