Bicoastal production studio m ss ng p eces has signed director and live artist Annie Saunders to its immersive roster for commercial representation in the U.S.
Led by Mike Woods, the m ss ng p eces immersive roster is responsible for assorted pieces of forward-thinking work in experiential and new media, including Baskin Robbins’ Scoops Ahoy and Scoop Snoop, Tinder’s Swipe Night, and Miller Light’s Cantenna.
Saunders–who had most recently been repped in the ad space by production house Helo–is a multidisciplinary director and creator for immersive physical and digital spaces. She has crafted unique and large-scale experiential activations for brands, including The Home for Santander Bank and the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, which won the D&AD Yellow Pencil for Spatial and Installation Design, an AICP Next Award in the Experiential category, Gerety and One Show Awards, the UK APA awards for Best Experiential Project and Best Use of Technology for Good, and is now archived in the Department of Film at MoMA. Saunders has also directed work for ASICS, HP, Bulleit, MasterCard, and Dos Equis.
Additionally, Saunders is the founder and artistic director of site-specific performance company Wilderness, and a participant in the New Museum/New Inc/Onassis Foundation ONX Studio for mixed reality creators as well as the Public Theater’s Devised Theater Working Group. She is also a core collaborator with Lars Jan’s Early Morning Opera, and worked for 10 years as a creative activist with Eve Ensler’s V-Day project. Saunders has created commissioned work for leading arts institutions including the Los Angeles Philharmonic, The Getty Villa, and the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra. She is currently working on a multi-platform collaboration about intersectionality and friendship with Anna Maria Nabirye titled Up In Arms, developing the live and digital installation Rest with EMPAC and UCLA, and creating a geolocative app-based soundwalk in Lower Manhattan with Arts Brookfield.
“We’ve been well aware of Annie’s amazing work for a long time, and it’s a dream to add her to our expanding roster of top level talent. Her eye for both human and experience design added to a natural use of groundbreaking technology makes her a perfect director for modern, dynamic, digital client work,” said Woods, director of immersive at m ss ng p eces.
“I’ve been impressed with the varied creative output from m ss ng p eces’ immersive directors, and with the deep level of support and engagement that the company provides,” shared Saunders. “I’m looking forward to joining the roster and hitting the ground running in 2021.”
Eleanor Adds Director Candice Vernon To Its Roster For Spots and Branded Content
Director Candice Vernon has joined production house Eleanor for U.S. representation spanning commercials and branded content. She has already wrapped several jobs at Eleanor, which waited to announce her until they had a body of work together.
Via Eleanor, Vernon made history as the first Black director on a Febreze commercial. The “Small Spaces” campaign marks a major departure from Febreze’s typical blue-and-white world. The home of the “Revolving Door” commercial is a beautiful array of bold sunset hues, African prints, and African art.
Vernon said, “I asked myself, what feels right to me? What feels new? I wanted to bring an essence of not just Black Americans but the full diaspora. I wanted to make a statement that we’re not a monolith.”
Following the success of the “Small Spaces” campaign, Febreze brought Vernon back for a comedy-infused trifecta exploring the hilarious situations that call for an air freshening hero.
Febreze Brand VP Angelica Matthews said, “About two years ago, we realized the consumers that were the most loyal to Febreze were the African American consumers. And the more we learned, the more we realized the richness that we were really missing. So we said we have to go beyond just Black casting, we need to get Black directors that truly understand the culture that truly understand how to bring authentic performances out on screen. We really looked around the industry and noticed there’s actually a shortage of African American directors who have experience doing commercials. When we all saw Candice’s reel, we could all tell the passion for the craft, passion for really trying to help us from where we are to where we’re trying to go.”
Vernon brings a unique lens to... Read More