Moxie Pictures has added Academy Award-nominated director Kief Davidson to its roster for commercials and branded content worldwide. Davidson has credits spanning such brands as GE, Toyota, Absolut and Facebook.
Davidson earned his Oscar nomination in 2013 for Best Short Subject Documentary on the strength of Open Heart, which centered on eight Rwandan children who embark on a life-or-death journey to Sudan in order to have high-risk heart surgery performed at The Salam Centre, Africa’s only hospital offering free cardiac procedures for families in need.
Davidson’s latest film–the feature documentary The Ivory Game, on which he teamed with co-director Richard Ladkani–follows undercover intelligence operatives in Africa, Asia and Europe who are taking down the elephant ivory cartels. The film was executive produced by Leonardo DiCaprio and premiered at the 2016 Telluride and Toronto Film Festivals and launched internationally as a Netflix original. It was also shortlisted for a 2017 Academy Award.
Davidson is also known for his award-winning films The Devil’s Miner and Kassim the Dream. The latter won the Documentary Award and the Audience Award for Best Documentary at the 2008 AFI Fest while The Devil’s Miner earned directors Davidson and Ladkani a DGA Award nomination in 2006 for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Documentary.
Prior to joining Moxie, Davidson was handled in the ad arena by Park Pictures.
Oscar and Emmy-Winning Composer Kris Bowers Joins Barking Owl For Advertising, Branded Content
Music, audio post and sonic branding house Barking Owl has taken on exclusive representation of Oscar and Emmy-winning composer Kris Bowers for advertising and branded content.
Bowers’ recent film scores include The Wild Robot and Bob Marley: One Love, alongside acclaimed past works such as The Color Purple (2023), King Richard and Green Book. His contributions to television are equally impressive, with scores for hit series like Bridgerton, When They See Us, Dear White People, and his Daytime Emmy Award-winning score for The Snowy Day.
In addition to his work as a composer, Bowers is a visionary director. He recently took home the Academy Award for Best Documentary Short Subject for his directorial work on The Last Repair Shop. The emotionally touching short film spotlights four of the people responsible for repairing the musical instruments used by students in the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD). The Last Repair Shop reflects the positive influence that musical instruments have on the youngsters who play them, and the adults in the LAUSD free repair service who keep them working and in tune.
Barking Owl CEO Kirkland Alexander Lynch said of Bowers, “His artistry, diversity of style and depth of storytelling bring an unparalleled edge to the work we create for global brands. His presence on our roster reflects our continued commitment to pushing the boundaries of sound and music in advertising.”
Johanna Cranitch, creative director, Barking Owl, added, “Kris first caught my attention when he released his record ‘Heroes + Misfits’ where he fused together his jazz sensibility with a deeply ingrained aptitude for melody, so beautifully.... Read More