Newhouse Films, a satellite division of Crossroads, bicoastal, Chicago and London, has signed director Enno Jacobsen, formerly of Right Brain Media, Los Angeles. His latest spot work includes Dupont’s “The Lab” for Cramer-Krasselt, Milwaukee, a Suzuki campaign for Germany, and a Volkswagen Jetta ad for Europe.
Jacobsen first established himself as a director in Europe, after coming up the ranks at Neue Sentimental Film in Frankfurt, Germany. Working in postproduction during the day and editing documentaries at night for the German house, Jacobsen got his directing opportunity on a pitch video for Debitel, a major phone provider in Germany. He not only won the pitch, but Debitel chose the director to exclusively work on subsequent packages totaling some 30-plus commercials over the next three years.
He then moved stateside in 2002, directing for American and European clients. Among his early successes was an offbeat Right Brain-produced campaign for Wherehouse Music retail stores via agency Colby & Partners, Santa Monica. In fact, one of the spots, “Little Stalkers–CDs,” earned inclusion in SHOOT’s The Best Work You May Never See gallery in ’03.
The spot opens on what appears to be the POV of a would-be robber approaching a home. A potted plant gets knocked over as the camera moves in on the backdoor of the residence. The door opens and the intruder enters the house. We find ourselves in the kitchen, where the clumsy burglar knocks over a container of spices. Meanwhile an unsuspecting man slumbers deeply in the bedroom. The bedroom door opens and the camera moves in on him. Sensing that something his amiss, he awakens. The man opens his eyes to find the interloper standing on his chest–the break-in artist is a lawn gnome.
Understandably, the unexpected sight throws the man off guard. The gnome also has company–dozens of other gnomes who stand around the bed. The main gnome, still planted on the man’s chest, suddenly speaks, “Free CD.” The spot cuts to a graphic promoting a CD sale at Wherehouse. A voiceover touts the sale–“But 3, get the 4th free”–and then we’re returned to the bedroom where the man is attempting to take the gnome off his chest. The gnome says, “Uh-uh,” and the man pulls his hand away.
Jacobsen’s credits include spots for such clients as Volkswagen, Bandai/PlayStation, Suzuki and BMW. He’s taken on a wide range of work, making him hard to pigeonhole, though he’s partial to the description of “elegant storytelling with a smirk.”
Newhouse’s directorial roster includes Jacobsen, Steve Ramser and Patrick Solomon. Heidi Nolting is executive producer of the company, which is handled by an independent sales force consisting of Stacey Altman of Stacey & Co. on the West Coast, Robin Pickett in the Midwest, and Maria Stenz of Stenz & Co. on the East Coast.
SUPERLATIVE Signs Director Claudia Abend For Spots and Branded Content
Latin American director/editor and documentary filmmaker Claudia Abend has joined SUPERLATIVE for her first U.S. representation spanning commercials and branded content.
Abend's empathetic docu-style POV has garnered several international awards for the documentary films Hit (2008) and The Flower of Life (2018). Her spotmaking credits include such brands as Procter & Gamble, Nestle and Blue Cross/Blue Shield. SUPERLATIVE has already worked with Abend, together producing a new ad campaign for digital agency Tinuiti and The Honest Company, a consumer goods corporation featuring eco-minded products.
“We found Claudia through her poignant documentaries on the festival circuit,” said SUPERLATIVE creative manager Stefan Dezil. “We are excited about her textured narratives, emotional storytelling, and her powerhouse long-form storytelling abilities, currently on her third feature film. As SUPERLATIVE continues to build our brand after premiering our latest films at Sundance and SXSW, Claudia is the kind of multidimensional artist we are excited to partner with on branded content and beyond. Fluent in English and Spanish, her reel shows real prowess with infants, food and skin products, families both young and old. Great visual storytelling and inspirational doc work.”
Abend began her career in her native Uruguay, studying film and editing in college. “My dad would show me films like Citizen Kane,” she said. “I love cinema and became an editor. It was here that I learned all about communicating human emotion.”
From the get-go, Abend hit it big as a documentary director, teaming with Adrianna Loeff on Hit, a movie chronicling pop artists of Uruguayan music. Abend took home a Best Editing... Read More