Director Henrik Hansen has signed with bicoastal Flying Tiger Films for U.S. representation. This is the first time the Copenhagen-based director has been attached to an American company.
As a freelancer, Hansen’s credits include car company Skoda’s "Fabia," through Grey Advertising, Prague; a campaign for the telecommunications service Telia via Kunde & Co., Copenhagen; and spots for the Mercedes-Benz A-Class via KGN Brands, Copenhagen.
Flying Tiger executive producer/partner Jeff Devlin related, "We’ve searched long and hard for an artist who would pursue artistic approaches in a cluttered market." When Devlin and Hansen first met two years ago, Hansen was just starting to put together a reel. Devlin was intrigued: "He did some beautiful work out of Europe, and I was lucky enough to keep in touch with Henrik. When I saw his latest reel, I sent it to [producer] Lance O’Connor, and we stated unequivocally, ‘We want him to be at Flying Tiger!’ "
O’Connor and Devlin invited Hansen stateside to discuss what Devlin calls "what it takes to launch a young director in the American market." Devlin stated, "We felt very confident and assured that he was the right candidate. We showed the reel to some of the best creative circles in America, and everybody felt that there was a great sense of art and a very appropriate reel for Flying Tiger-there’s no direct competition with our other directors. It’s a reel we are very excited about."
With what O’Connor describes as its "art directed" look and emphasis on black-and-white film, Hansen’s work reflects his background as a commercial still photographer. "I’d been taking pictures since I was a little kid and suddenly I found out I wanted to be a photographer," recalled Hansen. So he dropped out of business school and applied to a highly competitive photography program partially subsidized by the Danish government. That program, however, requires that a professional photography studio sponsor each student, and employ him or her for the duration of the training. Unfortunately, Ulrik Jensen, the photographer Hansen wanted as a sponsor, kept rejecting his application. "He said ‘no’ to me many times, but I kept sending him pictures every Thursday night," Hansen laughed. Finally, the weekly bombardment succeeded: "It took almost a year until he said, ‘Okay! I’m going to take you!’ I was very fortunate."
At Ulrick Jensen Commercials and Film Production, in Denmark’s Jutland province of Vejle, Hansen studied photography and later became a camera assistant and focus puller. He had always been interested in cinematography, and when he completed his training about six years ago, Hansen switched to filmmaking, becoming a first assistant director instead of a photographer.
Within the next few years, Hansen became a director and began shooting throughout Scandinavia, the Czech Republic, Italy and Germany. He joined Copenhagen-based Easy Films about a month ago for representation in Scandanavia. "That’s the first time I’ve ever been with a company here in Scandinavia; I was one of the few freelancers up here," Hansen explained. "Because there are a lot of in-house companies here in Denmark and most of my jobs were abroad, I didn’t feel that I had to go to a company." However, success has its price: "As you get busier, you need to have people taking care of your business."
Devlin and O’Connor are planning Hansen’s directorial debut in America. "There are two projects that we’re about to start bidding on," said Devlin. "With that first board, we’re being very careful to do something-a brand, a spot-that will give us the attention that we need."
Although his work seems elegant and somewhat austere, Hansen described the look as natural: "I’m trying to make it very realistic-I like the midtones and the desaturated areas. I’ve shot a lot in black and white." He said, "I like doing car stuff, liquid, and insurance companies. My inspiration is very visual; I’ve always been inspired by nature and art and a lot of stylish architectural stuff." Both O’Connor and Devlin noted that Hansen’s reel is full of references to art and history.
O’Connor pointed out, too, that Hansen’s sophisticated look expands Flying Tiger’s range: "It’s a niche that we hadn’t covered," he said. "And it [Hansen’s look and visual emphasis] seems to be something that’s becoming pretty edgy and frontline for a lot of the very exciting boards that are coming out at the moment. His shots are art directed, like a ballet."
Hansen is likewise enthusiastic about working here: "America’s a big commercial country. From the European side, there will always be the dream of going to America and doing big corporate stuff."
Flying Tiger’s other directors are director/DP/partner Robert Gordon and directors/DPs Mikael Salomon, Ken Arlidge and Klaus Obermeyer. Directors are Rebecca Blake and James Holt.
Reps are Ron Hoffman in Los Angeles for the West Coast and Midwest, and the New York-based Devlin for the East Coast.
