Director Alice Wu–whose feature filmography consists of the lauded Saving Face and The Half of It–has signed with SKUNK for commercial representation.
A computer scientist turned filmmaker, Wu has seen her films recognized for their unique lens on the queer Chinese American experience. Wu made her feature debut with Saving Face which she wrote and directed. In 2004 Saving Face was acquired for theatrical distribution by Sony Pictures Classics after premiering at the Toronto International Film Festival. Saving Face earned a Breakthrough Director nomination at the 2005 Gotham Independent Film Awards as well as a GLAAD Media Award nod in the Outstanding Film–Limited Release category.
Wu’s second film, The Half of It–for which she was also writer-director–won the Best Narrative Feature honor at the 2020 Tribeca Film Festival before its release on Netflix. The Half of It additionally earned her a Best Screenplay nomination from the Independent Spirit Awards in 2021.
Wu made her commercial directing debut via SKUNK for Oreo and PFLAG out of agency 360i. The piece went on to be shortlisted at the 2022 AICP Show in the Performance, Cause and New Director categories.
Eleanor Adds Director Candice Vernon To Its Roster For Spots and Branded Content
Director Candice Vernon has joined production house Eleanor for U.S. representation spanning commercials and branded content. She has already wrapped several jobs at Eleanor, which waited to announce her until they had a body of work together.
Via Eleanor, Vernon made history as the first Black director on a Febreze commercial. The “Small Spaces” campaign marks a major departure from Febreze’s typical blue-and-white world. The home of the “Revolving Door” commercial is a beautiful array of bold sunset hues, African prints, and African art.
Vernon said, “I asked myself, what feels right to me? What feels new? I wanted to bring an essence of not just Black Americans but the full diaspora. I wanted to make a statement that we’re not a monolith.”
Following the success of the “Small Spaces” campaign, Febreze brought Vernon back for a comedy-infused trifecta exploring the hilarious situations that call for an air freshening hero.
Febreze Brand VP Angelica Matthews said, “About two years ago, we realized the consumers that were the most loyal to Febreze were the African American consumers. And the more we learned, the more we realized the richness that we were really missing. So we said we have to go beyond just Black casting, we need to get Black directors that truly understand the culture that truly understand how to bring authentic performances out on screen. We really looked around the industry and noticed there’s actually a shortage of African American directors who have experience doing commercials. When we all saw Candice’s reel, we could all tell the passion for the craft, passion for really trying to help us from where we are to where we’re trying to go.”
Vernon brings a unique lens to... Read More