Director Dane Del Deo has signed for commercial representation with Los Films, the commercial production division of the multidisciplinary creative studio Los York.
“Dane represents the next wave of the classic commercial director,” said Chris Abitbol, head of film at Los Films. “His contemporaries tend to focus on style over substance while Dane, on the other hand, brings classic filmmaking and versatile excellence to commercial advertising. He strives for emotive expression and full engagement with audiences. He’s got style, but he’s more than that. He’s so knowledgeable about the industry. He knows the work and understands what people are looking for.”
Del Deo said, “Seeing a head of films like Chris Abitbol come onboard Los Films fires me up. He’s someone who knows how to develop talent and put the work first. Saying I’m pumped would be an understatement,”
A natural-born surfer, Del Deo moved to Australia to ride the waves on the country’s celebrated Gold Coast while earning a degree in filmmaking at Bond University. Los York founder and chief creative catalyst Seth Epstein recognized in him an emerging new talent and hired Del Deo initially fresh out of college, mentoring him closely while Del Deo honed his commercial craft. During his first stint at Los York, Del Deo directed campaigns for Snapchat, Coca-Cola, Logitech, EA, Motorola, Acura and TikTok. The Venice Beach-based director then embarked on a solo journey, building relationships with acclaimed directors Fredrik Bond and Bryan Buckley. With these friendships came a powerful network of collaborators, creatives and clients. He was coaxed from life as a freelancer back to the fold following Abitbol’s hire and already he has wrapped a project for ESPN.
“You can sense the curiosity, discipline and determination that Dane approaches with each project,” said Epstein. “He strives for excellence and the exceptional. In a world of ‘good enough’ Dane is the antithesis, always pushing hard to create something that stands out. He believes good enough is not good, it can get better all the time.”
“When I was breaking into the industry,” said Del Deo. “Seth made a giant investment in my craft as a commercial director. Having spent some time away to explore the business on my own, it’s my honor to return home and prove that investment a high return.”
“Saturday Night Live,” “Jim Henson Idea Man” Among Big Winners On 1st Night of Creative Arts Emmys
It seemed apropos that Saturday evening (9/7) was big for Saturday Night Live as the stalwart NBC show topped the awards tally on the first night of two Creative Arts Emmy ceremonies this weekend. Saturday Night Live took six Emmy Awards spanning such categories as directing, technical direction, production design, lighting design, makeup and hairstyling. Next with four wins apiece were Blue Eye Samurai (Netflix), The Oscars telecast (ABC), and Jim Henson Idea Man (Disney+). The latter too felt appropriate as the documentary celebrated Henson of Muppets fame for his creativity and impactful contributions to the arts--which dovetailed nicely with a Creative Arts competition. Jim Henson Idea Man, directed by Ron Howard, topped the Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Special category while also gaining recognition for its picture editing, music composition and sound editing. Blue Eye Samurai was named Outstanding Animated Program while also picking up three juried awards for its lead character designer, production designer and storyboard artist. Saturday Night Live’s Emmy haul spanned production design, hairstyling, makeup and lighting design. Meanwhile, the first night of the Creative Arts Emmys had some emotional highlights, including Angela Bassett winning her first career Emmy Award--for her narration of the National Geographic show Queens. “Oh my god, wow, my first Emmy,” an emotional Bassett said. “I couldn’t be more thrilled and more grateful.” Bassett was attracted to the documentary project for its subject matter--matriarchs in wildlife--and a women-led production team assembled to do justice to the project. Having a female-dominant crew, she said... Read More