Comedy director Phil Brown has signed for exclusive commercial representation in the U.S. with Metro Pictures, the Marina del Rey production house headed by executive producer Craig Farkas. A Vancouver, B.C. resident, Brown comes over to Metro after two years at The Artists Company, bicoastal, his first stateside commercial roost.
Additionally, Metro reps Brown in the Asian market via its overseas operation, Metro Pictures Hong Kong, which is a joint venture between Metro and partner/director/cameraman Larry Shiu’s Hong Kong-based production company Shooting Gallery. Brown continues to be represented in Canada by Radke Films, Toronto, and in Germany by Sterntag, Hamburg.
The director’s most recent credits include a spot for Cineplex Odeon via Vickers & Benson, Toronto, and a pair of client-direct spots for Vancouver-based Canine Equipment, "Lawnmower Man" and "Bathtime."
"His work is very different," said Farkas. "It’s kind of offbeat, sick comedy."
The Canine Equipment spots, for instance, feature scenarios in which a sinister dog plots against his master. In "Bathtime" the dog nudges an appliance so that it falls into the bathtub while the man is soaking, which leads to his electrocution. In "Lawnmower Man," the man is mowing his lawn. When he stoops down to inspect the mower’s blade, Fido strikes again.
"To me, advertising should be leading the way," said Brown. "I love to break the rules when I can, and I love comedy to push the envelope. A lot of advertising is moving wallpaper. I’m really influenced by old comedies and the classics. Some of my work may be termed as controversial, but it’s not in-your-face. It’s done in a classical manner. There’s a craft to [it]."
A native of the U.K., Brown got his professional start in the ad agency arena, working for five years as an art director at Formula, Aberdeen, Scotland. The opportunity to make his spot directing debut came by way of a competition sponsored by Creative Review, through which Brown helmed an Absolut vodka ad, "Absolut Intrigue." While the ad garnered significant attention, it didn’t land Brown a directing gig. In ’94, he moved to Canada and took on an art director position at BBDO Vancouver.
During his tenure at BBDO, Brown took another stab at directing when an art director friend from Palmer Jarvis DDB Vancouver offered him an assignment for Fong’s fresh poultry. "Dead Chicken" was shortlisted at the Cannes International Advertising Festival in ’98, and won other industry accolades. Shortly thereafter, Brown found spot representation via Radke and The Artists Company.
In the past two years, Brown has directed spots for Labatts, Visine, Sony, Chek TV and Samsung. The latter, "Beautician," was for the European market and created by Bozell, Paris. The Artists Company ran the job through now defunct Paris production house Tipitina. Other credits include a spot for Rostocker Pils out of Hamburg agency Kolle Rebbe Werbeagentur and produced by Sterntag.
Brown joins a Metro directorial roster that includes: Shiu; Steven Ang; Spencer Antle; Brian Lai; director/cameraman David Lena; Paul Loosley; Richard Lowenstein; and Lynn-Marie Milburn. The company also reps director Marcus Nispel in the Asian market; Nispel’s domestic spotwork is handled by Morton Jankel Zander, Los Angeles.
Metro is repped by a trio of independents: Los Angeles-based Connie Mellors on the West Coast; Chicago-based Doug Stieber in the Midwest; and New York-based Nancy Workman on the East Coast.
