Director Tom Barbor-Might, who’s based in the U.K., has signed with production house Imperial Woodpecker for his first career U.S. representation. A conceptual documentarian known for telling contemporary human stories for channels including the BBC, Channel 4, National Geographic and Discovery, Barbor-Might continues to be handled in the U.K. by Rogue Films for spots and branded content.
Barbor-Might’s work has been recognized on the awards show circuit, including an IDA Documentary Award nomination in 2011 for Best Limited series on the strength of the “‘On’ Series of 60” documentaries for Current TV. He was also shortlisted for Best Newcomer Documentary that same year at the Grierson Awards in recognition for another Current TV project, “Britain’s Weird and Wonderful Political Parties.”
By borrowing techniques from different types of filmmaking, Barbor-Might creates surprising, original and authentic documentary films that delight and move audiences. He is greatly influenced by photography—not the static image, but rather the tableau it affords to capture the portrait of a subject or a scene—and prides himself on bringing cinematic instincts to his factual storytelling. Conversely, he enjoys interjecting an authenticity and playful realism into his more scripted spots, breaking the rules a bit and blurring the lines between fact and fiction.
His interest in advertising began as branded content came onto the scene, first creating brand-sponsored stories for outlets like VICE. Through this experience he recognized that the elegance of the real can bring a profound dignity and authenticity to a campaign that reaches people in the most direct and moving of ways. Real life is often more eccentric and charming than anything you could make up, and so he directs commercials with a documentary heart, gaining his representation via Rogue Films two years ago.
Notable commercial work includes a film about graffiti artist MAD C for the Google Street Art Project, a glimpse into the lives of the Urban Cowboys of North Philly for iD Mobile; a Mazda Rebels short for Mazda about the man who brought sunlight to the sun-starved town of Rjukan, Norway through innovation; the inspiring stories of five people across the globe competing in the Wings for Life World Run for Red Bull; a global Land Rover campaign about the spirit of grassroots rugby in Fiji for the 2015 Rugby World Cup; and a charming story for Comfort about the town of Boring, OR.
Barbor-Might said he feels simpatico with the Imperial Woodpecker stable “because they share the same love of ambitious and precise storytelling. Making good work takes attention to detail, being forensic with both production and direction but its also about being brave and taking a few risks. Imperial Woodpecker’s work is all about that sort of thing.”
Doug Halbert, managing partner of Imperial Woodpecker cited Barbor-Might’s “original voice and documentarian approach” as bringing “a fresh perspective” to the company roster, yielding a great opportunity to introduce him to new audiences in the U.S.
Barbor-Might and Imperial Woodpecker are represented in the West by Dexter Randazzo and Aaron Friedland at The Department of Sales, in the East by Tara Averill & John Robertson at Representation, and in the Midwest by Mary Kate Hatfield at MKH.
