Comedy director Aleysa Young has come aboard the roster of Community Films for commercials and branded content in the U.S. She continues to be handled in Canada by Toronto-based production house Untitled.
Young becomes part of a Community directorial lineup which includes Marius Crowne, Seth Gordon, Jared Hess, Michael Patrick Jann, Emil Möller, Matt Smukler, Pam Thomas, Clay Tweel, Albert Uria, and Clay Williams.
Young spent her formative years in Vancouver, Montreal and Indonesia, and came to directing through her work as a casting director and as a producer of RESFest Canada. Today, she works as a director splitting time between Toronto and Los Angeles. She has directed spots for such brands as Mitsubishi, Toshiba, Caramilk, Molson, McDonald’s, and Subway. Her work has been recognized by such awards as Cannes Lions, Bessies, Advertising & Design Club of Canada, Applied Arts, and the Shark Awards. She also earned inclusion into SHOOT’s 2007 New Directors Showcase.
Young is currently working on a slate of TV shows. Her recent CBC hit Baroness Von Sketch Show was an instant success, and has been called the funniest thing on Canadian Television since Kids in the Hall. It’s recently garnered five Canadian Screen Award nominations, including Best Director. She recently wrapped Workin’ Moms, a half-hour comedy series, as well This Hour Has 22 Minutes, a news satire show, both for CBC.
“I was drawn to Community Films because of the quality of their work and roster,” sad Young. “In addition, Carl [EP/partner Swan] and Lizzie [EP/partner Schwartz] have extensive experience and backgrounds, and I knew I would be in good hands with them. I wanted to find a boutique company with a manageably sized roster where I wouldn’t get lost in the mix, and Community’s well-curated group of talented directors seemed like a great fit. It was clear that Community really cares about the quality of the work, and that is very important to me.”
Schwartz said, “Aleysa’s work is fresh and funny, and the entire Community family was immediately drawn to it.”
Swan added, “Everyone laughed because the work captures many of the hilarious truths about our modern lives.”
Apple’s “Fuzzy Feelings” Wins Primetime Commercial Emmy Award
Apple’s “Fuzzy Feelings” won the primetime commercial Emmy this evening (9/7) during the first of two Creative Arts Emmy Awards ceremonies being held this weekend in the Peacock Theater at LA Live. The yuletide film out of TBWAMedia Arts Lab was directed by Lucia Aniello via Hungry Man in tandem with stop-motion animator Anna Mantzaris of Passion Pictures.
“Fuzzy Feelings” introduces us to an office worker by day and stop-motion artist by night. As an employee, she works for a boss whom she’s grown to hate. So at night, her stop-motion creations put him in dire straits. The young woman makes her stop-motion fare by deploying the iPhone 15 Pro camera and a MacBook Air with M2 to edit it. However, when the woman's day job takes a turn and she starts to see her boss in another light, so too do her stop-motion endeavors as we see the value of working towards a kinder world, and what better time to start than during the holiday season?
Director Aniello is no stranger to the Emmy proceedings. As creator of the HBO Max series Hacks, she has won two Emmys (writing and directing) as well as a DGA Award. This year she is nominated for three more Emmys on the strength of Hacks--Outstanding Comedy Series as well as writing and directing for a comedy series.
This marks the second straight year that an Apple film has won the coveted primetime commercial Emmy. Back in January 2024, Apple’s “The Greatest,” directed by Kim Gehrig of Somesuch, came away with the Emmy.
This time around, “Fuzzy Feelings” topped a field of nominated commercials consisting of: Apple’s “Album Cover” from Apple’s in-house creatives and directed by David Shane of O Positive; Uber One | Uber Eats’ “Best Friends,” also... Read More