Boutique production company Someplace Nice has added director Adam William Wilson to its roster, representing him exclusively in Canada for commercial projects, as well as for select U.S. work. Born in Canada but based in Los Angeles, Wilson was educated in fine art, with a degree in sculpture and installation. This visual art background has since influenced his extensive career in building worlds as a production designer, which in turn now bolsters his work as a director. Wilson’s first directing project was for the non-profit BirdSafe, with the film screening at the Royal Ontario Museum in 2019 as part of an installation to raise awareness of bird safety in urban areas. In 2020, his commercial for Jaguar, entitled “Inspired By Light,” was nominated for the Fritz Spiess Award for Commercial Cinematography. His film “Flow with Life” for Arc’teryx, meanwhile, has since received the same nomination for 2021. It was featured on Directors Library, premiered on Directors Notes, and continues to screen at film festivals around the world–most recently picking up nominations for Best Creative Concept, Best Cinematography, and Best Sound Design at La Jolla IFF….
VIA, an advertising and marketing agency based in Portland, Maine, will bring Layne Harris aboard as head of creative technology, effective September 7. He will report to chief creative officer Bobby Hershfield. Additionally, he will be responsible for collaborating with creative teams to develop innovative digital ideas and explore new ways to interact with brands through technology. Harris will work with clients like Arm & Hammer, Perdue, and Chick fil-A. Harris founded the Innovation Lab at 360i, and most recently led the creative technology discipline at Big Spaceship….
Eleanor Adds Director Candice Vernon To Its Roster For Spots and Branded Content
Director Candice Vernon has joined production house Eleanor for U.S. representation spanning commercials and branded content. She has already wrapped several jobs at Eleanor, which waited to announce her until they had a body of work together.
Via Eleanor, Vernon made history as the first Black director on a Febreze commercial. The “Small Spaces” campaign marks a major departure from Febreze’s typical blue-and-white world. The home of the “Revolving Door” commercial is a beautiful array of bold sunset hues, African prints, and African art.
Vernon said, “I asked myself, what feels right to me? What feels new? I wanted to bring an essence of not just Black Americans but the full diaspora. I wanted to make a statement that we’re not a monolith.”
Following the success of the “Small Spaces” campaign, Febreze brought Vernon back for a comedy-infused trifecta exploring the hilarious situations that call for an air freshening hero.
Febreze Brand VP Angelica Matthews said, “About two years ago, we realized the consumers that were the most loyal to Febreze were the African American consumers. And the more we learned, the more we realized the richness that we were really missing. So we said we have to go beyond just Black casting, we need to get Black directors that truly understand the culture that truly understand how to bring authentic performances out on screen. We really looked around the industry and noticed there’s actually a shortage of African American directors who have experience doing commercials. When we all saw Candice’s reel, we could all tell the passion for the craft, passion for really trying to help us from where we are to where we’re trying to go.”
Vernon brings a unique lens to... Read More