Comedy duo Director Brothers–consisting of Josh Martin and Ryan McNeely–has joined integrated content studio Humble for commercials and branded content in the U.S. Martin and McNeely are Funny or Die veterans. They were part of the original core at Gifted Youth, Funny or Die’s commercial production division, when it opened in 2012. Later, Director Brothers worked via production house Caviar prior to coming aboard the Humble roster.
The duo has written and directed projects for HBO, Comedy Central, Comedy Bang Bang Productions, Ed Helms’ Electric Picture Company, and many more. Along the way they’ve worked as writers, creatives, and directors on projects including Old Milwaukee with Will Ferrell and Jose Canseco, Kia Optima with Jeff Goldblum and Blake Griffin, Pepto Bismol with Dr. Ken, Pepsi Test Drive with Jeff Gordon, Captain Crunch with Burt Reynolds and Tone Loc, and Skull Candy with Kate Upton, James Harden, Kevin Durant, and Big Boi.
A multi-talented storyteller, McNeely studied experimental and underground filmmaking with a focus in cinematography and design at CSF in New Mexico. He spent years early in his career as an animator and founded his own animation/VFX studio, Visual Creatures. After that, McNeely went on to work as a DP for several years where he shot commercials, music videos, and televisions shows.
Martin earned a degree in directing and producing from The Los Angeles Film School and dove head first into the industry. He got his start producing for sketch group Honor Student who went on to create digital comedy shorts for UCB, Super Deluxe, Funny or Die, and HBO.
The directing duo describes its first meeting on a shoot for Funny or Die at Wayne Newton’s house between a penguin and a monkey on a couch. They became fast friends and a partnership immediately formed over a love for exotic animals and 1980s and ‘90s film and television.
In December of 2017 the duo directed the widely anticipated special for Comedy Central, Fake News with Ted Nelms. Director Brothers’ recent collaboration with Funny or Die for anti-corruption non-profit, Represent.Us, stars Jack Black and Ed Helms and calls for people to come together to pass anti-corruption laws that stop political bribery, end secret money and fix our broken elections.
“Josh and Ryan have been powerhouses in the comedy world for years and their passion for filmmaking makes for an exciting addition to the Humble roster,” said Rich Pring, company managing director/EP who noted that the duo has already hit the ground running on several projects.
