Logan & Sons has signed husband-and-wife team Anthony Atanasio and Valerie Martinez to its roster of directors. Based in Los Angeles and London, Atanasio + Martinez's work includes campaigns for clients including Nike, Audi, Budweiser, Hermes and Levi’s. They are known for the Nintendo spot, “School’s Out,” filmed in Tokyo, as well as a global campaign for Etihad Airways starring Nicole Kidman—with an accompanying virtual reality film that gave viewers an immersive VR experience aboard the Airbus A380 jet.
Park Pictures has signed Grammy-nominated director Savanah Leaf for U.S. representation. Leaf—who has earlier experience as a 2012 Olympian volleyball athlete—has worked on directorial collaborations with Nike, Adidas and Fila. She has worked on projects for musicians and artists including Gary Clark Jr., Common and Marvin Gaye; her film for Clark, “This Land,” was nominated for a 2020 Grammy. In 2018, she released her short film “The Ayes Have It,” where she visually imagines Tiana Clark’s poem in a response to the murders of Emmett Till and Trayvon Martin.
Stink Films has signed Matilda Finn to its U.S. roster for commercials and music video representation. Finn is known for her music videos, winning Best New Director at the U.K. MVAs in 2017, which led to her nomination for best director in 2019. She has also helmed a variety of ad and branded projects including “Journey to Independence” for the U.K. disability charity Leonard Cheshire and “We Don’t Care” for Medicins du Monde.
Landia has signed directing duo Supernova for U.S. commercial representation. The pair, Matias G. Petric and Ignacio Ricci, have worked on campaigns including Converse’s “Start from the Bottom”—for which they executed all content from photography to film—as well as “Sound of your Soul” for Levi’s, and a new spot for L’Oreal Paris.
Good Company has added multidisciplinary filmmaker Maxime Quoilin to its roster of creatives and directors in the U.S. Quoilin's recent work includes directing and editing the music video for Meek Mill and Justin Timberlake’s “Believe.” He has made films for brands including ASICS, Alexander Wang and Vidal Sassoon, and has directed music promos, live performances and world tours for artists including Travis Scott, Miley Cyrus and Pharrell Williams.
Merman’s Branded & Advertising division has added music video and commercial director Vaughan Arnell for representation in the U.K. & U.S. Arnell is well known for music videos for artists including George Michael, Kylie Minogue, The Spice Girls and Robbie Williams. He has directed advertising for brands including Levi’s, Stella Artois, Aviva and Wrangler. Most recently, he has directed music videos for the Pet Shop Boys and James Blunt and recently shot with Idris Elba for Sky.
Durable Goods has signed director and producer Sam Ciaramitaro for U.S. commercial representation. Ciaramitaro has helmed spots for Coca-Cola, Delta, Ford Motor Company, Hyundai, Kellogg’s, McDonald’s, Morgan Stanley, Nationwide, Porsche, Toyota and the U.S. Army. His work includes the “Take me OUT to the Ballgame” spot for the Chicago White Sox, which made a statement in support of gay rights and inclusion within the White Sox fan community.
Wondros has signed comedy director Lee Farber, who joins the company after years of directing TV comedy, including “The Wayne Brady Show,” for which he won an Emmy. Farber’s newest project, for “Stand Up To Cancer,” is in final post-production and debuts in March. Most recently, he directed “This Giant Beast” for Will Ferrell and Adam McKay, which premiered in 2019 on Amazon.
Chicago-based boutique production company Minimal Productions has added Brooklyn-based commercial director Josh Cohen to its creative roster. A self-taught filmmaker with a background in art direction, Cohen’s design-driven collaborations include projects with Netflix, Casper, IBM, MTV, Xero, Lola, Quip and Droga5.
Rocket Film has signed Chris Stanford for U.S. commercial representation. After working as a photojournalist and portrait photographer with a focus on musicians, artists, athletes, and celebrities, he made a transition in 2009, directing commercials for clients including Adidas, Ford, Google, Honda and Pepsi. He has also made the short films “Dust & Dirt,” about a race car driver, and “Better Man,” a true story of a cowboy’s redemption.
Rodeo Show has signed director Aaron Kodz to its roster for his first U.S. commercial representation. Kodz has been shortlisted for the Young Director Awards at Cannes Lions, and is known for his work for the New York Yankees, the Peace Corps, Acadia National Park and Green Box Machine.
Nice Shoes has signed editor JK Carrington for representation as part of its recently-launched editorial division. Boasting a diverse portfolio of editing and sound design work for brands and agencies, and credits across the broadcast media, documentary and advertising industries, she has worked with clients such as Katy Perry for “Killer Queen,” Walgreens, Always, Lil Yachty x Nautica, Nike, the NFL and White House Black Market.
Mark Sitley, the veteran ad agency and production company executive producer, has opened new production house, Naked City, based in New York. Joining Sitley—whose resume includes head of production stints at agencies such as Chiat/Day New York, Euro RSCG (now Havas) and Fallon—are four New York-based directors. Dave Schmidt is a director of long-form documentaries as well as branded pieces for recent clients including Door Dash, Midas, Ernst & Young and Dana Farber Cancer Institute. David Griffiths is known internationally for his tabletop work, specializing in chocolate and liquids. Erin Collett has worked on feature and television projects with Jane Campion and John Curran in his native Australia, and Fanny Texierr is a video journalist for outlets such as The New York Post, Vice and the Huffington Post.
Interactive production studio Thinkingbox has acquired digital studio Welikesmall (WLS) headquartered in Salt Lake City. WLS will now operate as Thinkingbox, and the move increases the company’s reach to Los Angeles, Salt Lake City, Vancouver and Toronto. The combined company will be run by Amir Sahba, CEO and founder of Thinkingbox, while Michael Kern and Paul Solomon, founders of WLS, will take on the new titles of chief creative officer and chief technology officer.
