Director Rob “Whitey” McConnaughy has joined humble, a bicoastal hybrid production and post company headed by president Eric Berkowitz. McConnaughy comes over from Hungry Man which repped him for the past several years. Prior to that, he was handled by Believe Media.
McConnaughy burst onto the advertising scene in the mid 2000s with a series of skateboarding spots and shorts that he directed for Nike, working directly for the brand through his own production company, Kingpin Productions. By then he was already a fixture on the snow and skateboarding scene, having directed over a dozen of the best-selling films in the snow and skateboarding genre. Simultaneously, he was serving as the photo editor for the snowboarder publication Blunt, later moving over to the skateboarding magazine Big Brother.
At Big Brother McConnaughy started directing a series of clips that would eventually morph into the MTV series “Jackass.” He not only contributed to the series, but also shot and helped write “Jackass the Movie” and its sequel, “Jackass 2.”
In commercials, McConnaughy’s work has run the gamut from over the top comedy for brands like Coors, Progressive, Dominos, EA and Activision to more traditional scripted spots for brands like Chrysler, Sprint, Dodge and Honda. Among the agencies he’s worked with are Wieden + Kennedy, Goodby Silverstein & Partners, RPA, Arnold and Crispin. His video for Diageo’s Jeremiah Weed brand of whisky-based beverages, featuring the Texas rockers ZZ Top, won a Bronze Lion for CAA in the Branded Content category in Cannes this year.
Having the ability to shepherd projects all the way through from pre-pro to post under one roof at humble will, said McConnaughy, give him maximum flexibility. “You can factor that into your bid going in, and account for it in terms of your creative approach to a job,” he noted. “From the outset you know how you’ll be able to accomplish each project from start to finish, and that’s great in terms of adapting to how work has to get done now. It lets you make sure you’re working within your budget without sacrificing quality control.”
In addition to his skateboarding chops, Whitey also has deep roots in music, having directed videos for a number of punk and indie artists such as The Gossip, Band of Horses, Red Fang and OFF. His work in this genre reflects his taste for guerilla filmmaking, often revealing a “DIY” sensibility marked by outrageous concepts produced on shoestring budgets.
Oscar Nominees Delve Into The Art Of Editing At ACE Session
You couldn’t miss Sean Baker at this past Sunday’s Oscar ceremony where he won for Best Picture, Directing, Original Screenplay and Editing on the strength of Anora. However, earlier that weekend he was in transit from the Cesar Awards in Paris and thus couldn’t attend the American Cinema Editors (ACE) 25th annual panel of Academy Award-nominated film editors held at the Regal LA Live Auditorium on Saturday (3/1) in Los Angeles. While the eventual Oscar winner in the editing category was missed by those who turned out for the ACE “Invisible Art, Visible Artists” session, three of Baker’s fellow nominees were on hand--Dávid Jancsó, HSE for The Brutalist; Nick Emerson for Conclave; and Myron Kerstein, ACE for Wicked. Additionally, Juliette Welfling, who couldn’t appear in person due to the Cesar Awards, was present via an earlier recorded video interview to discuss her work on Emilia Pérez. The interview was conducted by ACE president and editor Sabrina Plisco, ACE who also moderated the live panel discussion. Kerstein said that he was the beneficiary of brilliant and generous collaborators, citing, among others, director Jon M. Chu, cinematographer Alice Brooks, and visual effects supervisor Pablo Helman. The editor added it always helps to have stellar acting performances, noting that hearing Cynthia Erivo, for example, sing live was a revelation. Kerstein recalled meeting Chu some eight years ago on a “blind Skype date” and it was an instant “bromance”--which began on Crazy Rich Asians, and then continued on such projects as the streaming series Home Before Dark and the feature In The Heights. Kerstein observed that Chu is expert in providing collaborators with... Read More