Bicoastal/international Station Film has signed director Mark Gilbert for worldwide representation except in Canada where he continues to be handled by Toronto-based Untitled Films. His directing credits span such clients as Ikea, DirecTV, Marmite, Pepsi, Mentos, 7-Up, Nicorette and KIA. Gilbert’s work has garnered recognition at Cannes, D&ADs, Clios and the ANDY Awards. He gained inclusion into the 2004 Saatchi & Saatchi New Directors Showcase in Cannes.
Prior to joining Station, Gilbert had been handled stateside by production house Hello!
Recent work for Kia through Publicis, Toronto exemplifies Gilbert’s wry rendering of the ridiculous. The campaign features disastrous situations swiftly soothed by the presence of a new Kia Soul:
“Cabin” features four adorable girls ruminating alone in a remote cabin. A masked psychopath arrives, peeks in with deadly intent. He’s ready to strike – until he spots a Kia Soul parked outside. Peering into its irresistible interior he become oblivious to his slasher desires, lulled to sleep by the car’s impressive decor.
Gilbert graduated with a BFA from the University of Western Ontario before a photography career beckoned, winning awards at The One Show and Communication Arts – plus the cover of Photo District News magazine. A year sabbatical came next, traveling through Morocco, Cuba, Nepal and Thailand where Gilbert captured compelling portraits of people, images that won travel assignments from National Geographic, Travel and Leisure, GQ and Elle.
Gilbert parlayed that success into directing commercials, signing with Reginald Pike and Biscuit Filmworks where he shaped spots with a natural affinity toward comedy. UK work followed through London agencies BBH, Abbott Mead Vickers BBDO, Mother and DDB, all integrating his vision with quirky creative on ads that became a hit with the Brit crowd.
Gilbert said he was drawn to Station’s directorial talent and its affinity for compelling visual comedy. “My observational eye segues nicely into the roster. I feel that ads using clever comedy are underutilized, so see a lot of potential in the road ahead.”
SUPERLATIVE Signs Director Claudia Abend For Spots and Branded Content
Latin American director/editor and documentary filmmaker Claudia Abend has joined SUPERLATIVE for her first U.S. representation spanning commercials and branded content.
Abend's empathetic docu-style POV has garnered several international awards for the documentary films Hit (2008) and The Flower of Life (2018). Her spotmaking credits include such brands as Procter & Gamble, Nestle and Blue Cross/Blue Shield. SUPERLATIVE has already worked with Abend, together producing a new ad campaign for digital agency Tinuiti and The Honest Company, a consumer goods corporation featuring eco-minded products.
“We found Claudia through her poignant documentaries on the festival circuit,” said SUPERLATIVE creative manager Stefan Dezil. “We are excited about her textured narratives, emotional storytelling, and her powerhouse long-form storytelling abilities, currently on her third feature film. As SUPERLATIVE continues to build our brand after premiering our latest films at Sundance and SXSW, Claudia is the kind of multidimensional artist we are excited to partner with on branded content and beyond. Fluent in English and Spanish, her reel shows real prowess with infants, food and skin products, families both young and old. Great visual storytelling and inspirational doc work.”
Abend began her career in her native Uruguay, studying film and editing in college. “My dad would show me films like Citizen Kane,” she said. “I love cinema and became an editor. It was here that I learned all about communicating human emotion.”
From the get-go, Abend hit it big as a documentary director, teaming with Adrianna Loeff on Hit, a movie chronicling pop artists of Uruguayan music. Abend took home a Best Editing... Read More