Director Evan Silver has joined production house Gifted Youth, the commercial division of Funny or Die, for U.S. spot representation. Coming over from Tool of North America, Silver has written and directed content for such brands as ESPN, Nike, Xbox, Audi, Honda, MTV, HBO, Paramount Films and Dr Pepper. His affinity for and expertise in character-driven comedy has led to collaborations with Conan O’Brien, Micheal Cera, Sarah Silverman, Aziz Ansari, Chelsea Handler, Rebel Wilson and Jason Segal, among others. Upcoming work includes an interactive Halo spot for Xbox as well a comedic short film Cheese at the Beach, written and directed by Silver, about two businessmen and their struggle to attain the perfect beach photo before one of them falls apart—literally and physically.
Growing up with a father who was a noted creative director in advertising, Silver was hooked on storytelling early on, frequently sketching movie ideas on storyboard pads as a youth. He kicked off his career in advertising as an art director before moving over to the broadcast side to write and direct. He started out in the promo department at the Sundance Channel, later moving on to MTV Networks, where he wrote and directed some of their most well-known campaigns, including work for the Video Music Awards, The Movie Awards and the launch of the topical teen show, Skins. In 2011, Silver joined Tool where he worked on a wide range of projects, including a Sour Patch Kids digital campaign for Mother New York, an interactive video campaign for Honda, co-branded spots for ESPN and Dr. Pepper via Deutsch LA as well as a recent series of online videos for Jimmy Dean out of TBWAChiatDay.
Silver, who earned inclusion into SHOOT’s 2007 New Directors Showcase, has earned assorted accolades for his advertising and film endeavors over the years, including both a Daytime Emmy Award nomination and a GLAAD Media Award for MTV Tr3’s "Tu Pride." His work has also scored wins at the AICP Show, The One Show, Clio, ADDY “Best in Show,” Webby and Promax BDA competitions.
Silver also directed the recently released “White Squad” campaign as part of an anti-prejudice initiative for MTV’s “Look Different” project, through agency Party NY. The satirical film offers people of color with white stand-ins for “racially unbalanced” situations such as hailing a cab, searching for an apartment, appearing in court and securing academic scholarships. Silver leveraged his signature brand of biting, shareable humor to create the mock infomercial, eliciting a frenzy of digital debate that sparked conversation and was picked up by news outlets worldwide.
Dal Wolf, Gifted Youth exec producer, said he was drawn to Silver’s “rare combination of experience, intelligence and comedic timing.”
Silver said attracting him to Gifted Youth was its body of work which he described as “smart, brash, creative, and fresh,” offering a blend of advertising and entertainment. “They come straight from the heart of the entertainment world,” related Silver, “and it truly show in their deep understanding of comedy.”
