Director Daniel Sheppard has come aboard the roster of production house Backyard for U.S. commercial representation. Based in Long Beach, Calif., Sheppard continues to helm spots for the Canadian market via Toronto-based Partners Film.
Sheppard’s credits include comedy spots for such brands as Wendy’s, Advil, GMC, Walmart, Classico, Microsoft, Sprint, Canadian Tire, and Tim Hortons. Sheppard is also the creative mastermind behind the satirical spin-off of the Cannes Lions: “The Dannes Lions.” Despite the lack of rosé and yacht parties, The Dannes Lions have racked up spot submissions from many top ad agencies, gaining industry media attention for acknowledging stellar comedy work.
Sheppard accidentally wandered into the advertising world as an agency producer in Nebraska. He kept himself sane during the endless winters by wearing multiple hats as a writer, editor, director and producer. He later stepped into the commercial directing limelight when he won a national ad creation competition for Chipotle that garnered millions of views online, was among the top 20 most viewed videos on YouTube in 2009, and proved that there is true value in a love for burritos. The success of the video did not lead to free guacamole, but it did lead to Chipotle funding a scholarship for creative excellence in his recognition at his alma mater.
Prior to joining Backyard, Sheppard was handled in the U.S. by Superlounge.
