Cannes Lion-winning writer and director Evan Silver has signed with Ruffian for commercial representation.
Silver entered advertising as an agency creative before leaving to write and direct with top celebrity talent in film, comedy, and music. He refined his skills at MTV’s famed NY on-air promos department where he created hundreds of ads and short videos including the 2014 MTV Movie Awards featuring then-host Conan O’Brien with Emma Stone, Andrew Garfield, and Jamie Fox.
Silver has since written and directed content for ad agencies, movie studios, TV networks and record labels. His clients include Nike, Audi, X-box, Comedy Central, Budweiser, Honda, Microsoft, ESPN, and HBO. Last year he collected a Cannes Lion on a Burger King campaign featuring Snoop Dogg.
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 visually rich storytelling has also scored honors at the AICP Show, Clio, Webby, One Show, One Show Interactive, and PromaxBDA.
“Ruffian has a very European sensibility where the work is truly cinematic in nature,” Silver said. “That’s the type of filmmaking I love–strong visual storytelling combined with a fresher, smarter comedic approach that stands out,” Evan says on joining the company.
Silver pushes the boundaries of comedy to produce culturally relevant material such as the pro-social video, “White Squad” for MTV’s LookDifferent.org via agency Party, NY, that earned a One Show Award and landed on both The Guardian and Mashable’s “Best Ads of 2015” lists.”
He recently co-exec produced, wrote and directed an original 10-episode comedy series for TBS Networks about real-life Internet trolls, and has created content for The Daily Show and Drunk History.
“I love the breadth and diversity of Evan’s reel,” assessed Ruffian founder/EP Robert Herman. “He is prepared to make brave and smart choices, creating memorable work that is underpinned by a sophisticated talent.”
Prior to joining Ruffian, Silver was handled by Gifted Youth, the commercial division of Funny or Die, for U.S. spot representation. He has worked with agencies including Weiden + Kennedy, Mother NY, BBDO, Venables Bell & Partners, TBWAChiatDay, Pereira & O’Dell, Deutsch, Party NY, Mekanism and Anomaly.
Ruffian is represented by Brent Novick on the West Coast, Cousin James on the East Coast and The Standard Society in the Midwest.
