Creative production company Where The Buffalo Roam (WTBR) has signed director Jack Henry Robbins for U.S. representation spanning commercials and branded content. This marks his first representation in the advertising arena.
Robbins’ filmography as a writer and director includes features and shorts; two of the latter made the Sundance Film Festival cut–Hot Winter: A Film by Dick Pierre in 2017, and Painting with Joan in 2018. Hot Winter: A Film by Dick Pierre was billed as one of the first films in American cinema to address climate change–as well as a hardcore porno with all sex scenes removed as to not distract from the conscious message. Next, Painting with Joan spoofed TV’s favorite art instructor, Bob Ross. Robbins also has to his credit a music mockumentary titled Ultimate Ultimate, which Comedy Central picked up when he was just 23. The network also piloted an episodic adaptation of the film.
Now Robbins, a USC Film School graduate, is bringing his offbeat filmmaking style to the advertising space, most notably with a viral web campaign for Hot Pockets.
Robbins’ other cinematic projects range widely from These Storied Streets, a documentary on America’s homeless crisis, to a feature-length comedy, VHYES, which had a theatrical run and was sold to Hulu in 2020 after being certified Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes.
More recently, Robbins has created and wrote an animated half-hour series in development with Bento Box, the creators of Bob’s Burgers. He sees his storytelling style as Christopher Guest-ian, with an eye to comedic realism and the self-reflexive, but has the ability to shift his aesthetic to fit the needs of each project. He’s also well-versed in editing and, consequently, has a precise eye.
“Jack is a really engaged and talented writer/director, on top of being an hilarious and lovely guy,” remarked Simon Mowbray, creative director at WTBR. “I met him through my husband, who owns a plant shop. He told me about this too-tall, very strange and funny guy he met there who made films. This is L.A., so even tall and odd filmmakers aren’t exactly thin on the ground. Anyway, we went to see Jack’s film VHYes, and it was bizarre, strange, and touching. It made me laugh a whole lot.”
Robbins added, “I take on every project with a sneakiness to make the viewer think, with the hope that my films make the world feel a bit more agreeable and a whole lot more fun. I look forward to bringing my experience and worldview in a way that is complementary to the WTBR team.”
WTBR maintains offices in Oakland and Los Angeles. Robbins is represented by Artists First Management for film/TV writing and directing.
