By Robert Goldrich and Millie Takaki

SHOOT’s batch of up-and-coming directors this time around includes a young helmer who’s already mentoring other aspiring, even younger filmmakers, a couple of brothers who have opened some major industry doors on a shoestring budget, a hybrid artist who’s not only a director but a sculptor, musician, skateboarder and entrepreneurial developer of a skatewear brand, an agency creative who’s settled nicely into the director’s chair while exhibiting a distinctive brand of humor, and a director who hails from Italy, moved to Brooklyn where he gained a foothold in helming hip-hop artist music videos and who recently signed with a Chicago shop which affords him a creative handle on projects that goes right through to completion.
    Here’s our spring collection of promising directors to watch:

Purchase Brothers    While they cobbled together a mini arsenal of production and post software for their experimental and spec filmmaking over the years, the Toronto-based Purchase Brothers–David and Ian–didn’t have much purchasing power readily available when it came to creating and directing a short film they had envisioned based on the popular Half-Life video game which they had been fans of and playing for nearly a decade. Yet that lack of funding is what makes the film David and Ian Purchase ultimately turned out all the more remarkable.
    With $500 that was pretty much all put into props and wardrobe, David and Ian Purchase directed Escape from City 17, a spec short that has the look and feel of a big budget action movie. David and Ian recently posted the short online and it became a YouTube sensation overnight, generating more than 500,000 hits during its first 24 hours. By the end of the first weekend, the film exceeded a million hits and earned the lofty status of the number one piece of content viewed worldwide during that period. The Internet community and gaming sites globally were abuzz. A traffic overload caused the Purchase Brothers own website to crash.
    Valve Corp., the developer of the original game, flew the brothers from Toronto to Seattle for a meeting. Valve CEO Gabe Newell said, “After seeing some of the dreadful ways that Hollywood has attempted to turn videogames into film, it was great to see how well the Purchase Brothers have brought our game to life. Hollywood could learn a lot from these guys.”
    Indeed Hollywood has jumped on that learning curve. Based on the short, CAA has signed David and Ian for feature representation while Anonymous Content’s talent firm has inked them for feature management.
    On the commercialmaking front, Toronto-based production house Sons and Daughters has added the brothers to its family tree. Subsequently Anonymous Content took on stateside spot representation for the Purchase Brothers (SHOOT, 3/13).
    Sons and Daughters was the first industry shop to take notice as an intern there turned the company onto the short. “The intern asked for a day off to work on this spec project that his friends were doing,” recalled Liane Thomas, exec producer of Sons and Daughters. “He then wanted to show us that he actually took off time from his internship for something industry related and brought this short to screen for us. It wasn’t finished yet but it was pretty darn close. We screened it in our director’s lounge. Everyone here, from me to the receptionist, saw it and all our jaws dropped. It’s amazing work and we feel fortunate to have the Purchase Brothers with us.”
    A second short on Half-Life is in the works and should be completed in a couple of months. This time around, though, the brothers have assembled a community of artists to help out. “After release of the first short film,” said Ian Purchase, “we received tons of emails from CG artists who wanted to help with compositing, 3D work, tracking, in all different fields. They just wanted to be involved in the next installment–they didn’t want money, they just wanted credit for having worked on it. We’ve built up a little army of new talent that is poised to show off their skills.”
    Beyond their love for Half-Life, David and Ian Purchase had another motivation for making their now resoundingly successful Escape From City 17.
    “We have been working on and off for the past two and a half years on a feature film that is pretty much the same brand of guerilla filmmaking with cool visual effects,” related David Purchase. “A friend told us we should think about trying to link up with some commercial production companies and that sounded like a good idea. We could use the money and then could maybe put that money back into our movie. So we decided to try to get some spec work off the ground to show to commercial production companies.” Out of this emerged the first Half-Life spec short.
    David and Ian Purchase began their filmmaking odyssey as youngsters shooting with a high 8 videocam, learning in-camera editing and then hitting their digital stride, incorporating that software into their toolset. Now at the ripe old ages of 25 and 23, respectively, David and Ian Purchase are on the cusp of making major marks in spotmaking and longer form content.

