Film and television director Gillian Robespierre has joined m ss ng p eces’ special projects roster, marking her first career commercialmaking representation.
“Gillian’s work is a rare mix of funny and empathetic, sharp and nuanced. She’s a totally unique voice in film and television who we are thrilled to bring into the commercial space,” said Kate Oppenheim, managing partner at m ss ng p eces.
Robespierre’s critically praised feature work includes 2014’s Obvious Child (A24), for which she earned the National Board of Review’s award for Best Directorial Debut, and 2017’s Landline (Amazon Studios). Both films starred Jenny Slate, with whom Robespierre recently reunited for her Netflix comedy special Jenny Slate: Stage Fright, which premieres globally on October 22. Robespierre has also directed episodes of HBO’s Silicon Valley and Crashing, Hulu’s Casual and Shrill, and upcoming HBO limited series Mrs. Fletcher starring Kathryn Hahn, as well as upcoming FX limited series A Teacher starring Kate Mara. Born and raised in New York, Robespierre is a graduate of the School of Visual Arts’ Film & Video program.
“I’ve always loved exploring new ways to tell stories and I’m very excited to see what’s possible in the advertising space,” shared Robespierre.
Eleanor Adds Director Candice Vernon To Its Roster For Spots and Branded Content
Director Candice Vernon has joined production house Eleanor for U.S. representation spanning commercials and branded content. She has already wrapped several jobs at Eleanor, which waited to announce her until they had a body of work together.
Via Eleanor, Vernon made history as the first Black director on a Febreze commercial. The “Small Spaces” campaign marks a major departure from Febreze’s typical blue-and-white world. The home of the “Revolving Door” commercial is a beautiful array of bold sunset hues, African prints, and African art.
Vernon said, “I asked myself, what feels right to me? What feels new? I wanted to bring an essence of not just Black Americans but the full diaspora. I wanted to make a statement that we’re not a monolith.”
Following the success of the “Small Spaces” campaign, Febreze brought Vernon back for a comedy-infused trifecta exploring the hilarious situations that call for an air freshening hero.
Febreze Brand VP Angelica Matthews said, “About two years ago, we realized the consumers that were the most loyal to Febreze were the African American consumers. And the more we learned, the more we realized the richness that we were really missing. So we said we have to go beyond just Black casting, we need to get Black directors that truly understand the culture that truly understand how to bring authentic performances out on screen. We really looked around the industry and noticed there’s actually a shortage of African American directors who have experience doing commercials. When we all saw Candice’s reel, we could all tell the passion for the craft, passion for really trying to help us from where we are to where we’re trying to go.”
Vernon brings a unique lens to... Read More