Director and photographer Rudi Schwab has joined Eleanor, the production house headed by founder and executive producer Sophie Gold, for representation spanning commercials, branded content and music videos.
“Rudi is an excellent filmmaker, whose craft showcases humanity through storytelling. The way in which he gives the viewer a look into intimate moments blows me away,” said Gold. “His Gillette spot shows such a touching connection between a father and son that is not often represented in current commercial filmmaking.”
The Gillette commercial promotes a razor designed for assisted shaving as we see a son carefully shave his father in the morning, underscoring the love he has for his Dad. This “Handle With Care” piece is on a reel which also includes work Schwab directed for HP and AT&T.
Schwab’s ability to create strong character driven stories brings him back to the heart of what inspired him to become a filmmaker–his passion for exploring human emotion through film, making the work not so much about what you see on the screen but what you feel when watching. Navigating the commercial world from a place of intention and emotional astuteness is the aligning factor for both Schwab and Eleanor.
After tracking each other’s work for years, Schwab is enthused over the prospect of working alongside Gold at Eleanor. “What I love about Sophie is that she’s as passionate as I am about storytelling and as the company owner and executive producer, she completely immerses herself into the strategic and creative approach to every project that comes across her desk.”
Schwab had previously been with production company Tool and prior to that Humble. He now joins a directorial lineup at Eleanor that includes Rohan Blair-Mangat, Adrian De Sa Garces, Alice Waddington, Chris Muir, Dawit N.M., Daniel Lundh, Edson Oda, Kacper Larski, Kate Cox, Kelsey Taylor, Milo Blake and Woods.
Eleanor is represented on the East Coast by Anya Zander and Andrew Michaeloff of Hustle, in the Midwest by Matt Bucher of Obsidian Reps, and on the West Coast by Melissa Ross and Worthy Goodman of Melissa Ross Represents.
Changes Afoot For Cannes Lions 2025, Including Increasing Festival Access For Underserved Communities
The Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity is putting plans in motion for its 72nd edition, set to take place from June 16-20, 2025 in Cannes, France. The Festival has announced that it will double funding to provide €2m (some $2,150,000) worth of complimentary passes to underrepresented talent and underserved communities through its Equity, Representation and Accessibility (ERA) Pass, returning for a second year.
Frank Starling, chief DEI officer, Lions, said the increased investment was “crucial to continue to drive progress for both Cannes Lions and the industry.” Starling added, “The ERA pass plays an important role in fostering a global representation of talent within the creative communications industry at Cannes Lions, and to date our funded opportunities have reached creatives in 46 countries globally. With the Festival being the destination for everyone in the business of creativity, we recognize the importance of creating equitable access to it, and this is why we’re prioritizing increased representation from the Global South to support a greater range of voices and perspectives from the region at the Festival.” Applications for the ERA pass are open now and close on December 5, 2025. More details can be found here.
With submissions into the Cannes Lions Awards opening on January 16, 2025, innovations to the Awards have also been announced today. Glass: The Lion for Change celebrates 10 years since its introduction. The Glass Lion was launched to champion work that used creativity to drive a shift towards more positive, progressive and gender-aware communication, and Marian Brannelly, global... Read More