Giovanni Messner has come aboard the directorial roster of brother, the bicoastal production company headed by EP Rich Carter and director Ted Melfi (whose new feature Hidden Figures is generating considerable Oscar buzz).
Messner’s background includes serving for five-plus years as creative director at The Zizo Group, a new media agency and production company where he created digital content for major brands. His notable work there included following soldiers as they returned to their families after a 15-month tour of duty (Walmart/USO), documenting the neo-natal intensive care unit with the parents of a baby born four months early (Pampers), and making over 40 short films in 17 countries for the 2012 and 2014 Olympic Games (Procter & Gamble).
Messner has directed commercials for Levi’s, Gerber, eBay, Dupont, Comcast, Hallmark, Pampers, Merck, Electrolux and a series of Tide ads starring Jeremy Maguire (Modern Family) that premiered during the 2016 Oscar telecast and generated millions of views online.
Messner’s mesh of authentic storytelling and cinematic imagery has won awards ranging from Clios to multiple Tellys and a Catalyst, in addition to being shortlisted for the YouTube Young Lions at the Cannes Advertising Festival. His series Raising an Olympian was nominated for Best Documentary Series at the International Academy of Web Television Awards.
Messner had earlier been handled by The Famous Group for spots and branded content. He said that among the factors drawing him to brother was the opportunity to work with Carter and Melfi who “bring a tremendous amount of experience in the commercial and film worlds that I expect I’ll learn a great deal from."
First-Time Feature Directors Make Major Splash At AFI Fest, Generate Oscar Buzz
Two first-time feature directors who are generating Oscar buzz this awards season were front and center this past weekend at AFI Fest in Hollywood. Rachel Morrison, who made history as the first woman nominated for a Best Cinematography Oscar---on the strength of Mudbound in 2018--brought her feature directorial debut, The Fire Inside (Amazon MGM Studios), to the festival on Sunday (10/27), and shared insights into the film during a conversation session immediately following the screening. This came a day after William Goldenberg, an Oscar-winning editor for Argo in 2013, had his initial foray into feature directing, Unstoppable (Amazon MGM Studios), showcased at the AFI proceedings. He too spoke after the screening during a panel discussion. The Fire Inside--which made its world premiere at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival--tells the story of Claressa “T-Rex” Shields (portrayed by Ryan Destiny), a Black boxer from Flint, Mich., who trained to become the first woman in U.S. history to win an Olympic Gold Medal in the sport. She achieved this feat--with the help of coach Jason Crutchfield (Brian Tyree Henry)--only to find that her victory at the Summer Games came with relatively little fanfare and no endorsement deals. So much for the hope that the historic accomplishment would be a ticket out of socioeconomic purgatory for Shields and her family. It seemed like yet another setback in a cycle of adversity throughout Shields’ life but she persevered, going on to win her second Gold Medal at the next Olympics and becoming a champion for gender equality and equitable pay for women in sports. Shields has served as a source of inspiration for woman athletes worldwide--as well as to the community of... Read More