Comedy director Martin Granger has signed with Los Angeles-headquartered A Band Apart Commercials for exclusive representation in the U.S. Based in New York, Granger joins the company, headed by co-presidents/co-CEOs Michael Bodnarchek and Lawrence Bender, after a brief stint at bicoastal/ international hungry man, which he joined last year (SHOOT, 9/10/99 p. 7).
Granger continues to be represented in Canada by Avion Film, Toronto, which has handled him since 95, and in Europe by London-based Outlaw Productions, which he joined in 98. Prior to hungry man, Granger spent a year at Crossroads, bicoastal and Chicago.
He fits in perfectly, said Bodnarchek. We really love his sense of humor and the cinematic style of his work. Bodnarchek added that several A Band Apart commercial and music video directors are transitioning to features, and believes Granger has that potential.
Separately, Bodnarchek related that A Band Apart will announce a new executive producer and two more director signings in the coming weeks.
For his part, Granger characterized A Band Apart as a great company, adding that hes a fan of several of the shops directors. Granger also cited A Band Aparts ties to the feature world as an advantage, in that he sees longform as the next step in his career.
Granger said that several factors led him and hungry man to part ways. There were a lot of people doing the same kind of comedy I was doing, the director said. Also, soon after signing with the company, he was tapped for several European projects, which significantly narrowed his availability. One of those projects was a six-minute client-direct film for the Millennium Dome in London. Granger described the project as a cross between Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory and Brazil, with some Busby Berkeley-style kaleidoscopic choreography thrown in.
Most recently, Granger wrapped an assignment for Molson via Amoeba, Toronto. He also directed two multi-spot campaigns for department store Zellers, both of which premiered during the Canadian telecast of the Academy Awards. The ads were created by Ogilvy & Mather, Toronto. Granger also recently helmed Egor for Lipton and Ammirati Puris Lintas, Toronto.
Last year, he directed Snake and Turtle, two spots for Motorola via McCann Erickson, London, which were intended for the Canadian and European markets. However, Motorolas stateside marketers were so keen on the spots that they were adopted for the U.S. and debuted on this years Super Bowl.
Additional credits include Pillsbury Pizza Pops Car via Leo Burnett, Toronto, which won a Cannes Silver Lion in 98. Grangers Kung Fone for Cantel cellular and AT&T via Gee, Jeffrey & Partners, Toronto, was featured in SHOOTs The Best Work You May Never See gallery (8/7/98, p. 17).
Granger began his career as an actor at the theatrical institution The Second City, Toronto. Later, he studied film at Vancouver Film School, and directed a few short films funded through government grants. One of his shorts, Remembering Ray, led Avion executive producer Michael Schwartz to sign Granger.
Granger rounds out an A Band Apart directorial roster that includes Chris Applebaum, Nigel Dick, Clark Eddy, Darren Grant, Phil Harder, Wayne Isham, Dean Karr, Patrick Kiely, McG, Rent Sidon, Paul Street and Terry Windell. The company is repped nationally by Creative Management Partners (CMP), bicoastal and Chicago.
