Park Pictures has signed directing duo The Mercadantes–consisting of Daniel Mercadante and Katina Mercadante–for U.S. commercial and worldwide representation. The helming team has turned out spots and branded films for the likes of Apple, VW, Levi’s, Netflix and Chevrolet, and has collaborated with creatives at such agencies as Droga5, Anomaly, Wieden+Kennedy and R/GA.
Before joining The Mercadantes, Katina directed and produced documentaries in Africa, Asia, Europe and the Americas, working on international film projects for the UN. Educated at Amherst, the Mill Valley native met Daniel while making a series of documentaries. The duo has been collaborating on films and award-winning commercials ever since.
Daniel’s work has earned accolades such as a Gold Lion at Cannes, a Young Director’s Award at Cannes, a Clio and recognition at The Guggenheim Museum in New York City. The Prudential campaign, “Day One Stories,” which Daniel co-directed as founder/member of the directing collective Everynone, was awarded a Gold Lion in 2012 and was featured on TED Ads Worth Spreading. Everynone earned inclusion into SHOOT’s 2012 New Directors Showcase. Daniel, who studied film at Emerson College, first entered the directing spotlight with the Everynone films Symmetry and Words, commissioned by the popular NPR show/podcast, Radiolab. The episodes garnered millions of views online.
The Mercadantes co-directed spots and content for several years, winning a Grand Clio award for the real people “Sports Matter” campaign for Dick’s Sporting Goods. Other recent projects include the “Find Your Fitbit” campaign and the recent “Watch Together” campaign for Netflix.
The Mercadantes have worked primarily with non-actors to capture, rather than construct, their subjects and their stories. The duo’s shorts and spots reveal the beauty in the everyday, playing with the lines between documentary, fiction and experimental cinema. Along with broadcast and online commercials, the directors’ films have screened at art galleries including the Guggenheim’s YouTube Play Biennial.
The Mercadantes come over to Park Pictures from Epoch Films.
“The Mercadantes have developed a very personal form of filmmaking,” noted Jackie Kelman Bisbee, Park Pictures’ executive producer. “Their work has astonishing intimacy and a breathtaking visual style. Their process, respect and commitment for their subjects’ lives and stories raises the bar for all of us.”
“Park Pictures feels like a really good fit, and that stems from Jackie [Bisbee] and Lance [Acord],” said Daniel. “Their sensibility matches what we want to do not just in advertising but in filmmaking in general. They’re looking for the next important, powerful, beautiful story to tell.”
Katina added, “Park Pictures has a family thing going, with directors we have looked up to and respected for years.”
