By Robert Goldrich
A trio of duos, another director grappling with the sheer volume of submitted content for YouTube’s “Life in a Day,” a commercialmaker/Academy Award-nominated short filmmaker whose initial feature sports a cast that includes Robert De Niro, a documentarian who’s diversified into spots and now into comedy with her first narrative fiction feature, and a director who’s made an auspicious spotmaking debut which entailed his returning to a town that was the backdrop for his acclaimed movie.
Add to this mix a director whose theatrical motion picture, which premiered last month at the Telluride and Toronto film festivals, has generated arguably the biggest Oscar buzz of the current festival season. (This same director recently signed with a mainstay production house for commercials representation.)
Plus we have a director whose experimental short film reflects the storytelling promise of the iPad, a director and an editor who teamed as co-directors for the first time on what turned out to be a lauded, groundbreaking branded online series which then found another life as a TV show, a helmer who successfully navigated 3-D waters for his branded short, and a DGA Award-winning television director who’s making her comedic mark in sponsored entertainment and promos, as well as commercials.
This is just a sampling of the filmmakers featured in SHOOT’s fall edition Directors Series which includes individual profiles as well as an Up-And-Coming Directors feature story spotlighting the next generation of promising talent.
In addition, our ongoing “Then, Now and Looking Ahead” Series features insights from two leading directors–Tom Kuntz of MJZ, and director/cinematographer Lance Acord of Park Pictures.
Then in our companion Cinematographers Series, we meet a pair of DPs–one who has helped bring a new dimension to primetime television with the hit series Glee; and another whose filmography encompasses documentaries (including a long-time working relationship with Oscar-winning documentary filmmaker Alex Gibney), narrative features (such as the acclaimed Darren Aronofsky film The Wrestler), and commercials.
So read on and enjoy this special fall edition. As always, we welcome your feedback. Click here to view interactive PDF version of SHOOT’s 2010 Fall DIRECTORS Issue.
Profiles
Nanette Burstein
Barney Cokeliss
Sean Ehringer
Dennie Gordon
John Hillcoat
Tom Hooper
Kris + Scott
Kevin McDonald
Gary McKendry
Features
Then, Now & Looking Ahead
Cinematographers & Cameras: Lens Crafters & Artists
Up-And-Coming Directors: The Fall Collection
Nikki Baker Becomes CEO At Fallon
Fallon has appointed Nikki Baker as its new CEO. Baker, who joined the creative agency in 2018 and has served as co-chief creative officer with Leslie Shaffer since 2021, succeeds Rocky Novak, who has been in the role since 2019.
Baker’s promotion to CEO comes at a time of significant momentum for the agency, including six consecutive years of growth and award-winning work.
Baker’s recent career highlights include creatively leading the Walmart partnership with the Publicis Groupe team and spearheading innovative campaigns such as the award-winning “RomCommerce” 23-episodic series and the internet-breaking Mean Girls campaign, among hundreds of other campaigns together with the brand over the past few years. Together with Shaffer, Baker has also been instrumental in elevating Fallon’s creative output for longstanding clients like Arby’s, Mattress Firm, and Front Door/American Home Shield.
“I’ve always been an admirer of Fallon, even before I joined. The chance to lead the agency is an absolute honor. Fallon is a place like no other with amazing talent and a legacy of building big, innovative, creative ideas,” said Baker. “Rocky has represented the best of Fallon. He’s been a great leader, and I couldn’t be more excited to take the reins and lead the agency through to the next chapter. With creativity at our core, we’re going to be as ambitious as ever, push boundaries, and continue embracing emerging platforms to deliver work that truly resonates in culture.”
Prior to joining Fallon six years ago, Baker held positions as creative director and art director at agencies including DDB and GSD&M, working with major brands such as McDonald’s, Southwest Airlines, and Wrigley. Her work has been recognized by... Read More