Australian director Graeme Burfoot, whose spotmaking roost Down Under is The Feds, has secured stateside representation, joining the roster of Mechaniks, the Venice-based house headed by exec producer Andrea Kikot and director Boris Damast.
Among Burfoot’s most recent work are spots for Volkswagen out of DDB Needham Sydney, Mitsubishi for Clemenger/BBDO Sydney, Woolworth Kids for M&C Saatchi, Sydney, GM/Holden via McCann Erickson Melbourne, and Mobil Exxon for McCann in New York and Russia.
His NBCC campaign for Breast Cancer won him a silver award for best direction at 2007 London Awards, a finalist for best direction at the 2007 Asia Pacific Adfest and a bronze for best direction at the 2007 Clio Awards.
Burfoot is known for combining top drawer actor performances and visual effects to make for engaging storytelling. His body of work, though, extends well beyond commercials.
Burfoot’s short film The Beneficiary was shortlisted for the Academy Awards in 1999. The Beneficiary hit the festival circuit globally and won honors in Palm Springs.
In ’02, Burfoot directed the three-part drama of Robert Drew’s lauded book “Shark Net” for the ABC and BBC, earning him an AFI nomination. The Bryan Brown “Two Twisted” episode for Channel Nine, Australia, then earned him a best director nomination at the Directors’ Guild Awards.
AD&Co. Launches Studio A; Davida Hall To Head New Venture As Sr. Director of Creative Content
Female-founded and led creative marketing agency AD&Co. has opened Studio A. The new venture will serve as AD&Co.’s in-house social brand content division, focused on developing and producing digital programming for advertising, social media, and influencer marketing campaigns designed to reach today’s audiences on the most popular and pivotal platforms. Davida Hall has been named to head Studio A as sr. director of creative content. She shifts over from AD&Co. where she held the same title since December 2023. Hall’s affiliations prior to AD&Co. include PopSugar and Studio71.
Amy Demas, founder and chief creative officer of AD&Co., said, “We understand content is king-—or queen—and that our clients need to engage their customer communities where they live. That inspired the logical expansion of AD&Co with Studio A, which is committed to producing only the most engaging and authentic brand stories.”
Studio A will harness both AD&Co’s and Hall’s deep expertise in the lifestyle sector, as content creators and avid consumers. Specializing in reaching audiences where they spend their time, the studio is immersed in social media, pop culture, and current trends, expertly crafting visuals, language, and storytelling to reinforce client brand identities and cut through the noise.
Studio A debuts with the “This Is Me” campaign for Love + Craft + Beauty, a brand dedicated to embracing and promoting diversity within the beauty space. “This Is Me” highlights Gen Z’s affinity for radical self-expression that allows individuals to tell their own stories, free from labels, using beauty and fashion as tools of authenticity. The campaign showcases models celebrating their unique qualities to present... Read More