The Directors Bureau has added director Sam Brown to its roster for North American representation spanning commercials and music videos. Brown continues to be repped in the U.K. for spots and videos, respectively, by Rogue Films and Flynn Productions.
Brown made his first directorial mark in the music video arena. He has turned out clips for such artists as Corinne Bailey Rae (“Put Your Records On”), Doves (“The Man Who Told Everything”), The Verve (“Love Is Noise”), The Fray (“How to Save A Life”), Elbow (“Asleep In the Back”), James Blunt (“You’re Beautiful,” “Goodbye My Lover”), Mew (“Zookeeper’s Boy”), The Duke Spirit (“Lion Rip”), Gemma Hayes (“Let A Good Thing Go”), Foo Fighters (“The Pretender”), and earlier this year a controversial joint Jay-Z/Swizz Beats video (“On To the Next Day”). Brown’s videos have been lauded over the years, earning such honors as an MTV VMA.
The director also successfully diversified into the ad biz with a Nike commercial for Wieden+Kennedy, London. Brown has since gone on to helm spots for Samsung, Audi, BBCRadio1 and the U.K. Lotto, among others. His dual mastery of classic cinematic tools as well as the latest VFX technologies has earned him recognition at competitions such as BTAA, Cannes, Creative Circle, and D&AD. The latter bestowed a Yellow Pencil for best direction upon him for Virgin Media’s “Fantastic Journey” spot out of RKCR/Y&R, London.
Brown joins a directorial lineup at The Director Bureau which includes Roman Coppola, Sofia Coppola, Mike Maguire, Patrick Daughters, Melodie McDaniel, M. Blash and Aaron Rose. At his new roost, Brown will work closely with executive producers Cayce Cole and Melissa Culligan, and music video producer Lana Kim. Prior to The Directors Bureau, Brown was handled for U.S. commercials by DNA.
Ron Cicero and Bo Clancey Launch Production House 34North
Executive producers Ron Cicero and Bo Clancey have teamed to launch 34North. The shop opens with a roster which includes accomplished directors Jan Wentz, Ben Nakamura Whitehouse, David Edwards and Mario Feil, as well as such up-and-coming filmmakers as Glenn Stewart and Chris Fowles. Nakamura Whitehouse, Edwards, Feil and Fowles come over from CoMPANY Films, the production company for which Cicero served as an EP for the past nearly five years. Director Wentz had most recently been with production house Skunk while Stewart now gains his first U.S. representation. EP Clancey was freelance producing prior to the formation of 34North. He and Cicero have known each other for some 25 years, recently reconnecting on a job directed by Fowles. Cicero said that he and Clancey “want to keep a highly focused roster where talent management can be one on one--where we all share in the directors’ success together.” Clancey also brings an agency pedigree to the new venture. “I started at Campbell Ewald in accounts, no less,” said Clancey. “I saw firsthand how much work agencies put in before we even see a script. You have to respect that investment. These agency experiences really shaped my approach to production--it’s about empathy, listening between the lines, and ultimately making the process seamless.” 34North represents a meeting point--both literally and creatively. Named after the latitude of Malibu, Calif., where the idea for the company was born, it also embraces the power of storytelling. “34North118West was the first GPS-enabled narrative,” Cicero explained. “That blend of art and technology, to captivate an audience, mirrors what we do here--create compelling work, with talented people, harnessing state-of-the-art... Read More