Production house Strike Anywhere has added director Erica Eng to its roster for U.S. representation spanning commercials, branded content and music videos.
Coming aboard Strike Anywhere during the pandemic has already yielded tangible results for Eng who’s completed two projects since signing. Her first piece, a social message-driven Procter & Gamble campaign for the Olympics, is part of a series called “Lead with Love.” The spots showcase the stories of four exceptional athletes, including U.K. Paralympian Kim Daybell and swimmer Simone Manuel of Team USA, who are taking the time to give back to their communities after the 2020 Tokyo Games were postponed.
For her second recent project, Eng helmed a commercial for the yogurt brand Activia starring Nina Dobrev. Released on Instagram, the lively ad garnered over three million views in the week since its debut.
“I’m glad to have had a crash course in COVID filming,” said Eng. “Each project comes with a fresh set of challenges to solve, whether it be all remote and directing via Zoom like P&G, or in-person and working on set for Activia. I feel extremely prepared for future COVID productions.”
Eng had been freelancing prior to joining Strike Anywhere. She had earlier in her career been repped by production house Tomorrow.
Raised in Oakland, Calif., Eng moved to L.A. and gained a birds-eye-view of the industry while working as an executive assistant at A-List companies, where she developed a great love for commercials. She worked alongside Michael Mann for a year as he was developing several feature and television projects before striking it out on her own as a director. Since then, Eng has created work for clients including Bank of America, Netflix, and Homeboy Industries.
Eng is an alum of SHOOT’s 2018 New Directors Showcase. She was also part of a select group of directors chosen for the Commercial Directors Diversity Program, the joint initiative of the AICP and DGA.
Eng’s Poison won Best Short Film distinction at the Sidewalk Film Festival’s SHOUT showcase. Her other work has gained exposure in Oscar-qualifying festivals including the Atlanta Film Festival, New Orleans Film Festival, and the Holly Shorts Film Festival.
Influenced by her Oakland roots, Eng creates work that reflects the diverse community where she grew up. She’s currently finishing a short film called Americanized, which she wrote based on her experience as a fourth generation Chinese American playing high school basketball. Undertaking the project, which placed as a Finalist in the 2020 ScreenCraft Screenplay competition, has ignited a passion in Eng for telling sports stories, marking her P&G campaign as an auspicious debut with Strike Anywhere.
Ryan Simon, founding partner of Strike Anywhere, said of Eng, “Her voice is honed and she uses her talent to connect with audiences in surprising and impactful ways. Production needs creative energy and a can-do attitude more than ever now and Erica has this in spades. With her enthusiasm, talent, and momentum from these timely campaigns, we couldn’t be more excited about what we’re going to create together.”
