Bruno Cunha named head of strategy
Creative agency Observatory is expanding its ability to bridge brands and entertainment together with the addition of two, high-level industry hires. Omar Bustos will serve as the head of production and executive producer while Bruno Cunha has taken the role of head of strategy.
Working closely with the creative team, Bustos will oversee all physical production at Observatory. Bustos has over 17 years of experience working with top production companies and directors. He most recently served as a commercial line producer for RESET and Hungry Man and was a consulting producer on the Netflix series Cheer. Bustos has worked with brands like Peloton, Doritos, Hulu, Samsung, and Netflix. Early on in his career, he found himself in the orbit of Roman and Sofia Coppola and was able to work closely with them on two feature films.
Cunha will oversee strategy across all clients including 19 Crimes, Chipotle, and Old Navy. Prior to joining Observatory, Cunha worked with David&Goliath and at 360i as VP of strategy. Before moving to the United States from Brazil, Cunha spent 7 years with Ogilvy Rio where he served as head of strategy. He has worked with brands such as Kia, Coca-Cola, Nespresso, Paramount Pictures and with the International Olympic Committee for the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.
Linda Knight, president and chief creative officer at Observatory, said, “Bruno is one of those strategists who can find an insight that gets everyone excited — clients and creatives— and catapult the work. Omar’s production expertise in both entertainment and advertising, as well as his fundamental nature as a storyteller, was the unique blend of talent we were looking for to help Observatory push lines of Hollywood-level content.”
Caroline Doyle, head of the brand team at Observatory, added, “Omar and Bruno are already playing integral roles at the agency and will continue to do so as they build out their respective teams. Omar’s eye for cinematic quality work has heightened the work for brands like MLB, Old Navy, and Netflix brand partnerships, while Bruno’s deep knowledge and acumen of brand strategy is helping us raise the bar for our clients.”
First-Time Feature Directors Make Major Splash At AFI Fest, Generate Oscar Buzz
Two first-time feature directors who are generating Oscar buzz this awards season were front and center this past weekend at AFI Fest in Hollywood. Rachel Morrison, who made history as the first woman nominated for a Best Cinematography Oscar---on the strength of Mudbound in 2018--brought her feature directorial debut, The Fire Inside (Amazon MGM Studios), to the festival on Sunday (10/27), and shared insights into the film during a conversation session immediately following the screening. This came a day after William Goldenberg, an Oscar-winning editor for Argo in 2013, had his initial foray into feature directing, Unstoppable (Amazon MGM Studios), showcased at the AFI proceedings. He too spoke after the screening during a panel discussion. The Fire Inside--which made its world premiere at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival--tells the story of Claressa “T-Rex” Shields (portrayed by Ryan Destiny), a Black boxer from Flint, Mich., who trained to become the first woman in U.S. history to win an Olympic Gold Medal in the sport. She achieved this feat--with the help of coach Jason Crutchfield (Brian Tyree Henry)--only to find that her victory at the Summer Games came with relatively little fanfare and no endorsement deals. So much for the hope that the historic accomplishment would be a ticket out of socioeconomic purgatory for Shields and her family. It seemed like yet another setback in a cycle of adversity throughout Shields’ life but she persevered, going on to win her second Gold Medal at the next Olympics and becoming a champion for gender equality and equitable pay for women in sports. Shields has served as a source of inspiration for woman athletes worldwide--as well as to the community of... Read More