Melina    Melina Matsoukas, a.k.a. Melina, went to NYU as a math major, not entirely sure what she wanted to do in terms of a career. “I was good at a lot of subjects but not passionate about any one thing,” she recalled. “Then I started seeing kids at the NYU film program, writing, telling stories. I liked what I saw and given my math skills, I also liked the technical aspects of filmmaking so I took my first film class over the summer. It was quite intensive and I fell in love with it. I transferred into NYU Film School my second year.”
    She gained exposure in the music video production community through a small production company where her cousin worked as head of production. While an NYU undergrad, Melina worked as a PA on music videos and directed her own projects independently. Her NYU short film Negros Negros, a brother and sister coming-of-age story which she wrote, directed and edited, garnered a nomination for a student DGA Award.
    Melina was poised to hit the marketplace upon graduating from NYU but then something came up–the chance to learn about cinematography as part of the Master’s program at the American Film Institute (AFI) in Los Angeles. “As a director, I wanted to be more informed about cinematography,” she explained.
    Indeed she became quite well informed, which launched her professionally in video production, first at FM Rocks and then for a few jobs at HSI. Melina started to build cache as a director, and then landed on the rosters of Black Dog Films for videos, and sister shop RSA for commercials.
    Overall Melina has worked for only two years professionally yet has amassed clip credits for such artists as Jennifer Lopez, Eve, Keri Hilson, Ludacris, Pharrell, NeYo, Leona Lewis, Lady Gaga, Lily Allen and Katy Perry. Melina was recently named the MVPA Director of the Year based on her work with Beyonce, Snoop Dogg and J-lo in ’08.
    This young rising director found particularly gratifying the opportunity to help other young aspiring directors last year when she was selected to participate in an MTV programming initiative in which MTV Africa and Shell Oil were partnered. Melina was chosen to mentor young filmmakers in Kenya as they collaborated to make music videos for top local performers.
    The work of the Kenya group–including directorial, cinematography  and producing talent–which Melina took under her wing went on to win the MTV competition against teams from South Africa, Nigeria and Gauna. The winning video gained airtime on MTV Africa.
    Also in the latter half of ’08, Melina diversified into commercials via RSA, first landing a DirecTV spot from Deutsch LA, a remake of the “Upgrade U” music video she had directed for Beyonce. “We recreated one set from the video to shoot new footage with Beyonce, and used some footage from the actual video for the final spot,” said Melina. “It was part of the DirecTV campaign in which scenes from famous movies and in my case the Beyonce video were recreated as commercials.”
    Next Cramer Krasselt, Chicago, gravitated to Melina for a public service spot on behalf of non-profit advocacy group the Illinois Council on Developmental Disabilities.
    Centered on “Retarded” signs being posted at different venues throughout a city, the spot draws attention to the insensitivity of that term when people say it. “A lot of my music video work is very beauty oriented and about performances,” said Melina. “This PSA was more filmic. It was a great experience in that I got to work with DP Sal Totino [Frost/Nixon, The Da Vinci Code, Cinderella Man]. We shot eight locations in a day, ran around all over L.A. The work was very beautiful, had a cinematic feel yet still managed to capture the beauty of everyday lives. It feels real–the emotions of the characters and the landscape. That was essential because we wanted people to relate to what is an important message.”
   
