Production house Hey Baby has added director Rob “Whitey” McConnaughy to its talent roster. Previously repped by humble, McConnaughy is both a Cannes Lion winner and a creator of the MTV pranking phenomenon Jackass.
McConnaughy first made a name for himself as a photographer and director on the snow and skateboarding scene, with over a dozen of the best-selling films in the genre to his credit. He also served as photo editor for the leading snow publication Blunt, while also filming the videos for the influential skate mag Big Brother.
After writing for and shooting the first two Jackass movies, McConnaughy moved into advertising in the mid-2000s when Nike approached him to helm a series of skateboarding spots and short films directly for the brand. Since then, he’s cast his net far and wide across the worlds of action, sports and comedy, and found a certain edge for work involving hidden cameras and real people.
McConnaughy’s ability to communicate clever concepts with flawless execution has led him to direct content for brands including Honda, Coors, Burger King, Progressive, Chrysler, Coca-Cola, EA Sports, Activision, Sprint, Dodge, Samsung and Verizon. McConnaughy’s Jeremiah Weed spot for Diageo featuring ZZ Top nabbed the Cannes Bronze Lion for Branded Content, while his Nike “Hyperdunks” campaign featuring Kobe Bryant jumping over a speeding Aston Martin was a viral video hit.
McConnaughy’s fluency for DIY guerilla-style filmmaking has also found a perfect home in the music world, leading him to direct videos for artists such as The Gossip, Band of Horses, Superchunk, and Red Fang, along with a particularly memorable clip for OFF! starring a blood-soaked Jack Black.
Whitey’s many-sided skillset and flexible approach to both commercial and content production perfectly dovetails with the vision of Hey Baby, explained executive producer/partner Johnny Parker. “Whitey can helm these massive, robust comedy campaigns, but he’s also not afraid to roll up his sleeves and do things lean and mean. He shoots, he edits, he can take a project from soup-to-nuts. In today’s commercial landscape, where budgets are tight yet there’s more creative opportunities than ever before, having that agility is a huge asset.”
