Supply&Demand has signed director Anton Visser for commercial representation throughout North America. The news comes on the heels of his “Real Cost” anti-smoking campaign for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration out of FCB New York. The campaign, produced by Supply&Demand, includes the humorous “Skinny Jeans” PSA recently featured in SHOOT’s ScreenWork section.
Visser, who continues to be repped by Velocity Films in South Africa, is recognized for his comedy chops. His body of work spans such clients as Toyota, Virgin, Energizer, Stimorol and Walburtons, as well as awards recognition at Cannes, Clio and the D&ADs.
Visser initially made an industry splash as an agency copywriter/creative director at The Jupiter Room in Cape Town, South Africa, a hot shop for creatively groundbreaking work. “My first year as a copywriter coincided with the ascent of Cliff Freeman & Partners,” he recalled. “That ballsy, clean storytelling style made a big impression on me.”
He then moved behind the camera in 2004 to embrace the role of director, and attributes his eclectic sense of humor to being raised on foreign TV while growing up in South Africa, watching the likes of Monty Python and American television dubbed into Africaans to create unintentionally hilarious comedy on screen. Visser also explains how experience as an agency guy, “enables me to look for ways to help present an idea without losing sight of where it needs to go.”
Meanwhile, comedic work of note on Visser’s reel includes “New Guy” for Stimorol through Ogilvy, Cape Town, the wry tale of a man wearing wind blown hair in an office after chewing the brand’s Air Rush gum.
In “Golden Plunger” for Yellow Pages through Integrated Marketing Agency 360eight, Cape Town, Visser tells the amusing story of a successful French plumber, an infant terrible who is the most sought after plumber in all of France serving the likes of celebrities such as Chanel icon Karl Lagerfeld.
Jeff Scruton, EP/managing director of Supply&Demand, said of Visser, “He brings an offbeat sense of humor that is grounded in reality. I love his casting and the performances that he captures from his actors. There are lots of subtle beats that make his spots very memorable. Anton definitely ups the ante for comedy at S&D.”