Kenny    An accomplished agency creative, Kenny Herzog (now the mono-monikered director Kenny) didn’t harbor directorial aspirations at the outset of his tenure at Ogilvy & Mather, New York, and then a stint at Taxi New York (followed by freelancing for such shops as DDB Chicago, Toy, New York, and Brooklyn Brothers). “I certainly didn’t plan on being a director but as I went to more and more shoots, I found a comfort zone on the set and started to think about it [directing].”
    Kenny got a taste of directing a couple of years back while freelancing for DDB Chicago and being a key creative contributor to what became the Bud Light “Dude” campaign. He wound up co-directing the original “Dude” spot and some other work in the campaign.
    His first full-fledged solo directing gig came as a freelancer: a Gatorade spot, “Victory, for Element 79 Partners, Chicago, which at one point looked like it might be destined for the Super Bowl last year but wound up not making the Big Game cut. Still the ad showcased his comedic sensibilities as a coach rejects a celebratory sideline shower of vitamin water, clearly a poor substitute for the real thing–being doused by Gatorade.
    The Gatorade job was produced by spot shop O Positive, as was Kenny’s next job, Comcast’s “Mothers” for Goodby, Silverstein & Partners, San Francisco, in which one mom after another collapses upon receiving a Mother’s Day phone call from their sons. Why would these young men call out of the blue after seemingly never bothering to phone their mothers? The answer: Comcast’s offer of free long-distance calls to mom on her special day.
    Shortly after wrapping that commercial, Kenny decided to formally join O Positive, his first career production house roost. The decision was easy for him based not only on his two positive experiences on Gatorade and Comcast but also his affinity for company co-founder Jim Jenkins and the opportunities the house can afford him.
    “The trickling down of great scripts at a large company means that 15 directors get to see it before I even know about it,” related Kenny. “At O Positive Jim [Jenkins] and David [Shane] are the only directors above me. This means I have a fighting chance. And these guys are mentors. Even if Jim likes a script for instance but thinks it might be better for  me, he’s supportive of me getting a shot at it.”
    Kenny and Jenkins first met at Ogilvy where they collaborated as creatives. During that time Kenny also got involved creatively in Jenkins’ boutique shop, Nicebigbrain (with Ogilvy’s permission). Jenkins and Kenny have a creative rapport which continues to this day at O Positive.
    “I can collaborate with Jim and David at O Positive on just about everything. We’re working on things writing-wise and joke-wise,” said Kenny. “It’s a great situation.”
    Kenny got the chance to work client-direct creatively and as a director via O Positive on Boomerang GPS’ “Santa.” In the spot, Santa Claus clearly has come down the wrong chimney as we see a dreidel, a Menorah and other trappings of a Jewish family. A young lad in pajamas looks down from the top of the staircase quizzically at St. Nick. The lesson–get a Boomerang GPS to make sure you’re wind up at the right place.
    Kenny has received confirmation that O Positive is indeed the right place for him. At press time he was about to direct an 11 spot AirTran package for Cramer Krasselt, New York.
    “I’m grateful for the opportunities that are emerging for me here,” said Kenny. “My comfort level and people’s comfort level with me is in performance-driven comedy. But hopefully I can evolve into broadening that scope into more visually driven work as well. I think and feel I’m at the right company to help me grow as a director.”
   
