Director/DP Rich Michell has joined STORY for national representation in advertising. A versatile talent, Michell combines storytelling skill with deep experience in product and tabletop cinematography. His credits include such brands as 3M/Scotch, General Mills, Target, Subway, UnitedHealthCare and Wendy’s.
Michell comes to STORY following a long run with Twist, Minneapolis, a company he co-founded. There, he developed a strong national and regional client base. He directed more than a dozen commercials for 3M through Grey, NY, many combining performance, product and humor. One recent spot features a Post-It note sticky enough to hold a terrier off the ground.
“The art direction and choreography of each spot is defined to fit the function and design of the product,” Michell says. “In the process, we developed a graphic and playful style that highlight the individual products and create a cohesive design for the variety of 3M brands.”
In a spot for the Minneapolis/St. Paul International Film Festival, a boy turns his apartment into a make-shift movie theater: he adjusts a window to provide a “letterbox” view of the apartment of a quarreling French couple across the way.
Trained as a fine artist, Michell began his career as a camera operator and cinematographer. He broke into directing through tabletop work, but soon expanded into performance-driven storytelling.
STORY, headed by EP Mark Androw, is represented on the East Coast by SuperPowers, in the Midwest, in the Southeast by Miller + Associates, in the Southwest by Gossip!, and on the West Coast by Yvette Lubinsky.
Oscar and Emmy-Winning Composer Kris Bowers Joins Barking Owl For Advertising, Branded Content
Music, audio post and sonic branding house Barking Owl has taken on exclusive representation of Oscar and Emmy-winning composer Kris Bowers for advertising and branded content.
Bowers’ recent film scores include The Wild Robot and Bob Marley: One Love, alongside acclaimed past works such as The Color Purple (2023), King Richard and Green Book. His contributions to television are equally impressive, with scores for hit series like Bridgerton, When They See Us, Dear White People, and his Daytime Emmy Award-winning score for The Snowy Day.
In addition to his work as a composer, Bowers is a visionary director. He recently took home the Academy Award for Best Documentary Short Subject for his directorial work on The Last Repair Shop. The emotionally touching short film spotlights four of the people responsible for repairing the musical instruments used by students in the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD). The Last Repair Shop reflects the positive influence that musical instruments have on the youngsters who play them, and the adults in the LAUSD free repair service who keep them working and in tune.
Barking Owl CEO Kirkland Alexander Lynch said of Bowers, “His artistry, diversity of style and depth of storytelling bring an unparalleled edge to the work we create for global brands. His presence on our roster reflects our continued commitment to pushing the boundaries of sound and music in advertising.”
Johanna Cranitch, creative director, Barking Owl, added, “Kris first caught my attention when he released his record ‘Heroes + Misfits’ where he fused together his jazz sensibility with a deeply ingrained aptitude for melody, so beautifully.... Read More