Director Benji Weinstein has joined production company Smuggler. He had previously been handled by Tool of North America for commercials and branded content.
Among Weinstein’s notable credits is REI’s “#OptOutside” campaign from Venables Bell & Partners, San Francisco, produced by Tool and earning Cannes Lion Grand Prix distinction in both Promo & Activation and Titanium in 2016. Per the campaign, REI closed its retail stores on Black Friday so that their employees and customers could instead enjoy the great outdoors, spending the time around Thanksgiving to be with family and friends. “#OptOutside” also garnered two Direct Gold Lions, a Promo & Activation Gold Lion, a Cyber Gold Lion, an Integrated Gold Lion, a Design Silver Lion, a PR Silver Lion, a Mobile Silver Lion, a PR Bronze Lion and a Mobile Bronze Lion.
“#OptOutside” additionally scored top honors at the 2016 One Show, winning the Gold Pencil for Best in Show, along with Gold Pencils in six other categories, and three Silver Pencils. The REI campaign was also honored in the AICP Next Awards’ Integrated Campaign category.
Weinstein’s commercial endeavors span such clients as Diet Dr Pepper for Deutsch, Lowes for BBDO NY, Experian out of The Martin Agency, Xfinity for Goodby Silverstein & Partners, San Francisco, and Mentos for BBH London.
Brian Carmody, co-founder and managing director of Smuggler, said of Weinstein, “This lad is a class act. No airs and graces, just the pure desire to be great at his craft. For me, he’s not just a comedy director–he’s a performance director first and foremost. We’re very much looking forward to this journey together.”
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