Director Brandt Lewis, who brings an agency creative pedigree to his work, has joined the talent roster at Sanctuary Content for spots and branded content in the U.S. This marks his first exclusive representation as a commercial director.
Lewis earned his stripes as an art and creative director at agencies including Deutsch, Crispin Porter + Bogusky, 72andSunny, and Wieden+Kennedy. His belief in the power of great ideas, and the fact that every brand has a great story waiting to be told, informs his always original approach to commercial direction. Lewis has shaped his crossover to directing with a bold, brand-centered way of thinking, building upon his vast broadcast experience.
He has led creative development and overseen production on multiple award-winning campaigns for clients such as Burger King, Samsung, Chrysler, PlayStation, Maserati, Kraft, and Facebook. Throughout his prolific career on the agency side, Lewis has received accolades from just about every major industry award show, including the very first Super Clio ever awarded for one of his Super Bowl spots.
Most recently, Lewis directed “Cockblocker” for the dating app OkCupid. The ad is a prime example of an idea born from strong insight and brand awareness resulting in a timely and comedic message that resonates with audiences. The spot–with its tagline “Not voting is the world’s biggest cockblock”–garnered extensive attention.
“Ransacked,” an ad for mattress company Purple, allowed Lewis to handle the creative process from start to finish. From pitching the idea to the client, writing the scripts, directing the spot, through to delivery of the final piece, the project granted him a high level of creative ownership and involvement, a situation he thrives in. The spot was listed in Google’s “Top 10 Performing Ads of 2019.”
Lewis grew up on a farm in Tucumcari, New Mexico, filling notebooks with his drawings of everything from the desert landscapes surrounding him to heroic comic books. He went on to find the ideal combination of his love of art and storytelling in college, earning his Bachelor’s degree in Communications, Commercial, and Advertising Art.
With the obvious advantage of having spent time on the other side of the table, Lewis understands what agency creatives are dealing with–how they think, sell work, and interact with clients–which proves incredibly useful as a director. With a great respect for original creative ideas and for those who conjure them up, Lewis appreciates the hard work and dedication that is often easy for directors to overlook.
“Brandt never misses a beat,” said Preston Lee, founder/executive producer at Sanctuary. “While he has proven his chops in humorous campaigns, his talent for idea-driven briefs keep him from being pigeonholed as a comedy director. His experience and creative voice really lends itself to our collection of filmmakers. He loves the creative process and is constantly finding new ways to contribute and collaborate.”
Lewis said, “Sanctuary is full of great people that are all about building up and nurturing talent. I’ve known Preston since I was a young art director on my first production at Deutsch. He was very encouraging to me then, and he has remained so over the years, truly supporting my directing ambitions. Sanctuary is known for telling great stories and believes as I do–that story is everything–so it really is the ideal home for me.”
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