Comedy director Roderick Fenske has joined Bully Pictures for exclusive representation for advertising projects in the U.S. Fenske is known for a distinct brand of comedy that combines absurdist humor with high production value and cinematic execution. He has already completed his first project with Bully, a new spot package for the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA) and its integrated marketing agency of record, R&R Partners, the latest addition to the long-running “What Happens Here, Stays Here” campaign. Fenske won a Cannes Lion for an earlier LVCVA spot entitled “ChinChilli Day.”
In “Dream Vacation,” the director’s latest spot to launch for LVCVA, a businesswoman reflecting on a recent trip to Las Vegas is shocked to find her memories pictured in a thought bubble that, remarkably, is visible to her co-workers. “I like to take people on a journey where the humor is unexpected,” Fenske said. “When the joke lands, it’s much funnier when you don’t see it coming.”
Fenske attributes his strong start at Bully to company EP Jason Forest’s appreciation for his quirky brand of humor. “Jason likes what I do and is very good at communicating it,” he said. “It’s important to have an EP who is your advocate and can talk to people about your work in depth.”
Fenske began his career with agencies in San Francisco and New York, before relocating to London where he was on staff at St. Luke’s and TBWA. He turned to directing at the urging of legendary British advertising executive Trevor Beattie. Since then, Fenske has helmed hundreds of commercials and short films and has received numerous awards including ones at Cannes Lions, D&AD, One Show and Eurobest.
Fenske’ commercial credits include a spot for Dannon YoCrunch Yogurt where actor Neil Patrick Harris bursts out of a magazine to magically transform a staid office from “boring to fun.” Fenske gives the ridiculous scenario an air of pseudo reality through the detailed attention given to the maze of office cubicles and the deadpan performances of Harris’ supporting cast.
The aforementioned “ChinChilli Day” offers a perfect illustration of Fenske’s ability to blend pointed comedy with epic filmmaking. In it, a young exec asks for time off from work to celebrate a fictitious holiday. A flashback to the genesis of the “holiday” includes a shootout that is straight out of a classic Spaghetti Western except that the combatants are the residents of a south-of-the-border pueblo and their gun-toting pet rodents. “It’s an example of taking something that is absurd and shooting it in a dramatic style that people recognize, creating comedy in hilariously unexpected ways,” Fenske said.
Prior to joining Bully Pictures, Fenske was with Fancy Content. Earlier the director had been repped by Hungry Man and ACNE.
Bully Pictures’ Forest said that Fenske’s background as an agency creative director and comedy writer is evident in his work. “He has great instincts, truly understands the creative ad process, and is innately funny,” Forest observed. “He employs a lot of visual trickery and is brilliant in his use of the camera. It really makes his work stand out.”
