Co.MISSION Content Group, a creative production company which opened in 2012 with a network of talent to take on global video creation and participatory brand experiences, has embarked on a new chapter in its development, diversifying with the launch of a directors' roster culled from its collection of filmmakers.
Co.MISSION will for the first time actively market select directors to agencies and advertisers. This lineup consists of the company founder and 10 of the best directors with whom Co.MISSION has had productive working relationships on varied projects in recent years.
Co.MISSION, which will continue its broad-based core business, is headed by founder/CEO/creative director/executive producer/director Harrison Winter, and partner/president Kris L. Young. Co.MISSION is perhaps best known for bringing its worldwide network to bear on last year’s “Meet Me At Starbucks” global campaign which it worked on in collaboration with agency 72andSunny and production house m ss ng p eces. Last year’s ambitious campaign told the story of the role Starbucks plays worldwide, extending well beyond its coffee. On a single day, Co.MISSION assembled teams of directors, cinematographers, producers and various artisans to capture real people moments at Starbucks in 36 cities across 28 countries. Over the ensuing week, Co.MISSION followed up on the best moments and brought them to life by creating a series of short documentaries. Then on Sept. 29, 2014, a 60-second spot which sprung from the global production effort aired in primetime on the NBC hit series The Voice to an audience of 13 million.
The Starbucks initiative was exec produced by Co:MISSION’s Winter, with Josh Nussbaum of m ss ng p eces serving as lead director on the overall project. Cinematography and local production/direction were handled by the Co.MISSION coterie of talent.
As extensive as the geographic reach of the Starbucks project was, it just scratched the surface of what Co.MISSION has in place–500-plus content creators across more than 150 countries. This network of directors, cinematographers, photographers, producers and technical specialists was curated by Harrison. Besides spearheading the local Co.MISSION crews for Starbucks in 28 countries, Harrison repeated that lead role for Google Android’s “Young Together” which was filmed across 14 countries. He also directed Hyatt’s global two-year campaign “In A Hyatt World.” Winter’s work captures genuine moments that connect audiences across countries and cultures while bringing together footage and stand-alone pieces from multiple cinematographers/co-directors.
The Brooklyn-based Winter–whose work has been awarded a Shorty, nominated for a Webby and short listed at the One Show–is one of the directors on Co.MISSION’s newly constructed directorial roster now being marketed to agencies and advertisers. He explained that while Co.MISSION’s mainstay business has been bullish, agencies and clients still value the director-driven model. To meet that marketplace need, the company has formed a core directing roster available worldwide. Winter added that he’s currently in the market for the right reps to help match Co.MISSION’s roster of 11 directors with appropriate projects.
Winter, who has extensive directorial experience, broke into the business on the client and agency side, having served in product marketing for Burger King, in content management for Crispin Porter + Bogusky (CP+B), and as an account director at mcgarrybowen, New York.
Other directors on the newly assembled Co.MISSION roster include Brandon Bloch in NYC. self-described “global nomad” Brandon Li, Los Angeles-based Dezi Catarino, Jason Oppliger who makes his home in North Carolina, Honolulu-based Jeremy Snell, Lio Munoz of Santiago, Chile, Barcelona-based Marc Morera, Martijn Doornenbal of Amsterdam, Seattle-based Matty Brown, and Nils Clauss of Seoul, South Korea. All these directors, except for Li and Oppliger, were involved in the Starbucks global campaign. Bloch and Doornenbal helmed documentaries for the Starbucks initiative as well as real people moments during the marquee day at different Starbucks around the world. Snell directed one of the Starbucks documentaries while Brown, Clauss, Morera, Munoz and Catarino had a hand in capturing the day-in-the-life moments. Winter was EP and creative director on the Starbucks assignment.
Directorial credentials
Bloch gained wide recognition in 2014 when he hacked his way into SXSW with a hoax called LIVR. He created a fake app/social network with the proposition that it could only be accessed by blowing a high enough blood alcohol level into a phone’s breathalyser. He concepted the hoax and directed the brand video/integrated marketing campaign that fooled festival attendees and online viewers. It was done as a social commentary about the current tech frenzy and proved how gullible the media can be by getting it picked up as a real tech story by publishers.
For William Reue Architecture (in work launching this month), Bloch directed and developed a new creative vision by weaving together intricate cinematography and the storytelling power of dance to let viewers see living spaces in a whole new way. The four-minute film explores a $12 million townhouse in Greenwich Village by following ballet dancers through a kinetic struggle of love and loss. Shot in 6K on the latest prototype Steadicam equipment, the project features camera moves that are choreographed to accomplish a single-take effect similar to the film Birdman.
Bloch also created a five-part video series for Aria Resort and Casino that highlights the brand’s unique services and amenities. The social campaign is scheduled to launch in 2015 across YouTube/Instagram. Bloch’s credits also include documentary pieces for Starbucks, Renaissance Hotels and BKLYNTERIORS. In 2013, Bloch acted as DP on the MTV series Ke$ha: My Crazy Beautiful Life. He was allowed unfiltered access to the life of a rockstar as he was embedded in her European and U.S. tours and also followed her on shark diving excursions in the Bahamas and grizzly tracking in Alaska. Bloch made his way into directing as a producer, cinematographer and editor for the U.S. State Department under the Obama Administration. He was a founding member of an elite team responsible for communicating the country’s values to an international youth audience through emerging and social media. In all, he created over 25 short documentaries that covered topics like entrepreneurship and freedom of expression which were distributed across social platforms, TV and embassies worldwide.
