By SANDRA GARCIA
ARDMORE, Penn.-SBK Pictures, Ardmore, Penn., has added food/tabletop director Viktor Budnik to its roster. Budnik was most recently represented by Five Union Square Productions, New York.
"Food is a huge part of advertising and we felt that Viktor was doing nice work and could offer creative solutions to our clients," explained Jeffrey Berry, president/director at SBK.
Budnik began his career more than 20 years ago as a still photographer, where he owned and operated his own studio that was first based in Northern California before moving down south to Venice. He initially got involved in shooting food when a friend challenged him to prepare a dish of his choice and then take a still photograph of it. While he claims it wasn’t the best picture he’d ever taken, the experience got him hooked.
During the ’80s, Budnik shot print for both publishing houses and advertising agencies, as well as over 30 cookbooks, subsequently forming many relationships within the ad world. He claimed that, at the time, there was a big shift from shooting food as a still, stagnant entity to something more beautiful and inviting.
Budnik’s initial foray into commercialmaking came in ’95 when Beth McConnell, then creative director (now a freelance creative director) at Messner Vetere Berger McNamee Schmetterer/Euro RSCG, New York, suggested he try his hand at tabletop directing for Messner clients Lean Cuisine and Stouffer’s. McConnell had been working for the agency on several print jobs.
At the same time, Budnik scored a similar opportunity when he hooked up with director Jim Beresford of Dallas-based commercial house The James Gang. "Jim was instrumental in helping me make the jump from print to directing because he literally picked me up and dropped me in boiling water. He taught me a lot," related Budnik, who directed spots with The James Gang for Coors Light, Don Pablos and QFC, a supermarket chain out of Seattle.
The sum of his experiences with Messner and The James Gang afforded Budnik the opportunity to put a reel together and start shopping for commercial representation. Budnik was briefly represented as a tabletop director by WertsFilms, a spot production house run by director Bill Werts. When Werts joined San Rafael, Calif.-based Industrial Light+Magic Commercial Productions (ILMCP), the WertsFilms office in Los Angeles became ILMCP’s Southern California headquarters (SHOOT, 3/28/97, p. 1), leaving Budnik looking for representation again.
He talked to nearly 20 production companies before signing that summer with Five Union Square, New York, where he directed such spots as Ragu’s "They’ll Say" and "What Do You Think?" and Entenmann’s "Cereal Bars" and "Fruit Tarts." Both the Ragu and Entenmann’s assignments were for Bates, New York. Budnik was also represented by Toronto-based The Partners’ Film Co. from ’97 to ’98 for Canadian projects.
Budnik joins an SBK directorial roster of Berry, company VP Jim McGorman and Christopher Yurkow. The company’s sales force consists of independent reps Cindy Nelson in New York, Deborah Zwayer in the Midwest and Celeste Anlauf on the West Coast.
Director Jack Begert Joins Biscuit For His First Commercial Representation In U.S. & U.K.
Biscuit Filmworks has added filmmaker Jack Begert to its roster in the U.S. and U.K. This marks Begert’s first representation in advertising, building upon his acclaimed work in music video and film. He is best known for his striking aesthetic and surreal use of visual effects, displayed in his feature film debut Little Death, which won the NEXT Innovator Award at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival. The film stars David Schwimmer, Gaby Hoffman, Dominic Fike, and Talia Ryder, and was produced by Darren Aronofsky.
Miami-born and L.A.-based, the USC Film School graduate began his career in VFX and as an editor. Begert has worked with iconic musical artists including Kendrick Lamar, SZA, Flying Lotus, Childish Gambino, and Olivia Rodrigo, and has independently directed international campaigns for brands such as Apple, Converse, New Era, and Reebok.
Shawn Lacy, founding partner of Biscuit Filmworks, said of Begert, “We are such fans of his work--and of him as a creator, thinker, collaborator, and great guy.”
“My creative approach is often about trying to discover something unexpected in the filmmaking process,” said Begert. “Biscuit is a place where I can bring my own perspective to the work and still feel supported. That philosophy is clear from the talent they represent, and I’m excited to join their roster.”
“Jack’s work blew me away the moment I first saw it,” said Rupert Reynolds-Maclean, managing director at Biscuit Filmworks UK. “He is a modern young director who clearly cares deeply about both craft and the necessity for it in his storytelling. Everything always pushes the narrative forward. We’re looking forward to making great work together.”
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