By SANDRA GARCIA
Bicoastal and Chicago based Villains has signed director Phil Joanou for exclusive commercial representation. Joanou’s last commercial roost was now defunct O Pictures.
Villains’ executive producer Robin Benson and co-founder/ principal John Marshall are both supportive of directors who have feature pursuits, which was attractive to Joanou. "For us, it’s just as exciting as having the Coen Brothers as it’s exciting to have a guy like Phil … He fits in nicely in an area where we’re used to working with people of that level," said Benson.
While Joanou said he never before fully committed himself to pursuing a commercial career, he has now made the shift because he saw an opportunity at Villains to do something creative and exciting. "There is some really good work being done today in the commercial world where people are able to stretch the boundaries, and I see it as a great way to experiment and push the envelope," related Joanou.
Joanou attended USC Film School, Los Angeles, where he graduated in ’84. His student film Last Chance Dance caught the attention of Steven Spielberg, who subsequently hired Joanou as a director at Spielberg’s Universal Pictures affiliate Amblin Entertainment. His directing credits with Amblin included two episodes of Steven Spielberg’s Amazing Stories, "Santa ’85" and "The Doll," and the feature Three O’Clock High. During that period he also directed U2: Rattle And Hum through Paramount Pictures. Joanou left Amblin in ’89, and in ’90 he moved to New York to direct the Orion Pictures feature State of Grace.
Joanou got his start in commercial production in ’93 when he joined O Pictures. He had been friends with O Pictures founder/executive producer Sharon Oreck who suggested he come aboard. "We had a very loose relationship where if something came in that I really wanted to do, I could do it," explained Joanou.
His first commercial work at O Pictures was a four-spot package for Coca-Cola via Creative Artists Agency (CAA), Los Angeles, which was handling advertising for Coke at that time and was incidentally also representing Joanou for features. From ’94 to ’96, Joanou was shooting the movie Heaven’s Prisoners, but managed to fit in four music videos with O Pictures: U2’s "One" and "Who’s Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses"; and Tom Petty’s "You Don’t Know How It Feels" and "Walls." He also directed spots for Discover Card and Hanes.
Joanou left O Pictures in late ’96 to focus on his feature work. While working on the film Entropy, Joanou shot the music video "If God Will Send His Angels" for U2 and a music video tie-in for the DreamWorks SKG feature The Prince of Egypt. He also freelanced a commercial job for Hugo Boss through The Good Film Co., London.
"The way I look at it is I am starting on the commercial front from scratch. I am just going to try to bring my visual approach and my experience working with talent and try to push around the medium a little bit and see what we can do," said Joanou.
Joanou is currently represented for features and TV through Los Angeles-based Endeavor. He joins Villains directors the Coen Brothers, Harry Patramanis, Leonardo Ricagni, Ken Fox, Abel Ferrara, Mr. Viril, the Pate Brothers, Bill Mather, Timothy White, Scott Bibo, Eric Yealland, Jeffrey Fleisig, Brett Ratner, Steve Carr, Daniela Federici and Jim Giddens. Villains is represented on the East Coast by Carl Forsberg & Associates, New York; in the Midwest by Marsha Icko and Marilyn Clancey, Chicago; and on the West Coast by Novick & Associates, San Francisco.
Oscar-Nominated Director Sean Wang Joins Park Pictures For Spots, Branded Content
Park Pictures has added director Sean Wang to its roster of talent for representation spanning commercials and branded content. His feature-length debut, Dìdi, premiered at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival, where it was acquired by Focus Features and released later that summer to critical acclaim.
Wang is a Taiwanese-American filmmaker hailing from Fremont, Calif., and currently based in Los Angeles. Prior to joining Park Pictures, he was repped by Even/Odd Studios. Often pulling from his lived experiences, Wang can turn hyper-specific story points into universally relatable, memorable moments.
Dìdi won the U.S. Dramatic Audience Award and the Special Jury Prize for Best Ensemble Cast at the Sundance Film Festival. His documentary short Nai Nai & Wài Pó premiered at SXSW 2023, where it won the Grand Jury Prize and Audience Award, later earning an Oscar nomination. The film following Wang’s two grandmothers is currently streaming on Disney+ and Hulu. Other films from Wang include the lauded documentary shorts 3,000 Miles, H.A.G.S., and Still Here. As a Google Creative Lab 5 Alumnus, Wang has directed several commercial campaigns for Google that highlighted live captions and teased large news from the tech conglomerate, including an ad that aired during the 2017 Emmy Awards.
Wang said of Park Pictures, “I can’t think of a better artistic home for me as a director. The work that comes out of Park Pictures is incredible, and I admire the work they do in advertising and the documentary and narrative space. Everyone I’ve met there is just as obsessed with making great films as I am, and I look forward to growing my career with them as I move into the commercial space.”
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