Open Swim has taken on exclusive commercial representation in the U.S. for Canadian director Marc André Debruyne. His body of work spans commercial, music video and online content, including global projects for brands including Coca-Cola, Toyota, Nike, PayPal and Tinder. Prior to joining Open Swim, Debruyne had most recently been repped in the advertising arena by production house Twist.
Among DeBruyne’s latest endeavors are a Toyota campaign for the 2024 Paris Olympics, featuring Olympic hopeful Marissa Papaconstantinou (100m Paralympian) and Philip Kim (first-time Olympic hopeful for breaking), the short autobiographical film My Dad Tells Stories, and a soon-to-launch commercial collaboration with Open Swim for Empower FCU Credit Union.
“AZ [Open Swim EP Amyliz Pera] and I have built a mutual admiration, trust, and strong bond over nearly 20 years of working together,” shared Debruyne. “I am thrilled to join the team and work alongside [company founder/director] Bradley Ross, [associate producer] Nate Bloom, and the OS family. Having just completed our first project together, I am excited, but more importantly confident that I couldn’t be in better hands.”
Fluent in both French and English, Debruyne spent his childhood summers in Paris. With a French father and a Filipino mother, his culturally rich background and diverse life experiences have fueled his imagination and inspiration. This unique blend contributes to his subtle, innocent, yet playful sense of humor, which permeates his work. His studies in art history and architecture, followed by film studies, have uniquely shaped his approach to filmmaking.
“Over the years, I’ve been thanked on countless occasions for the introduction to Marc André,” said Pera. “He is collaborative, loyal, and gentle. He has worked all over the world with stories to tell. He cares about the little details and stays involved through finish for whatever is needed. We recently road-tripped for a job, and the bonding was fierce–he so easily became part of the team. Since we’re not a traditional roster-centric company, our members and contributors need to have enough confidence in their own voice that collaboration isn’t threatening. No matter where production leads me, Marc André and his talents will be close by.”
