Director Rory Kelleher has come aboard the roster of Chromista–the creative content company launched in 2013 by filmmaker Darren Aronofsky and EPs Sandy Haddad, Ted Robbins and Scott Franklin–for U.S. representation.
Formerly handled by production house Joinery, Kelleher has been directing commercials for 10 years and has created spot work for clients including Coors Light, Verizon, Axa, Behr, Crocs and Guinness. He graduated with an honors degree in arts and cinema before making his way to Touchstone Pictures where he worked in design on Reign of Fire. Diversifying into advertising, he was able to bring his cinematic style to commercial production.
Kelleher has won Best Director and Best Animation at Ireland’s ICADS, Gold at New York Advertising Awards and Gold at Kinsale’s Shark Awards. His storytelling range is reflected on projects as diverse as Pixar’s Buzz Lightyear mini-adventures to zombies and evil clowns for Knott’s Berry Farm.
Chromista EP Robbins said of Kelleher, “His knowledge of postproduction elevates his ability to see the project from start to finish.” The director is known for seamlessly incorporating CGI techniques with moving stories and his cinematic style.
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