Mitch Stratten
    “When what we watch is constantly redefining itself, shouldn’t how we watch it do the same?” That tagline to a commercial for Toshiba’s Upscaling line of TV sets, monitors and computers is most apropos not only for the advertiser but also as it applies to the director of the spot, Mitch Stratten of bicoastal/international Hungry Man, whose work is helping to redefine and reshape imagery and visual storytelling.
    Titled “Time Sculpture,” the Toshiba ad for Grey London is a technical tour de force, deploying more than 200 video cameras aligned and linked together to create a 360 degree inward view of a circular set on which people perform various tasks. Stratten teamed with The Mill, London, to capture a series of separate moving images that were brought together to form one seamless, visually engaging action sequence.
    “Time Sculpture” has a distinctively different visual signature and it embodies a look and technique that had been dancing around in Stratten’s mind for some time. He wound up compositing a visual test of his concept on a laptop computer and began showing it to prospective clients whose product lines are built on technical innovation. Ultimately Stratten’s idea caught the eyes and ears of Toshiba and Grey.
    “I was a little paranoid about turning my test work over to anyone, worried that if they liked the idea, they would just give it to a bigger shot director,” said Stratten. “I was a fairly new director and thought maybe they wouldn’t entrust the work to me.”
    “Time Sculpture” marked Stratten’s first job with Hungry Man, and it has generated considerable buzz for both Toshiba and the director since its debut in late ’08.
    The spot earned a Visual Effects Society (VES) Award nomination earlier this year, and the making-of video has proven to be popular as well, showing how the director’s vision in collaboration with Grey and The Mill resulted in the final commercial.
    Stratten is a hybrid artist, a South African director who’s a sculptor, a musician, a high-tech aficionado, a skateboarder and the developer of a skatewear brand.
    At the age of 18, he graduated from art school in Johannesburg. A design studio in South Africa hired him and there he received an education in designing and compositing images on computers. Stratten then went to Italy to work at communications center Fabrica, followed by a stint at record label Quartermass in Belgium.
    Quartermass released some of the electronic music Stratten composed and asked him to design the company website, which went on to garner considerable industry recognition.
    From there, it was back to South Africa where Stratten joined production house Terraplane and began to direct commercials, the first for Dairybelle out of TBWA Johannesburg in 2007.
    Then came a mix of films and genres, including an indie skateboarding documentary titled Bang Chong (distributed globally through VAS Entertainment), and a live-action/animatronic puppet music film, Oh Diamond, Diamond, Thou Little Knowest The Mischief Thou Hast Done, for his own music act, Nordern. The film Diamond, Diamond came out in tandem with two tracks from Nodern’s debut release on Sub Rosa records.
    Fast forward to today and Stratten is eager to take on new challenges, particularly in commercialmaking. He is hopeful of breaking into the American ad market–and he’s recently received several such inquiries via Hungry Man, the shop he joined last year.
    “I think the different skills I’ve developed in filmmaking, design, art and music kind of can all come together in commercials. It’s a medium I very much like and to which I want to contribute.”

Zollo    Mehdi Zollo, a.k.a. Zollo, is one of the young emerging talents recently tabbed to be part of the ONE roster, ONE being the production arm of Chicago-headquartered post house Optimus. Launched last summer, ONE at Optimus is headed by executive producer/managing director John Noble, an agency veteran who prior to ONE served as senior VP/director of production and digital at Element 79, Chicago.
    Zollo embodies an atypical mix of European sensibilities and an American urban aesthetic, the former stemming from his being a native of Rome, spending much of his time there and in Switzerland, and then going to Paris where he worked as a DJ while studying at cinema school ESRA. Soon after, he started working on movie sets, assisting on photo shoots, and eventually directed a few shorts.
    In 2005 Zollo left Paris and moved to Brooklyn, where he fell in love with the vibrant urban scene and immediately began shooting music videos. He first established himself as a helmer of hip-hop artist clips, including for Atlantic Records artists Flo Rida and Gorilla Zoe.
    Zollo’s directorial reel also include spec commercials for adidas (featuring a couple’s lively chase of a pet chicken), Nike (featuring a young lad break dancing under the shower of a broken fire hydrant in a Brooklyn street) and Spalding (profiling a boastful basketball lover who articulates his passion for the game from a rooftop).
    The Spalding spec piece caught the eye of New York agency Uniworld, which awarded Zollo a Time Warner Cable spot profiling a young woman named Ana.
    Noble met Zollo in New York through a mutual friend, marketing exec Tracy Reid from HUM, Santa Monica. (Reid has since joined Culver City, Calif.-based The Famous Group as an executive producer.)
    Noble said he was drawn to Zollo’s prowess in authentic dialogue/humor as well as his European touch and urban edge.
    Conversely, Zollo was attracted to Noble’s respected agency pedigree and to the ONE model.
    “I like the idea of being able to direct and follow a project right through to completion,” said Zollo. “I was seduced by the idea of being able to supervise and customize a project thanks to the post talent and resources available to me through Optimus.”

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