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.”
After 20 Years of Acting, Megan Park Finds Her Groove In The Director’s Chair On “My Old Ass”
Megan Park feels a little bad that her movie is making so many people cry. It's not just a single tear either — more like full body sobs.
She didn't set out to make a tearjerker with "My Old Ass," now streaming on Prime Video. She just wanted to tell a story about a young woman in conversation with her older self. The film is quite funny (the dialogue between 18-year-old and almost 40-year-old Elliott happens because of a mushroom trip that includes a Justin Bieber cover), but it packs an emotional punch, too.
Writing, Park said, is often her way of working through things. When she put pen to paper on "My Old Ass," she was a new mom and staying in her childhood bedroom during the pandemic. One night, she and her whole nuclear family slept under the same roof. She didn't know it then, but it would be the last time, and she started wondering what it would be like to have known that.
In the film, older Elliott ( Aubrey Plaza ) advises younger Elliott ( Maisy Stella ) to not be so eager to leave her provincial town, her younger brothers and her parents and to slow down and appreciate things as they are. She also tells her to stay away from a guy named Chad who she meets the next day and discovers that, unfortunately, he's quite cute.
At 38, Park is just getting started as a filmmaker. Her first, "The Fallout," in which Jenna Ortega plays a teen in the aftermath of a school shooting, had one of those pandemic releases that didn't even feel real. But it did get the attention of Margot Robbie 's production company LuckyChap Entertainment, who reached out to Park to see what other ideas she had brewing.
"They were very instrumental in encouraging me to go with it," Park said. "They're just really even-keeled, good people, which makes... Read More