Director/photographer Scott Pitts has joined Twist, a production house headed by executive producer/president Jim Geib and exec producer Amyliz Pera. Pitts comes aboard a directorial roster that includes Rich Michell, Matt Pittroff, Chris Stocksmith, Marc André Debruyne; and the recently signed creative collective, Tomato.
Pitts has become well-known over the past year on the food festival circuit for his award-winning short films with titles such as “The Benevolent Baker: Doughnuts” and “The Benevolent Butcher: Bacon.” Pitts was a finalist in the 2013 Saveur Video Festival, a 2013 PDN Photo Annual Winner, and a winner at the 2012 Chicago Food Festival. He shoots across the country regularly, and has teams in Los Angeles, New York, and extensive experience in mid-markets such as Seattle and Minneapolis.
Pitts has the acumen to sync creative vision with business objective. He launched a successful career in food photography 10 years ago after a brief stint in the world of advertising. He has collaborated on campaigns for global brands including Frito Lay, Starbucks, Coca-Cola, Nestle, and Quaker. Leveraging his expertise in creating mouth-watering stills, Pitts expanded his capabilities to include table-top directing and has garnered national press for his captivating food films.
Twist’s Geib shared, “When Amyliz shared Scott’s work with me, I immediately saw that it would be a nice complement to what we have in Rich [Michell, Twist’s long-time food and people director]. The two of them share a love for simple beauty, but they each have their own look and areas of experience. We have several production teams around the country, and I have a real interest in developing additional studio space to compliment what we already have and increase the number of cost-effective and convenient options for our clients.”
Pitts is currently developing branded video content for the cult brand Dinosaur Bar-B-Que, a growing eight location restaurant headquartered in Syracuse, NY. He has a strong track record in brand building as reflected in his long tenure collaborating with Starbucks as a stills photographer. Jodi Morrison, managing art buyer for Starbucks Coffee Company, said, “Scott has been a key creative partner to us for more than 10 years. He has made a huge impact on the development and evolution of Starbucks global brand expression.”
Key to director Pitts’ working relationships is his close collaborations with food stylists across the country, most particularly Charlotte Omnés, a NY-based culinary creative director. Omnés noted, “When Scott and I first began collaborating, we wanted to take the enjoyment and creativity of our still work and then make it move. Scott’s extensive experience and knowledge of food photography made it easy for him to understand how food can stimulate on another level with movement. Working with Scott is always about seeing how far it can be taken conceptually while maintaining the gorgeous cinematography of the hero, the food.”
