Native Pictures has signed The Work, a directing collective behind Ford Mustang’s recent “Speed Dating” viral prank for Team Detroit, which has thus far generated 10 million hits and counting. Born and bred in Detroit, The Work consists of five members who collectively span everything from directing to cinematography, producing, editorial and design.
Project highlights from The Work include commercials and digital campaigns for Corvette Stingray, Chevrolet Silverado, Lincoln Motor Company and Herman Miller; music promos for Matt & Kim, Big Sean and The National; short films The Pleasure of Sound, shown at the Detroit Museum of Contemporary Art; and Tonight, The Streets Were Dark for fashion label Revive which screened in theaters. The Work has collaborated with agencies such as Goodby Silverstein & Partners, Commonwealth/McCann, Team Detroit, Lowe Campbell Ewald, Hudson Rouge and Vitro. And they have filmed across North America and throughout Europe, as well as the Middle East and Asia-Pacific.
“Two years ago, Detroit recognized The Work as budding talent in their own backyard and gave them amazing opportunities. We can’t wait to introduce them to the rest of the advertising community,” said Susan Rued Anderson, Native partner/executive producer.
With roots in music, the five friends who form The Work first worked as a collective on a show for one member’s band at a 90-person venue in a Detroit suburb. There they created and produced experiences and content around the music using video, photography and projections. One of their first agency projects together was a multi-media campaign for Ford Fiesta that included the design of a huge mural. With its multi-city interplay of video, design, painting and music, the collaboration marked the start of the unique synergy that now drives The Work’s aesthetic.
“Our partnership with The Work gives our clients access to the modern director archetype. They are visual, narrative and documentary storytellers, hidden camera directors and so much more, said Tomer DeVito, Native’s founding partner/executive producer.
The addition of The Work follows Native’s recent signings of directors Rob Cohen and Gary McKendry. They join Ruben Latre, Ben Briand, Tom Dey and Prmry on the roster. This year has also seen Native’s management team expand with the addition of Anderson as partner/EP in Los Angeles, and Chris Messiter, as partner/EP in New York, overseeing the company’s newly opened New York office.
“We have had the opportunity to work on some great projects and are excited for the next steps as a company with the Native partnership,” commented Jesse Ford, executive producer, The Work. “Native’s passion for creative and delivering high quality work is perfectly aligned with our approach.”
Ford’s colleagues in The Work collective are Edward Knight, Christopher Gruse, Jerome Wald and Shane Ford.
