Merman has added Paul Briganti to its directorial roster. He gains his first career representation for commercials and branded entertainment. Merman will focus on the ad market for Briganti but hopes to also develop long-form projects with him down the road. Briganti is a comedy TV, film and commercial director in L.A. whose filmed pieces for Saturday Night Live include Melissa McCarthy’s musical transformation into Sean Spicer and Totino’s parody spot starring Kristen Stewart.
Briganti has directed and produced several comedy TV pilots: Adam Ruins Everything (TruTV), Imaginary Friend (NBC), Pick Me Up (MTV), and Middle Of The Night Show (MTV). He’s directed episodes of those shows, as well as an episode for Crazy Ex-Girlfriend (CW). His award winning short films have premiered at many festivals, including South By Southwest, Clermont-Ferrand in France, LA Comedy Fest, and Palm Springs Shortfest. His debut feature film, Village People, shot last March in Nicaragua will be released next year. He has also made films for Comedy Central, CollegeHumor, The Late Late Show With James Corden, Funny Or Die, The Onion, and more. Briganti portrayed Ryan in the movie Obvious Child, and was in a few comedy groups, including UCB’s Onassis and Bleak! Comedy.
“Paul is a director whose film is driven by concept, and where his astute observations of pop culture and brand allow him to craft films that capture specific visual genres for great comedic effect,” said Kira Carstensen, Merman global managing partner/EP. “Paul is a multifaceted talent–he writes, directs, and has been in front of the camera, too. That versatility makes him the perfect fit for Merman.”
“Merman is an amazing company with inspiring people, and I hope it will allow me to work with brands on projects that advance conversation through comedy and irony,” said Briganti. “I think Merman is becoming a pioneer of that voice.”
Merman was founded in 2014 by award-winning duo Sharon Horgan (co-creator and star of the Amazon series Catastrophe) and partner/producer Clelia Mountford. Merman works in all areas of entertainment and communications, from award-winning TV and film, to creating and executing the next generation of branded entertainment. Beyond traditional ads, Merman’s focus is to bring writers and creators from their TV and film family into scripting entertainment for brands.
The Merman family of talent includes David Cross, Rob Delaney, Dennis Kelly, Graham Linehan, Jack McBrayer, Sara Pascoe, Shaun Pye, Aisling Bea, Sarah Jessica Parker, Morgana Robinson and Horgan. Merman’s commercial directing roster features multi-faceted talent like Briganti, MJ Delaney, Peter Lydon, Frank Coraci, rising star Mariana Youssef, and two-time Academy Award nominee Lucy Walker (Waste Land for Best Feature Documentary, and The Tsunami and the Cherry Blossom for Best Short Subject Documentary). Carstensen runs Merman’s LA and NY offices, and industry vet Jeremy Rainbird, global managing partner/EP, leads the London office.
