NEW YORK–David Turnley, a Pulitzer Prize-winning photojournalist and documentary filmmaker, has signed with Curious Pictures for exclusive TV commercial and advertising content representation. His ad work includes commercials and campaigns for Brand Jordan via Wieden + Kennedy, State Farm via DDB, and the financial services company Ameriprise out of R/GA. Turnley was formerly repped for spots by Furlined.
As a photojournalist, Turnley won the Pulitzer Prize for his coverage of the momentous political changes that shook the world in 1989, including the fall of the Berlin Wall and the uprising at Tiananmen Square in Beijing. He’s been a runner-up for the Pulitzer four other times, and also won the World Press Picture of the Year award twice, the prestigious Robert Capa Award for Courage, and four Overseas Press Club Awards.
He’s been an eyewitness to many of the major news stories of the past 30 years, producing eight books out of these experiences, including his latest, Mandela: Struggle and Triumph. His first documentary film, The Dalai Lama: At Home in Exile, was produced by CNN and won the 2001 Cine Golden Eagle, while also being nominated for an Emmy. He was awarded Best Documentary at the Miami International Film Festival for La Tropical, which he shot in Cuba. He’s currently completing Shenandoah, USA, for which he won a Sundance Grant. Set in a coal-mining town in eastern Pennsylvania, the film tells the story of an incident in which six white star football players beat to death an illegal Mexican immigrant and examines the repercussions of the crime on the community.
“Curious Pictures is a very exciting place right now, given all the disciplines they’re working in, from features to TV shows to games,” said Turnley. “It’s an ever-evolving company, and I think their interest in someone like me is to help them continue to evolve in terms of what they can offer. So in some respects we share similar goals.”
Turnley sees his work in photojournalism as a form of storytelling. He said his method relies on a camera “to tell stories about human dignity,” and that he strives to convey these narratives in visually evocative and intimate ways. “It’s an approach inspired by the work of publications such as LIFE magazine,” he explained.
He’s also used to working in a streamlined, efficient manner that results in work he says can be disarmingly honest. “As someone who’s spent a lot of time in combat zones, I’ve worked on the edge quite a bit,” he said. “And that’s what I’m trying to do in the commercials arena. My goal is to create work that has a sense of honesty and intimacy while also reflecting a strong visual aesthetic.”
“David’s got a phenomenal eye and great professional courage, which serves his directing career well,” said Mary Knox, managing director of commercials for Curious Pictures. “Signing David adds a strong storyteller and documentarian to our growing live-action roster and adds another extremely smart thinker to our company.”
Turnley joins a Curious live-action roster that already includes such talents as Steve Chase, tabletop director Greg Ramsey, and fashion photographer/documentarian Douglas Keeve. Most recently, the studio signed director Michael Wiehart, a former creative director at Superfad.
Kamala Harris Receives Chairman’s Prize At NAACP Image Awards
Former Vice President Kamala Harris stepped on the NAACP Image Awards stage Saturday night with a sobering message, calling the civil rights organization a pillar of the Black community and urging people to stay resilient and hold onto their faith during the tenure of President Donald Trump.
"While we have no illusions about what we are up against in this chapter in our American story, this chapter will be written not simply by whoever occupies the oval office nor by the wealthiest among us," Harris said after receiving the NAACP's Chairman's Award. "The American story will be written by you. Written by us. By we the people."
The 56th annual Image Awards was held at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium in the Los Angeles area.
Harris, defeated by Trump in last year's presidential election, was the first woman and the first person of color to serve as vice president. She had previously been a U.S. senator from California and the state's attorney general.
In her first major public appearance since leaving office, Harris did not reference her election loss or Trump's actions since entering the Oval Office, although Trump mocked her earlier in the day at the Conservative Political Action Conference.
Harris spoke about eternal vigilance, the price of liberty, staying alert, seeking the truth and America's future.
"Some see the flames on our horizons, the rising waters in our cities, the shadows gathering over our democracy and ask 'What do we do now?'" Harris said. "But we know exactly what to do, because we have done it before. And we will do it again. We use our power. We organize, mobilize. We educate. We advocate. Our power has never come from having an easy path."
Other winners of the Chairman's prize have included former... Read More