After a one-year hiatus, director Fred Goss–whose work spans advertising and episodic television–has returned to CoMPANY for commercials and branded content.
Goss, who spent the past year at Bullitt, is not only a director but also a writer, sometime actor and all-the-time comedian. He started his career writing scripts, working for major TV networks. At the time he was also a prolific actor, performing in over 75 stage productions while honing his funny bone at The Comedy Store in Hollywood. His initial foray into directing was on the critically acclaimed ABC show Sons and Daughters. He also served as co-creator (with Nick Holly), writer, producer and star of that series. Goss’ first commercial project was directing a series of spots for Coke Zero out of Crispin Porter+Bogusky. Within a year, Goss had directed spots for ESPN, Nike, TGIFridays, Office Depot and Burger King. He has worked with such agencies as Deutsch, FCB, Hill Holliday, Fallon, mcgarrybowen and BBDO.
Adept at turning mundane human activity into something comedic, Goss directed a recent spot for BMO Harris Bank titled “Grocery” in which a trio of Chicago Bull basketball players clown around while helping a woman navigate her grocery store. “When I say action, I’m focused on just one thing–performance,” said Goss. “All I want to focus on at that point is getting the talent to do exactly what the creative team was hoping they would. Once we have that, I like to have a little time to get the talent to do something that the creative team hadn’t considered but that they absolutely love.” In “Greensaver” for Oxo housewares, people are astonished by the freshness of products despite prolonged storage. A woman lovingly rubs her temples with carrots while a man sticks cucumbers up his nose to smell the goodness. In a spot titled “Closer,” two men test their personal boundaries while highlighting the perks of Crowne Plaza’s guest reward program. In “Ashley’s Here” for Cox High Speed Internet, a family shares secrets because of the “buffering” caused by slow internet service. The revelations are not pretty.
Goss continues to direct television series; his body of work includes episodes of Brooklyn Nine Nine, Modern Family, Those Who Can’t, Telenovela, Impastor, Life in Pieces, Kevin From Work and New Girl. For the latter, Goss directed several episodes, including the memorable Super Bowl installment starring music artist Prince.
Goss is currently in production on a new TV series he also created that chronicles the ins and outs of one particular area in the ad industry, focus group testing. The show is part scripted and part improv.
“We’re glad Fred’s back,” said CoMPANY executive producer Richard Goldstein. “Last year when he left both Robin [Benson, CoMPANY EP] and I felt we still had more to accomplish together. We’ve had so much success with Fred, and I think it’s because he keeps busy with both commercial and television work, and his voice carries so well through both.”
Benson added, “Fred is so skilled at catching such funny and unique moments. It goes back to his background as an actor and in improv, which allows him to work so well with actors and mine such incredible performances, whether from actors, athletes, or just real people casting. The results are always adventurous and funny, and his sets are always fun and dynamic to be on.”
