Mono-monikered director Otis has joined the spot roster of Los Angeles-based Trio Films. He comes over from The Artists Company where he earned inclusion into SHOOT‘s 2009 New Directors Showcase.
Otis is known for his distinct documentary style in commercials, PSAs and music videos that have featured celebrities as well as real people. His recent work includes: Neutrogena’s Skin ID campaign with Hayden Panattiere through N.Y. agency Roberts + Langer, a campaign he was invited back to direct two years in a row; Dove’s “Movement for Self-Esteem” advocacy campaign; and the “Made in New York” campaign for the NYC Mayor’s Office of Film, Theatre and Broadcasting.
Currently Otis is prepping a series of short films for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to showcase how various underprivileged communities are fighting obesity and smoking. Out of Ogilvy in Washington, D.C., the campaign is being shot in various cities across the U.S.
A graduate of NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts, Otis cut his teeth in the spot world with assistant editing and motion graphics work before landing at The Artists Company. Starting out with music videos, Otis eventually found his calling in commercials.
Trio is headed by founders/owner Taylor Ferguson and Erin Tauscher. Otis comes aboard a directorial roster than includes Todd Field, Ramaa Mosley, Jackie Oudney, Bob Rice, and James Weitz.
Oscar Nominees Delve Into The Art Of Editing At ACE Session
You couldn’t miss Sean Baker at this past Sunday’s Oscar ceremony where he won for Best Picture, Directing, Original Screenplay and Editing on the strength of Anora. However, earlier that weekend he was in transit from the Cesar Awards in Paris and thus couldn’t attend the American Cinema Editors (ACE) 25th annual panel of Academy Award-nominated film editors held at the Regal LA Live Auditorium on Saturday (3/1) in Los Angeles. While the eventual Oscar winner in the editing category was missed by those who turned out for the ACE “Invisible Art, Visible Artists” session, three of Baker’s fellow nominees were on hand--Dávid Jancsó, HSE for The Brutalist; Nick Emerson for Conclave; and Myron Kerstein, ACE for Wicked. Additionally, Juliette Welfling, who couldn’t appear in person due to the Cesar Awards, was present via an earlier recorded video interview to discuss her work on Emilia Pérez. The interview was conducted by ACE president and editor Sabrina Plisco, ACE who also moderated the live panel discussion. Kerstein said that he was the beneficiary of brilliant and generous collaborators, citing, among others, director Jon M. Chu, cinematographer Alice Brooks, and visual effects supervisor Pablo Helman. The editor added it always helps to have stellar acting performances, noting that hearing Cynthia Erivo, for example, sing live was a revelation. Kerstein recalled meeting Chu some eight years ago on a “blind Skype date” and it was an instant “bromance”--which began on Crazy Rich Asians, and then continued on such projects as the streaming series Home Before Dark and the feature In The Heights. Kerstein observed that Chu is expert in providing collaborators with... Read More