Aero Film has signed director Gary McKendry for exclusive commercial representation in the U.S. McKendry joins a directorial roster that includes Klaus Obermeyer, Ken Arlidge, James Mangold, Nelson McCormick, Jason Farrand, and the team of Klinko and Indrani.
McKendry, a native of Ireland and a former agency creative, is probably best known for his storytelling prowess in spots he has helmed for Porsche, Heineken, NASDAQ, Budweiser and DeBeers. He started his directing career in the U.S. with Go Film, later moving over to Partizan. Recently, McKendry has been active in some altruistic film projects, the latest being an emotionally moving spot for Barnardos, an Irish organization that gives support to at-risk children. McKendry is repped by Blinder in Ireland. The Barnardos PSA was done for Dublin agency The Hive.
Seeking spot work again in the States, McKendry met Aero executive producer Lance O’Connor, who happens to live in the same Southern California neighborhood as the director. McKendry said he was drawn to Aero by his affinity for O’Connor, and the company’s high caliber work spanning commercials and new media.
In turn O’Connor was attracted to McKendry’s filmmaking and storytelling, particularly his penchant for emotionally engaging work like the aforementioned PSA for Barnardos, which depicts the plight of a boy with an abusive father, a battered mother, and a brother who’s descended into a life of crime.
McKendry’s storytelling acumen garnered him an Academy Award nomination for best live action short film in 2005 on the strength of Everything This Country Must. Based on a tale in Everything In This Country Must: A Novella and Two Stories from author, and fellow Irishman, Colum McCann, the short is set in Northern Ireland in the late 1980s and centers on a man and his daughter trying to save their horse as it struggles in a river on a stormy night. At its core, it explores the human dynamics that exist when a nation is in a warlike state.
In the advertising arena, McKendry cited one of his strengths as “having worked as an art director and creative director” and thus being able to “understand everyone’s positions.” His alluded to agency experience includes working at New York agencies such as ChiatDayMojo (now TBWAChiatDay), Ogilvy & Mather and Margeotes|Fertita+Partners. At the latter, where he was a group creative director, McKendry began directing spots for agency clients such as AT&T and Crunch.
AD&Co. Launches Studio A; Davida Hall To Head New Venture As Sr. Director of Creative Content
Female-founded and led creative marketing agency AD&Co. has opened Studio A. The new venture will serve as AD&Co.’s in-house social brand content division, focused on developing and producing digital programming for advertising, social media, and influencer marketing campaigns designed to reach today’s audiences on the most popular and pivotal platforms. Davida Hall has been named to head Studio A as sr. director of creative content. She shifts over from AD&Co. where she held the same title since December 2023. Hall’s affiliations prior to AD&Co. include PopSugar and Studio71.
Amy Demas, founder and chief creative officer of AD&Co., said, “We understand content is king-—or queen—and that our clients need to engage their customer communities where they live. That inspired the logical expansion of AD&Co with Studio A, which is committed to producing only the most engaging and authentic brand stories.”
Studio A will harness both AD&Co’s and Hall’s deep expertise in the lifestyle sector, as content creators and avid consumers. Specializing in reaching audiences where they spend their time, the studio is immersed in social media, pop culture, and current trends, expertly crafting visuals, language, and storytelling to reinforce client brand identities and cut through the noise.
Studio A debuts with the “This Is Me” campaign for Love + Craft + Beauty, a brand dedicated to embracing and promoting diversity within the beauty space. “This Is Me” highlights Gen Z’s affinity for radical self-expression that allows individuals to tell their own stories, free from labels, using beauty and fashion as tools of authenticity. The campaign showcases models celebrating their unique qualities to present... Read More