Believe Media has added director Hoj Jomehri to its roster for U.S. representation. Jomehri’s directorial credits include campaigns for Google Next, NBA 2K and Airbnb. For the latter, he recently wrapped an extensive campaign delving into the individual stories of hosts around the globe.
Jomehri is also in the process of making a film titled Spout about his immigrant story which follows the transition as a child from his native Iran to the U.S., and the merging of his Persian and American cultures. Throughout his life and work, Jomehri has never forgotten the feeling of being an outsider, drawn to characters and stories that help us see things as others do.
Beyond a filmmaking pedigree, Jomehri also brings agency creative chops to Believe along with a reputation as a musician and DJ. He is a fixture in the international dance music community and has toured the globe to play at celebrated clubs and festivals worldwide.
On the agency creative side Jomehri’s notable exploits include his tenure at TBWAChiatDay in NY; there he served, for example, as associate creative director/art director on ABSOLUT Vodka’s “Anthem,” which earned a primetime commercial Emmy nomination in 2010. The spot was directed by MJZ’s Rupert Sanders. Jomehri served as a creative director on the ABSOLUT account at TBWAChiatDay. He also was a creative director at Crispin Porter+Bogusky LA where his credits included Turkish Airlines’ “Kobe vs. Messi: The Selfie Shootout” commercial–directed by Joseph Kahn–which garnered distinction from voting YouTubers as YouTube’s “Ad of the Decade.”
Jomehri’s early agency experience included AKQA in San Francisco where he was instrumental in creating story-driven digital content and groundbreaking interactive films for brands like Nike and Xbox. In 2008 Jomehri made his first foray into directing–a Nike Football U.K. digital marketing campaign through AKQA where he was a creative lead and motion graphics designer at the time.
For a stretch, Jomehri was half of So & So, a duo with his writer/partner/wife Sue Anderson. They used the So & So moniker on personal projects and later when working directly with brands. Anderson was the writer, Jomehri the director. When they formed their own company, they called it So & So, focusing on nose-to-tail creative solutions for brands like Google Nest, Netflix and Allbirds. Prior to forming the So & So shop, Jomehri directed a music video through production house Heresy for a band called Hey Violet.
“Hoj is a storyteller with a keen eye for character and visual texture, which brings the viewer viscerally into his films,” said Believe co-founder/executive producer Liz Silver. “Through his storytelling, he takes the audience to a deeper place.”
Marc Benardout, EP of Believe’s L.A. office, added, “Hoj connects immediately, from his demeanor to the sartorial elegance of his work. We are very excited to welcome Hoj to the Believe family.”
Jomehri shared, “Believe’s approach to work and to life is authentic, artful, and human. I feel at home here.”
Eleanor Adds Director Candice Vernon To Its Roster For Spots and Branded Content
Director Candice Vernon has joined production house Eleanor for U.S. representation spanning commercials and branded content. She has already wrapped several jobs at Eleanor, which waited to announce her until they had a body of work together.
Via Eleanor, Vernon made history as the first Black director on a Febreze commercial. The “Small Spaces” campaign marks a major departure from Febreze’s typical blue-and-white world. The home of the “Revolving Door” commercial is a beautiful array of bold sunset hues, African prints, and African art.
Vernon said, “I asked myself, what feels right to me? What feels new? I wanted to bring an essence of not just Black Americans but the full diaspora. I wanted to make a statement that we’re not a monolith.”
Following the success of the “Small Spaces” campaign, Febreze brought Vernon back for a comedy-infused trifecta exploring the hilarious situations that call for an air freshening hero.
Febreze Brand VP Angelica Matthews said, “About two years ago, we realized the consumers that were the most loyal to Febreze were the African American consumers. And the more we learned, the more we realized the richness that we were really missing. So we said we have to go beyond just Black casting, we need to get Black directors that truly understand the culture that truly understand how to bring authentic performances out on screen. We really looked around the industry and noticed there’s actually a shortage of African American directors who have experience doing commercials. When we all saw Candice’s reel, we could all tell the passion for the craft, passion for really trying to help us from where we are to where we’re trying to go.”
Vernon brings a unique lens to... Read More