Production and management firm Anonymous Content has added the two-man filmmaking team of David and Ian Purchase to its Commercial, Integrated, and Feature Film divisions. The Toronto-based directing duo, who have put together an impressive string of guerilla-style spec spots and indie endeavors, made a major splash recently with a spec short film based on the popular Half-Life video game which they have been fans of and playing for nearly a decade.
On a shoestring budget, the Purchase Brothers shot and deployed a grab bag of post and effects software to make Escape from City 17, a spec short for Half-Life that has the look and feel of a big budget action movie. David and Ian posted the short online and it became a YouTube sensation overnight, generating more than 500,000 hits during its first 24 hours. By the end of the first weekend, the film exceeded a million hits and earned the lofty status of the number one piece of content viewed worldwide during that period. The Internet community and gaming sites globally were abuzz. A traffic overload caused the Purchase Brothers own website to crash.
The short resulted immediately in the up-and-coming directorial duo securing its first production house roost, Toronto-based Sons and Daughters, for spot representation in Canada. Now Anonymous has secured the young directors for work across the spot, integrated and feature film disciplines.
By the way, a second spec Half-Life installment is in the works, with the Purchase Brothers estimated it should be completed in a couple of months.
Dave Morrison, head of commercials for Anonymous Content, said, “These guys [David, age 25, and Ian, 23] are the future of the business, and are perfectly suited to create content in any economic climate. Their ability to handle and understand all areas of production and post make them the ultimate students of filmmaking. We’re looking forward to getting them in front of agencies and studios.”
Director Angie Bird Joins Scheme Engine For U.S. Representation
Scheme Engine has added director/photographer Angie Bird to its roster for U.S. representation spanning commercials and original content.
Bird crafts deeply human and charismatic portrayals of community, empowerment and the rituals of celebration across commercials, elevated documentary and short film. A former agency creative, Bird has a body of brand work consisting of cinematic lifestyle campaigns for Nike, Dove, Allstate, Procter & Gamble and the YMCA, among others. Prior to joining Scheme Engine, Bird was most recently represented in the U.S. for commercials by production house Curfew.
Two years into her career, Bird back in 2016 won a Cannes Young Director Award for “Mean Tweets,” a provocative campaign for Raising the Roof, that challenged stereotypes of unhoused individuals with striking humanizing portraits. The project earned honors at the Clios, and Webbys and was shortlisted at Cannes.
Her Gillette campaign, “First Shave”--a heartfelt examination of masculinity in the trans community--earned three Cannes prizes and won honors at the Clios and The One Show.
As a director invested in films that ignite conversation, and inspire action, Bird embraces challenging, overlooked stories, bringing to light complex, authentically heroic characters faced with cultural stigmatization and gender-based discrimination. She co-wrote and directed "Short Life Stories" for White Ribbon and Canadian agency Bensimon Byrne--a shattering call to dismantle transphobia, following the journey of a transgender woman as she steps into her authentic life. The campaign won six awards at One SCREEN 2024, including Best in Region: North America and Best in Show
“I’m inspired,” affirmed Bird, “to create stories that champion the... Read More