Director Li meanwhile has filmed in over 20 countries including Greece, Italy, France, Spain, Indonesia, Japan, Australia, Bahrain and the U.K. Originally from Missouri, Li went to film school at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts before sojourning out to L.A. He spent eight years working on the show True Life with MTV where he honed his documentary sensibilities and traveled the country. The director’s latest commercial work for Etihad Airways is marked with a sophisticated and clean aesthetic that brings the brand’s luxury products and services to life with a strong sense of story.
L.A.-based director Catarino has honed an expertise in episodic web series as reflected in directorial endeavors for the NFL, Secret, Ben and Jerry’s, TOMS and Easton. Catarino made his way into directing as the cinematographer and lead editor on projects for Red Bull, Jay Z’s Life + Times, Jaguar, Vogue and Vitamin Water. More recently he has been producing a TV show After The Raves set to air on the Red Bull TV network starting in spring 2016.
Oppliger made his way into directing through producing reality TV, which provides him with a keen practicality and efficient creative eye when it comes to directing experiential brand stunts. He co-directed the One Club-shortlisted “Cabvertising” (with lead director Winter) for Newcastle beer on the streets of L.A., has created and directed branded content for Chevy, and wrote/directed the brand launch for Misfit Wearables that raised over $850,000 for their first product. Oppliger also makes installation pieces, and his short films and documentaries have played at various festivals including: SXSW, The Vail Film Festival, San Francisco Frozen Film Festival, microCINEMA 2015, and The Thin Line Documentary Film Festival.
Hawaii-based Snell evolved into directing through cinematography, photography and editing. He is also a commercial photographer. His directorial and photography work has taken him around the world to India, Nepal, China, Liberia, Ethiopia, Niger, Uganda, Kenya and Colombia for various non-governmental organizations (NGOs), humanitarian organizations, brands and thought leaders including Mark Zuckerberg, Internet.org, Charity: Water, Serving Orphans Worldwide, First Hawaiian Bank, and Starbucks.
Munoz, based in Chile, has directed work for such brands as Vans, 7Up and MasterCard, as well as a number of European and Chilean clients. He has a background in documentary photography and as a professional skateboarder.
Barcelona’s Morera has seen his directorial work take him across five continents to collaborate with brands, artisans and NGOs. His visual and documentary style of storytelling consistently uses inspiring imagery that evokes emotions and impacts audiences.
Doornenbal’s body of work includes comedic pieces for Eyes and More, short documentaries for Starbucks and NGOs, promos for RoutIT and various company videos for local Dutch clients. In the Netherlands, he operates under the name EnFilm!. Doornenbal lives just outside of Amsterdam but his work has taken him around the world across Europe, South America, Africa and Asia. He made his way into directing through cinematography, editing, writing and his first gig as a producer at a radio station.
Seattle-based Brown’s storytelling is marked by his signature style of quick cuts, in-camera motion and emotional/imaginative moments that have made him a regularly “Staff Picked” artist on Vimeo. His work spans documentaries, music videos, commercials, museum installations, art films and travel/tourism productions. He is now also writing, directing, editing and producing shorts and features. In addition to being handled by Co.MISSION, Brown is also represented in the U.S. by Workhouse Creative, Seattle.
Based in Seoul, Clauss has shot, directed and edited a number of award-winning music videos, short, feature and documentary films, which have been screened at various international festivals or went viral online. He often collaborates with Irish filmmaker Neil Dowling to develop concepts. The duo, also known as CONTENTED, have created a number of hit music videos like “Moonchild” for M83, as well as “Senior Living” for the Norwegian band Röyksopp which was selected for Saatchi & Saatchi’s New Directors’ Showcase at Cannes in 2011 and received a nomination at the U.K. Music Video Awards the same year.
After studying in Germany, Australia and Hong Kong, Clauss honed his technical skills and work ethic by completing his MFA in Cinematography at the Graduate School of Advanced Imaging Science, Multimedia and Film at Chungang University in Seoul. Born and raised in Germany, Clauss has been living in South Korea since the end of 2005. This has given him a unique world perspective which he brings to his filmmaking.
On the management side, president/partner Young came aboard Co.MISSION about a year ago after serving as managing director for small fashion and beauty agencies, including Sarkissian Mason (now Sarkissian/Partners) and Moving Image & Content. For these boutique shops, she led digital content creation, strategy, social and multimedia storytelling across brands like Diesel, Fekkai, Alexis Bittar, Monica Rich Kosann, CAbi and Zinke. Earlier she had been integrally involved in digital content as account director at The Barbarian Group, and account supervisor at CP+B and TBWA\Chiat\Day. During her agency tenure, Young also helped launch assorted integrated campaigns for such clients as Volkswagen, Nissan and GE.
Here's a montage reel with snippets of work from Co.MISSION's newly formed roster of directors:
Explore Our New Global Roster + Reel from Co.MISSION on Vimeo.
