Believe Media has added director Hoj Jomehri to its roster for U.S. representation. Jomehri’s directorial credits include campaigns for Google Next, NBA 2K and Airbnb. For the latter, he recently wrapped an extensive campaign delving into the individual stories of hosts around the globe.
Jomehri is also in the process of making a film titled Spout about his immigrant story which follows the transition as a child from his native Iran to the U.S., and the merging of his Persian and American cultures. Throughout his life and work, Jomehri has never forgotten the feeling of being an outsider, drawn to characters and stories that help us see things as others do.
Beyond a filmmaking pedigree, Jomehri also brings agency creative chops to Believe along with a reputation as a musician and DJ. He is a fixture in the international dance music community and has toured the globe to play at celebrated clubs and festivals worldwide.
On the agency creative side Jomehri’s notable exploits include his tenure at TBWAChiatDay in NY; there he served, for example, as associate creative director/art director on ABSOLUT Vodka’s “Anthem,” which earned a primetime commercial Emmy nomination in 2010. The spot was directed by MJZ’s Rupert Sanders. Jomehri served as a creative director on the ABSOLUT account at TBWAChiatDay. He also was a creative director at Crispin Porter+Bogusky LA where his credits included Turkish Airlines’ “Kobe vs. Messi: The Selfie Shootout” commercial–directed by Joseph Kahn–which garnered distinction from voting YouTubers as YouTube’s “Ad of the Decade.”
Jomehri’s early agency experience included AKQA in San Francisco where he was instrumental in creating story-driven digital content and groundbreaking interactive films for brands like Nike and Xbox. In 2008 Jomehri made his first foray into directing–a Nike Football U.K. digital marketing campaign through AKQA where he was a creative lead and motion graphics designer at the time.
For a stretch, Jomehri was half of So & So, a duo with his writer/partner/wife Sue Anderson. They used the So & So moniker on personal projects and later when working directly with brands. Anderson was the writer, Jomehri the director. When they formed their own company, they called it So & So, focusing on nose-to-tail creative solutions for brands like Google Nest, Netflix and Allbirds. Prior to forming the So & So shop, Jomehri directed a music video through production house Heresy for a band called Hey Violet.
“Hoj is a storyteller with a keen eye for character and visual texture, which brings the viewer viscerally into his films,” said Believe co-founder/executive producer Liz Silver. “Through his storytelling, he takes the audience to a deeper place.”
Marc Benardout, EP of Believe’s L.A. office, added, “Hoj connects immediately, from his demeanor to the sartorial elegance of his work. We are very excited to welcome Hoj to the Believe family.”
Jomehri shared, “Believe’s approach to work and to life is authentic, artful, and human. I feel at home here.”
SCHROM x Yacht Club and Be Electric Studios Launch Electric XR for Virtual Production
SCHROM x Yacht Club, a full-service live-action, tabletop, and postproduction company, has teamed with Be Electric Studios, a soundstage, equipment rental, and virtual production company, to launch Electric XR, a virtual production collective.
Industry veteran Thomas Rossano will lead the new venture, which provides advanced virtual production solutions across multiple facilities. He brings over 25 years of experience in live-action, tabletop, postproduction and talent curation to enhance Electric XR’s offerings as a resource for brands and agencies, as well as other production companies in need of virtual production solutions. Additionally Rossano continues to serve as EP at XR New York (XR-NY), a role he’s held since December 2022. SCHROM x Yacht Club originally established XR-NY to help provide XR services for third-party rentals. While XR-NY will continue to function independently for SCHROM X Yacht Club, it now operates under the Electric XR umbrella.
Rossano’s expertise spans producing live-action commercials, branded content, interactive and experiential content. In addition to leading Electric XR, he holds responsibilities at SCHROM x Yacht Club which include driving business development, collaborating with sales reps and expanding the company’s creative talent network. Rossano’s career includes serving as an exec producer at Hungry Man for about 11 years, right from that company’s inception. He then went on to become a partner at Station Film where he also had a lengthy tenure. Later he was a partner at PRISM. Then after the pandemic hit, he became a freelance EP for nearly two years, looking into opportunities in virtual production, which led him to XR NY and now Electric XR. Over the years, he has produced high-profile... Read More