Yacht Club–a full service production company with a curated roster of directors and in-house postproduction–has signed filmmaker Danielle Calodney who’s built a reputation in comedy with spots for Jack in the Box, Snickers, Hostess, and most recently Twix (via The&Partnership, airing now).
Calodney and Yacht Club first collaborated on a project for Bushmills via Mekanism for which real live sheep populated a bar outside NYC as part of a stunt celebrating St. Paddy’s Day 2023. A direct-to-client project for San Francisco-based Honeybook followed, with Calodney directing alongside Yacht Club partner Matt Morgan who helmed the tabletop portions and DP’d for Calodney on the live action.
Yacht Club becomes Calodney’s first career spot roost. The director will be able to tap into Yacht Club’s formal alliance with tabletop shop SCHROM, through which the companies share talent, production staff, studios, and resources. Calodney is making a name for herself as something of a “bite and smile” wizard, with a knack for deftly marrying the worlds of scripted lifestyle/comedy and food.
“Danielle incorporates thoughtful art direction and hilarious performances while also capturing delicious-looking food–it is a perfect blend of skills for a shop like ours,” said Yacht Club partner/EP Joe DePasquale. “What’s more, her work mimics her personality, and she immediately clicked with the vibe of Yacht Club, which was founded as a collective by friends. I really appreciate the way that Danielle owns her vision and pushes the creative, while also being a great collaborator to our clients.”
Calodney shared, “I feel so aligned with Yacht Club’s warm family environment. Directing can be kind of a solo profession, and this team is so amazing with creatives and clients, with everyone included in this process. We have the coolest jobs in the world in my opinion, we should be having fun while we’re working. Fun, collaborative, diverse and inclusive sets are really important to me, and Yacht Club feels the exact same way. Making commercials should be a joyful experience.”
Calodney began her directing career after graduating from film school at the University of Texas at Austin. She initially directed social impact projects for clients including Nike and The Michael J Fox Foundation. Her affinity for food, families and lovable lead characters led to her first comedy spot–for Pop Tarts–at the start of the pandemic. Calodney had directed several music videos that were comedy driven, but her comedy roots had taken hold years earlier. Growing up in the pleasant suburbs of North Texas, Calodney could only take inspiration from what she had access to: Nickelodeon TV shows, Kurt Vonnegut books, and her beautifully chaotic and gigantic combined family. Because of these influences, she consistently finds beauty in the absurd. She has a deep appreciation for the ups and downs of life and has a knack for bringing hope to even the most serious moments. Perhaps this is why Calodney’s character-driven work plays out equally well across the genres of relatable comedy and captivating scripted lifestyle.
The director spent a decade in Brooklyn (no doubt further sharpening her wit), and now lays her hat in Austin.
Calodney joins a Yacht Club roster comprising director/DP/photographer Jake Ladehoff, director/DP/editor/photographer Morgan, directors Julia Kupiec and Fidel Ruiz Healy.
