Production company Table of Content has signed director Tom Krueger for commercials and branded content. The signing marks Krueger’s first formal representation as a director following an award-winning career as a cinematographer of films, TV shows, commercials, music videos, and live concert media.
Krueger has directed commercials, brand films, and concert experiences for such clients as U2, Aston Martin, Cadillac, SimpliSafe, Nature’s Bounty, and Shinola, to name a few. He has also directed cross-promotional content for Ford, Nissan, Toyota and The Voice, as well as the action sequences for NBC’s psychological thriller The Enemy Within (2019).
Krueger has just released some of his most ambitious work to date, a series of short films he created during the pandemic to promote one of his music projects, Elka Park. Not only did he write, direct, shoot, and edit the films, but he also played all 18 hilarious characters.
It’s no coincidence that Krueger was called upon to direct NBC’s submission to the Cannes Festival titled, “My Creative Year,” narrated by Patton Oswalt, a humorous reflection on what it was like to make commercials and content during 2020.
“While the pandemic forced everyone in the industry to rethink production, Tom emerged with this incredible one-man filmmaking feat,” said Rick Knief, executive producer of Table of Content. “Very few directors could have pulled it off, let alone would be bold enough to even attempt it. When one person plays every character, the level of planning and detail for compositing and choreography is both complicated and extensive. And to do that all alone in the woods is almost unbelievable. So the moment felt right to double down on our relationship and show brands and agency clients just how truly creative and inventive Tom is, not only in the director’s chair, but behind the camera as well.”
Krueger came up through the ranks as a DP, shooting and directing music videos for a wide range of artists, such as Bob Dylan, David Bowie, Stevie Wonder, Public Enemy, Leonard Cohen, Joni Mitchell, R.E.M, and Bruce Springsteen. Other cinematography credits include Jim Jarmusch’s film, Gimme Danger (2016), an in-depth look at Iggy Pop and The Stooges; Sting’s 2013 documentary, When the Last Ship Sails; and the cult classic, Fishing with John, John Lurie’s mini-series starring Matt Dillon and Dennis Hopper. Krueger’s work on Miramax’s Committed, starring Heather Graham and Casey Affleck, won Best Cinematography at Sundance in 2000.
Krueger also lensed U2 in 3D for the band’s “Vertigo” tour, which is still on exhibition in IMAX at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. He was then asked to tour with the band and architect the visual experience for the U2360° tour, which culminated with the release of U2: Live at the Rose Bowl, which he also directed.
“Tom is constantly thinking on his feet and is able to solve complex production problems in real time,” concluded Knief. “And with the budgetary and time constraints we are confronted with on a day-to-day basis, that’s just invaluable.”
