Venice, Calif.-based production company Durable Goods has signed comedy director Nicholas Wenger for U.S. commercial representation. Wenger’s credits span such brands as Chevrolet, Virgin America, Porsche, Durex, AT&T, Staples and Johnny Walker. In addition to his commercial work, the L.A.-based Wenger also recently helmed the first season of Mack & Moxy, a kid’s TV show produced for PBS and Netflix. Montreal-born Wenger’s lifelong appreciation for the arts spanning theater, local broadcast TV and independent productions led him to earn a MFA degree from USC’s School of Cinematic Arts. He got started in the production space as an editor, cutting series for Fox Digital Studios and Netflix, among others. Driven by his passion for unique genres and creative storytelling opportunities, he built up his own reel, attracting the attention of MOFILM, winning a Durex commercial competition that led to a spot that aired internationally in nearly a dozen languages. He continued to helm commercial projects for a wide range of brands with the company, moving on to direct spots for the likes of Riotmaker and The Cortez Brothers….
Director Justin Barber has made his full-length feature debut, Phoenix Forgotten, produced by Ridley Scott and Cinelou Films. The psychological horror film tells the story of a documentary director searching for her brother and two other teens. They went missing in the desert on March 13, 1997, shortly after mysterious lights appeared in the skies over Phoenix, Arizona. Now, on the twentieth anniversary of their disappearance, unseen footage has been discovered, chronicling the final hours of their fateful expedition. As a partner in production company Strike Anywhere (where he is represented for commercial work), Barber has helmed spots for Facebook, TaylorMade Golf, Pinterest, Southwest Airlines, and GE, among others….
