Kaboom productions, headed by EP/founder Lauren Schwartz, has signed director Carolyn Corben for exclusive U.S. representation. Corben’s body of commercial work spans such clients as Gordon’s Gin, Honda, Skittles, Royal Caribbean Cruises, Swatch, and Head & Shoulders. She has also directed music videos for noted artists including Sir Elton John, George Michael, The Scissor Sisters, Shirley Bassey, and Siouxsie Sioux.
Maintaining offices in San Francisco and L.A., kaboom adds the U.K.-based Corben to a directorial roster that includes Michele Atkins, Brandon Dickerson, Erik Moe, Kent Harvey, Ricki+Annie, Reynir, Gary Shaffer and Doug Werby.
A product of a childhood of creative adventures, from painting to opera singing, Corben attended Goldsmiths College in London where she crafted art using textiles and it was here that an extracurricular film club reinforced her passion for the art of the moving image. Upon graduating, she embarked on a Masters degree at London’s prestigious Royal College of Art where she honed her creative skills further.
Combining these passions, she first defined her creative palette as part of The New Renaissance, a design company she formed with fellow graduate Harvey Betram-Brown. Under their creative direction the company designed window displays, fashion collections, catwalk shows, and costumes for clients such as Harvey Nichols, Moschino, Speedo and Henri Bendel. The duo then focused on creating costumes and sets for TV commercials and music videos, which ultimately led them into directing. They were featured in Saatchi and Saatchi’s New Directors Showcase at Cannes. In 2007 Chen launched a solo career.
Prior to joining kaboom, Corben–whose work is often punctuated with choreographed action, fashion and visual narratives–was handled by at TWC. Earlier she was represented by Crossroads.
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