Bicoastal/international Station Film has signed comedy director Matt Pittroff for commercials and content.
His work often balances the slightly absurd with reality to convey an accessible brand of humor; for instance, his Enterprise Rent-A-Car “Boldly Going” spot with a Star Trek Beyond tie-in, depicts can-do rental car employees fluently speaking Klingon to best serve customers, while his Hilton Honors’ “Becca” has a popular bridesmaid good naturedly putting up with some outrageous requests from brides-to-be because she doesn’t need to compromise on where to stay for their weddings. Pittroff has also brought his distinctive storytelling to funny performance-driven commercials for KFC, McDonald’s, Ad Council, Colorado Lottery and Doritos, among others.
A native son of Baltimore, Pittroff got his start at an in-house agency production department, where his hands-on experience included everything from running casting sessions, editing rip-o-matics and bidding to learning camera assembly, pitching and producing. He went on to a freelance career in production (much of it in the art department), and gradually put together a director’s reel. He ran his own production company, Working Stiff, for over a decade, before landing at his former roost, Twist Film.
Pittroff said he has a deep appreciation for Station Film managing partner Stephen Orent and partner/EP Caroline Gibney’s track record in terms of high-caliber work and director career development, as well as their affinity for comedy. The director also sees expanding opportunities for storytellers. “I got into this business to make films, and to me commercials are little short films,” Pittroff enthused. “I love the challenge of not only compressing these 10, 30, 60 and 90-second films into complete stories, but also creating backstories that add depth. The digital platform has certainly loosened things up, spawned pre-roll and new tiny ways and shapes to watch content. So the target is ever moving and I find that exhilarating. Short form, long form, VR or sitting around a campfire, I am open to and excited about telling stories in new ways.”
