Director Matt Bieler, formerly with Serial Pictures, has joined production company RESET for commercial representation. Among his spot credits are Bose’s “Russell Wilson” and “NFL Anthem,” Brighthouse’s “First Dance,” Windhoek Lager’s “Drogba’s Journey” and adidas’ “What Light Can Do.” Bieler’s work additionally spans clients such as Apple, Samsung and Wells Fargo.
Bieler was featured in SHOOT’s 2012 New Directors Showcase and has since built a body of work that is both cinematic and poetic, but always rooted in the authentic across commercials, branded content films, and documentaries. In the latter discipline, Bieler helmed Words By Rakim, a lauded artistic portrait of the influential hip-hop artist.
And Bieler’s recent short 3 Queens is a deeply touching celebration of three moms in three different regions of the country as told through the eyes and voices of their children. The film was featured on BuzzFeed and The Huffington Post and has over 6 million views online between YouTube and Vimeo.
Bieler is based in Los Angeles.
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