The Goetz Brothers are back together after several independent projects and have joined Seed Media Arts for commercial representation as a directorial team. Kevin and Michael Goetz have been active in varied disciplines, from spots to branded content and music videos. The duo also recently finished their first feature film, Scenic Route, starring Josh Duhamel and Dan Fogler, which was well received during its world premiere at this year's SXSW Festival and subsequently picked up and released worldwide by Vertical Entertainment.
Just prior to the debut of Scenic Route at SXSW, Kevin Goetz told SHOOT about the film in which Duhamel and Fogler portray two life-long friends who find themselves stranded on an isolated desert road. Kevin Goetz described Kyle Killen, who penned the script, as being "an extraordinary writer who has a way of having characters say things we all think and never figure out a way to say. His script is about two friends who have gone in opposite directions in their lives. They push each other about the choices they made, should have made or not have made. It's been said that 'no one can pick a man apart like his best friend' and in this movie, you see that both characters have valid points. One has gone on to become successful, selling out with a bank job instead of a music career. The other followed his dream instead of a paycheck. He's living in a car and homeless. Now stranded without food, water, with nothing, they are pushed to the limit physically and things get ugly."
Scenic Route was selected for SXSW's Narrative Spotlight section. At that time, Kevin Goetz had gone solo as a commercials director and was being handled by Traveling Picture Show Company. He has since rejoined his brother Michael for commercial directing and they have come aboard the Seed roster.
The Goetz Brothers' work has won a primetime Emmy Award (for the opening main titles design and direction with Michael Goode on ABC's The Wonderful World of Disney) and been shortlisted at Cannes and the AICP Show.
The Goetz Brothers signing with Seed coincides with the company's moving its headquarters from Chicago to Santa Monica and with exec producer Tim Ward partnering with Seed EP Roy Skillicorn.
The brothers' focus on capturing performances is a trait passed down to them from their father and well-known actor, Peter Michael Goetz. Throughout their father's stage and film career, the two brothers could be found, behind the scenes, absorbing the process of production. Michael went on to earn a masters degree in film while attending USC's School of Cinema while Kevin graduated from the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena. Both live with their families in Los Angeles.
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