Comedy director Russell Bates has signed with L.A.-based commercial production company trio films for representation in the U.S. He had formerly been handled stateside by Crossroads Films, which continues to rep the director in the U.K.
A California native, Bates has helmed commercials for major brands such as Snickers, Tide, Axe, Budweiser, T-Mobile, ESPN, Target and Chevrolet. He has worked with many celebrities including Betty White, Will Ferrell, Ben Stiller, Denis Leary, Joan Collins and Andy Dick.
Bates’ experience in comedy runs deep, having served as a writer and director of comedic shorts for the MTV Movie Awards, Comedy Central, the VH1 Fashion Awards and the People’s Choice Awards. His most notable pop culture contribution is the name he created–Derek Zoolander–for the character he co-created with Ben Stiller.
Bates is currently in production on a Head & Shoulders job for Saatchi New York. He joins a trio directorial roster which includes Debra Granik, Ramaa Mosley, Jackie Oudney, Arie Posin, Bob Rice and Pascui Rivas. The trio sales force consists of Lisa Gimenez of LG Reps on the West Coast, Catherine de Angelis of Hot Betty in the Midwest and Carl Forsberg and Marianne McCarley of Carl Forsberg on the East Coast.
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