Former Crossroads and Best Buy Director Specializes in Narrative-Style Commercials and Virals.
Mike Nelesen, a commercial director known for his ability to craft smart, engaging stories, both fictional and with real people, has joined Santa Monica-based The Joneses for exclusive representation. Nelesen’s work includes traditional broadcast spots and virals for such brands as Best Buy, Conoco Phillips, Logitech and AMC.
Mel Gragido, executive producer of The Joneses, said that he was impressed with the diversity, sophistication and emotional range of Nelesen’s work. “Mike is a great talent who can benefit from the attention, production strength and the marketing resources that we provide,” Gragido observes. “He has a great understanding of the tools of filmmaking, and a relaxed and natural way with talent, especially non-professionals. That’s a special gift.”
Nelesen has drawn praise for his ability to generate stories that are well honed and nuanced, but without a trace of artifice. An example of this is his recent spot Bus for Wisconsin’s Marshfield Clinic. It includes a sweet exchange between a school bus driver and her lone passenger, a young girl, and ends with the revelation that driver is the girl’s mother.
“I like things to feel real and authentic, spontaneous,” he says. “My kind of storytelling has a stylized element, but it’s not readily apparent. When it’s over, I don’t want people to think it was staged, but rather ‘wow, those were interesting people.’ It’s a natural and human approach to storytelling.”
Nelesen has been directing commercials most recently via bi-coastal Crossroads. Prior to that he was a staff director for Best Buy. During that period, he directed projects featuring the Rolling Stones, Tony Hawk, Sheryl Crow and Moby, and shot on location throughout the U.S. as well as in Europe and Canada. Based in Minneapolis for much of his career, he has especially strong ties with ad agencies across the Midwest.
Nelesen said that he was attracted to The Joneses by its boutique-size and focus on narrative filmmaking. “Mel has put together a wonderful team and is taking the company in a great direction,” he says. "I feel I fit in well here.”
The Joneses is located at 1501 Colorado, Suite C, Santa Monica, California 90404. For more information, call 310.656.8300 or visit www.thejoneses.tv.
Contact:Mel Gragido Executive Producer The Joneses 310.666.6334 Contact Mel via email
Contact:Media: Linda Rosner ArtisansPR 310.837.6008 Contact Linda via email
“Ǝvolution” Comes Full Circle At The Chelsea Film Festival
The Chelsea Film Festival, running from October 16th through October 20th, 2024, at Regal Cinemas here in Union Square, is set to host the East Coast premiere of Ǝvolution, a thought-provoking experimental micro-short film that proves big ideas can come in small packages and in perfect circles.
In just 1 minute 16 seconds, this cinematic gem by Award-Winning Director Romina Schwedler, with original music by Argentine Composer Ignacio Montoya Carlotto, explores a cycle as old as time: life leads to progress, progress leads to destruction, and destruction, well, leads back to life. But is this vicious circle unbreakable? Ǝvolution suggests the answer is yes, unless we decide to open our eyes.
Inspired by the overwhelming number of recent events that threaten human existence, Ǝvolution, possibly the shortest film in this 12th edition of the festival, plays out entirely through the symbolism of circles, cleverly illustrating —in the blink of an eye— the repeating patterns of history, and confronting viewers with the uncomfortable truth that our so-called “progress” may, in fact, be guiding us to our own ruin.Premiering at the Regal 14 Union Square, New York City, on October 18, 2024, at 11 a.m., Romina Schwedler's micro-short, featuring Leah Young with cinematography by Alan J. Carmona, will be sure to spark conversations longer than the film itself! Forcing viewers to reconsider the true meaning of evolution, not just as a biological process, but as a reflection of our collective journey as humans.
With a string of festival appearances across the globe, including CineGlobe at CERN (Switzerland/France), Oscar®... Read More