Jenna Laurenzo–director, producer, screenwriter and star of the upcoming feature film Lez Bomb–has joined the commercial directing roster of Untitled, the L.A.-headquartered shop headed by founders/EPs Kristin and Jim Evans.
Lez Bomb, which marks Laurenzo’s feature directorial debut, is scheduled for release in theaters on Nov. 9. The film tells the story of a still-closeted young woman who brings her girlfriend home for Thanksgiving, only to have the planned coming-out thwarted by the unexpected arrival of her male roommate. An ensemble cast includes Oscar winner Cloris Leachman, Oscar nominee Bruce Dern, Kevin Kane, Steve Guttenberg, Kevin Pollak, Elaine Hendrix, Brandon Micheal Hall and Rob Moran. The film is executive produced by comedy director Bobby Farrelly (Dumb & Dumber, There’s Something About Mary).
Lez Bomb won the Jury Award for Best Feature at Geena Davis’ Bentonville Film Festival, and was an official selection at the Frameline and Woodstock film festivals as well as NewFest.
An excerpt from Lez Bomb helped earn Laurenzo a slot in this year’s SHOOT New Directors Showcase presented back in May at the DGA Theatre in NYC.
Laurenzo made an earlier career splash with her acclaimed short film, Girl Night Stand, which became a viral sensation earning millions of views on YouTube. It was subsequently translated into several other languages by fans around the world.
Selected for the prestigious Lincoln Center 2018 Artist Academy, Laurenzo is an alumnus of Carnegie Mellon University. There, she received a degree in drama and English with a focus in directing and writing, which she followed with a year studying acting at the Michael Howard Studios conservatory. She has created assorted web series and digital shorts, which naturally led her to directing commercials.
“I’m a big fan of laughter. And emotion. I want to make memorable Super Bowl commercials that make people both laugh and cry between touchdowns,” said Laurenzo. ”Spots that are both heartwarming and inspiring.”
She added, “In my dream ad world scenario, I’m directing spots that explore the interconnection between different cultures and religions. And I’m a great believer in the power of comedy as a mechanism to help make complex messages more digestible.“
Laurenzo joins Untitled’s roster of directors who are known both nationally and internationally, working with leading brands. The Untitled directorial lineup includes such notables as Jillian Martin and Grant Heslov. The latter recently earned a Cannes Gold Lion and a Clio for Cigna’s “TV Doctors of America.” His Nespresso “Coming Home” spot starring George Clooney received critical acclaim last year, and he recently directed the new global Nespresso Quest spot featuring Clooney.
