Director Alden Wallace has joined kaboom productions, the company headed by EP/owner Lauren Schwartz. This marks Wallace’s first signing with a production house; up to this point he has worked directly with varied major brands.
Wallace began his career as a still photographer, shooting campaigns and magazine editorial for assorted clients, including Tory Burch, Miller Genuine Draft, Nike, Google, Universal Studios, and Post Cereal. An innate curiosity and passion for delving deeper into the brand narrative led Wallace to expand into directing. The trust he built with clients and brands allowed him to do so, and resulted in multiple shoots for Mercedes-Benz, Oakley and Motorola.
To announce Motorola’s new Android update, Lollipop, Wallace directed a commercial recognized for its unique, in-camera style. For Mercedes-Benz, he directed and co-wrote a series of online commercials about the importance of family during the holiday season. He is currently embarking on his inaugural project with kaboom.
Schwartz described Wallace as “a natural talent whose contemporary style communicates beauty without artifice. He has a photographer’s eye and an advertiser’s strategic thinking–and is easily able to visualize captivating narratives with perfect casting for all kinds of brand-driven content.”
Wallace said he was drawn to kaboom by his affinity for Schwartz and feeling “a familial connection” to the company.
“Youth and experience come together with Alden,” added Schwartz. “He has already created work for a variety of major brands; kaboom is able to add tools, deep support and a wider production network to his existing repertoire.”
Eleanor Adds Director Candice Vernon To Its Roster For Spots and Branded Content
Director Candice Vernon has joined production house Eleanor for U.S. representation spanning commercials and branded content. She has already wrapped several jobs at Eleanor, which waited to announce her until they had a body of work together.
Via Eleanor, Vernon made history as the first Black director on a Febreze commercial. The “Small Spaces” campaign marks a major departure from Febreze’s typical blue-and-white world. The home of the “Revolving Door” commercial is a beautiful array of bold sunset hues, African prints, and African art.
Vernon said, “I asked myself, what feels right to me? What feels new? I wanted to bring an essence of not just Black Americans but the full diaspora. I wanted to make a statement that we’re not a monolith.”
Following the success of the “Small Spaces” campaign, Febreze brought Vernon back for a comedy-infused trifecta exploring the hilarious situations that call for an air freshening hero.
Febreze Brand VP Angelica Matthews said, “About two years ago, we realized the consumers that were the most loyal to Febreze were the African American consumers. And the more we learned, the more we realized the richness that we were really missing. So we said we have to go beyond just Black casting, we need to get Black directors that truly understand the culture that truly understand how to bring authentic performances out on screen. We really looked around the industry and noticed there’s actually a shortage of African American directors who have experience doing commercials. When we all saw Candice’s reel, we could all tell the passion for the craft, passion for really trying to help us from where we are to where we’re trying to go.”
Vernon brings a unique lens to... Read More