Director Chris Applebaum–who made a pop culture splash and sparked controversy with last year’s Paris Hilton commercial for Carl’s Jr. out of agency Mendelsohn Zien, Los Angeles–has joined Santa Monica-headquartered Reactor Films for exclusive representation.
At his new roost Applebaum has already helmed a John Frieda beauty products spot for kirshenbaum bond & partners, New York, and at press time was wrapping post on a music video for artist Rihanna promoting the single “SOS.”
Applebaum comes over to Reactor from bicoastal/international Partizan. The helmer told SHOOT that he’s at a point in his career where he’s looking to focus on commercials while continuing to take on select music videos. He also is developing several feature film projects, including Water’s Edge, produced by Constantin Film, Out of the Blue Entertainment and Gruber Films. Applebaum described the suspense thriller as “Deliverance for the MTV generation.”
The chance to have his spotmaking career develop further with the help of executive producer Michael Romersa, and his high regard for Reactor’s directorial roster, which includes Steve Chase, Warren Kushner and Thor Freudenthal, were among the factors attracting Applebaum to the production house. Applebaum said he felt a personal connection with Romersa, akin in some respects to what he had with Steve Dickstein at Partizan. But when Dickstein left that shop, Applebaum began to explore his options and was courted by various companies.
Firmly established in the music clips arena with work for assorted performers (Kid Rock, Natasha Bedingfield, Britney Spears, Jessica Simpson, Jewel, Celine Dion, Nick Carter, Mandy Moore), Applebaum has diversified successfully into spots as evidenced by such credits as Old Spice, Haagen Dazs, Target and Mandalay Bay.
While his work is associated with a young hip vibe, Applebaum has extensive experience spanning 14 years as a director. He started at now defunct Satellite Films, a sister shop to the venerable and since shuttered Propaganda Films. Upon coming aboard Satellite, he was the fourth director there. When he left that company, it had 20-plus directors–while Propaganda’s roster grew to 30 or so helmers. A stint at Los Angeles area house Arsenal followed Satellite. Next Applebaum went to A Band Apart, Los Angeles, where he began to move into commercials as a complement to his music video endeavors. Then came Partizan and a continuing mix of spots and music clips; it was at Partizan that he directed the hot, sexy, buzz-generating Paris Hilton ad for Carl’s Jr.
Applebaum’s body of music video work has gained him a reputation in the fashion/beauty genre. He has helped to shape and present the look for assorted pop culture performers, most notably female artists. In the advertising community, he hopes to make similar inroads into fashion/beauty fare.
Over the years, Applebaum’s videos have garnered multiple MTV Video Award and Music Video Production Association Award nominations. He helmed Semisonic’s clip for “Closing Time,” which went on to become the first video inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, Ohio. The Applebaum-directed “Stacy’s Mom” for Fountains of Wayne was the second video to be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Applebaum has had 21 videos reach number one status on MTV, helping to break artists like Fountains of Wayne, Kelly Osbourne and Hilary Duff, and to continue the successful careers of Kid Rock, Spears, Simpson and Jewel, among many others.
SUPERLATIVE Signs Director Claudia Abend For Spots and Branded Content
Latin American director/editor and documentary filmmaker Claudia Abend has joined SUPERLATIVE for her first U.S. representation spanning commercials and branded content.
Abend's empathetic docu-style POV has garnered several international awards for the documentary films Hit (2008) and The Flower of Life (2018). Her spotmaking credits include such brands as Procter & Gamble, Nestle and Blue Cross/Blue Shield. SUPERLATIVE has already worked with Abend, together producing a new ad campaign for digital agency Tinuiti and The Honest Company, a consumer goods corporation featuring eco-minded products.
“We found Claudia through her poignant documentaries on the festival circuit,” said SUPERLATIVE creative manager Stefan Dezil. “We are excited about her textured narratives, emotional storytelling, and her powerhouse long-form storytelling abilities, currently on her third feature film. As SUPERLATIVE continues to build our brand after premiering our latest films at Sundance and SXSW, Claudia is the kind of multidimensional artist we are excited to partner with on branded content and beyond. Fluent in English and Spanish, her reel shows real prowess with infants, food and skin products, families both young and old. Great visual storytelling and inspirational doc work.”
Abend began her career in her native Uruguay, studying film and editing in college. “My dad would show me films like Citizen Kane,” she said. “I love cinema and became an editor. It was here that I learned all about communicating human emotion.”
From the get-go, Abend hit it big as a documentary director, teaming with Adrianna Loeff on Hit, a movie chronicling pop artists of Uruguayan music. Abend took home a Best Editing... Read More