International production company Great Guns has added award-winning documentary director Jesse Vile to its roster for global representation spanning commercials, branded content and music videos. This marks his first spot representation.
Born in Philadelphia and now based in London, Vile has over 10 years of experience in directing and producing film and TV, having worked on both theatrical releases and with major platforms including Netflix, Amazon Studios, ESPN Films, Discovery+, and Nat Geo.
His 2012 debut feature documentary film, Jason Becker: Not Dead Yet, told the story of American musician Jason Becker and his battle with Lou Gehrig’s disease. Screening at multiple film festivals across the globe, it received numerous awards including the Special Jury Prize at the Hamptons International Film Festival. It also earned Vile a nomination for Best Newcomer at the Grierson Awards and a New York Times Critic’s Pick.
His follow-up film The Prince of Pennsylvania, released as part of ESPN Films’ 30 for 30 documentary series, told the bizarre story of John du Pont and his Foxcatcher wrestling team. It premiered at the Philadelphia Film Festival and the Hot Springs Film Festival–where it was nominated for Best Sports Documentary–before launching on ESPN. The 30 for 30 series went on to win an Emmy for Outstanding Short-Format Nonfiction Program.
Since then, Vile has directed the feature documentary Gypsy’s Revenge for ID Films, This is Football for Amazon Studios, and the Netflix Original documentary series Captive and The Ripper–which became the #1 show on the platform following its release. His latest project, the four-part true-crime documentary series Curse of the Chippendales, premiered at the 65th London Film Festival last month. It was released on Amazon Prime in the U.K. today (11/12).
Vile said, “I’m very excited to be joining the roster of incredible talent at Great Guns and to bring my experience in telling emotional and story-driven films to their slate of commercials and branded content. Laura [Gregory, founder] and Oliver [Fuselier, USA managing director and EP]’s focus on storytelling is what really drew me to Great Guns, and I’m looking forward to creating meaningful and thought-provoking work with them.”
Fuselier shared, “Jesse Vile is a true filmmaker with the ability to tell a story–weaving layers of emotional power into every scene and leaving us wanting more.”
Gregory cited Vile’s range of work from music and sports to true crime. “His decade of experience in directing and producing is an important addition to our global offering.” She added, “I can’t wait to see how he applies his thought process to a brand.”
