Director Johan T. Anderson has signed with More Media, the production boutique led by CEO/executive producer Stephen Buchanan and EP Blaize Stephens. While this his first official signing to a production company, Anderson is already well-known throughout the New York City advertising world for his creative work as a former agency art director and in-house director.
Born in Fargo, North Dakota, Anderson has always set filmmaking as his goal, and it’s a journey that has taken him coast to coast. After earning a BFA in film directing at Emerson College, Anderson interned at Partizan in LA, which first inspired him to get into commercials and branded content.
A move to NYC brought Anderson into the agency world, first as an art director at mcgarrybowen where he worked on Verizon Wireless. From there, he transitioned to Brooklyn agency Big Spaceship, where he launched the in-house content production department. For several years Anderson conceptualized and directed campaigns for various clients including Samsung Mobile, Starbucks, Google, Hasbro, Converse, YouTube, Dannon and more, before departing in 2018 to work as a freelance director.
Known for his keen aesthetic, understanding of character, and fresh production design, Anderson has turned out films that have screened around the world, including his short titled Foreign which was shown at the Cannes Film Festival.
Anderson’s agency experience has provided him with invaluable understanding of how to collaborate with the client as a brand film director. “My background has given me the insider’s view of how passionate the creative, strategy, production and account teams really are,” said Anderson. “As a director, I’m there to bring to life something the teams could have been working on for months or even years. It’s extremely important to respect that and keep that in mind when making a project.”
Anderson’s work has earned a number of accolades, including Webbys, Drums, Shortys, and Hatch Awards.
To date, Anderson’s favorite project is a piece he directed for the International Rescue Committee, a cause he cares deeply about. “I feel so grateful to be able to remind the audience through film, that some of the most influential people in history were refugees,” said Anderson. “I loved the simplicity and beauty of the cinematography and it was such a pleasure directing all of the different actors.”
“More Media has long had my attention as a company,” noted Anderson. “Stephen and Blaize have always collaborated with high caliber directors, and I am honored to join the ranks alongside them. We are teaming up to really push to create projects that are most true to my voice and style. I’m confident excellent work is bound to come from that.”
