The Cavalry Productions, a commercial and digital production company headed by exec producer Ross Grogan, has added Stephen Schuster to its directorial roster. Schuster first established himself in the design arena before successfully diversifying into directing.
Schuster originally went to college to study illustration and painting, but soon pursued graphic design quickly evolving into a passion for motion driven design. After seeing the title design to the movie SEVEN, Schuster helped to start a company with Kyle Cooper called Prologue. Schuster soon found himself in the role of creative director, heading up multiple projects in tandem. His early work included animation and graphic design typography for commercials, an award winning digital photography campaign, and a multitude of film titles, which include Dawn of the Dead, Spider-Man 2, Superman Returns, The New World, and Stephen King’s Nightmares and Dreamscapes, in addition to visual effects for Across The Universe. It was here that Schuster also completed typography and graphics for the lauded Hewlett-Packard (H-P) digital photography campaign through agency Goodby Silverstein & Partners.
In 2006, Schuster left Prologue to focus on directing, and was immediately sought out by the SciFi channel to direct some live action/CG bumpers. That opportunity led to other directorial work, which included teaser work, and by 2009, he gained the attention of Capitol Records, who engaged him to direct a documentary about Alice in Chains and two of their music videos, “A Looking In View” and “Your Decision.” Schuster then went on to direct a variety of videos, ranging from music videos to promos for FOX Sports, the Revolver Golden Gods Awards, and National Geographic. He expanded his skills with visual effects work for the feature films Iron Man 3 and Robocop, as well as the title sequences for FOX’s TV series, Sleepy Hollow and Enlisted.
“Schuster is at heart a director with a substantial design sense,” said Grogan. “He’s known for having a dark and beautiful vision, form, cinematic lighting, all while the subject maintains priority. Every frame of his work looks amazing, that makes him perfect for both commercial and digital work, as well as fashion, automotive and video game spots.”
Recent clients of The Cavalry include Hasbro, Saatchi & Saatchi, 72andSunny and Red Bull.
