Bicoastal/international Moxie Pictures has signed its first London-based director, James Griffiths, for commercial and music video representation worldwide. His credits include spots for adidas, Coca-Cola, Lynx and Sony PlayStation, and music videos for Groove Armada, HAL and Goldfrapp. His first assignment under the Moxie banner is a music video for Petra Jean Phillipson….Creative Film Management International (CFM), the New York production house headed by president Lou Addesso, has added Andrew McCarthy to its spot directorial roster. McCarthy recently made his writing and directorial debut in the screen adaptation of a Frank O’Connor short story, News for the Church. As a performer, his credits include The Joy Luck Club, Pretty In Pink and St. Elmo’s Fire, as well as the Tony Award-winning Sideman….Director Nigel Dick has signed with DNA, Los Angeles for music video and spot representation. Meanwhile, also joining DNA is L.A.-based director Fritz Flieder, for representation in the American ad market. He is known for his spotwork in Europe and the U.S…..Director Paula Walker has joined Bruce Dowad Associates, Los Angeles, for exclusive representation in North America and nonexclusive representation in the rest of the world for commercials….BeachHouse Films, Santa Monica, has signed comedy/dialogue director Jeff Gordon for U.S. representation. He comes over from X-Ray Productions, part of the Crossroads (bicoastal and Chicago) family of companies…..Feature filmmaker Stephen Daldry, a two-time Oscar nominee (Billy Elliot, The Hours), has signed with international shop Saville Productions for commercials….A Band Apart, Los Angeles, has signed director Adam Pollina and Ben Dickinson for exclusive representation in music videos and commercials. Polina is a well known comic book artist and video game designer who diversified into directing last year. Dickinson is one of a group of former NYU students who formed the Brooklyn-based directors collective Waverly Films, which has made inroads in spots and music clips….Richard P. Crudo has been re-elected for a third term as president of the American Society of Cinematographers (ASC)…..Barbara Marshall has been promoted to managing director of Encore Hollywood, a post facility that’s part of the Ascent Media Creative Services Group family of shops. Marshall formerly served as director of Encore Visual Effects……The industry is mourning the death of director Bruce Malmuth following a courageous fight against cancer. Malmuth, 71, was active in commercials, music videos, documentaries and features. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to the Bruce Malmuth Build a Child Foundation, P.O. Box 570625, Tarzana, CA 91357-0625…..
Director Ben Steiger Levine Joins Lord Danger For U.S. Spot Representation
Lord Danger, the creative production company that’s part of the Monstera Group, has added director Ben Steiger Levine to its talent roster for U.S. commercial representation. He joins a Lord Danger directorial lineup which includes Mike Diva, Cache Bunny, MP Curtet, and Parker Seaman.
Steiger Levine shared that he was drawn in part to Lord Danger in that it’s a small, close-knit group of creative pros producing standout work. “They’re not a huge fish but rather a stealthy, nimble piranha made of beautiful rainbow colors that can adapt on a dime and devour,” Steiger Levine said. “All the directors on the roster have a voice. Lord Danger makes original images. Images with impact. Maintaining voice all while effectively selling products is the killer combination that makes work iconic, and this is Lord Danger’s priority.”
Known for his flair for design and visual effects, complemented by his strengths as a storyteller, Steiger Levine burst onto the scene after earning a slot in the 2009 Saatchi and Saatchi New Directors’ Showcase unveiled at the Cannes International Festival of Creativity. He was also named a Young Gun by the Art Directors Club. Prior to joining Lord Danger, Steiger Levine was most recently with production house Greencard.
His reel includes a visually arresting campaign for Jack Links, a campaign for Core Water featuring actress Hailee Steinfeld, work for Nintendo, and the oddly-moving “Intolerance” project for Natrel, the Canadian lactose-free dairy product line, which uses a faux documentary to tell the story of a giant of a man who owes his status to drinking Natrel milk. The effect of a towering man in his too-small house was achieved without any CGI, just using in-camera tricks and compositing. Steiger... Read More