Bullitt has added The Director Brothers to its roster for commercial and branded content representation in the U.S. Otherwise known as Ryan McNeely and Josh Martin, The Director Brothers are Funny or Die veterans who have worked with high-profile comedy figures creating narratives that seamlessly blend real-world characters and fantastical situations. Among their projects are spots for AT&T, Jetpack, GameStop and Verizon. The Director Brothers signed with Bullitt after collaborating with the company on a Thrifty campaign starring Saturday Night Live’s Kenan Thompson. They were earlier repped in the ad arena by Humble and prior to that Caviar.
“The Director Brothers are an incredible comedic directing talent that we’re thrilled to add to the Bullitt roster” said Luke Ricci, Bullitt’s president. “From their work at Funny or Die to Gorburger for Comedy Central and their branded work, The Brothers bring a truly unique voice to their storytelling.”
Over the years, McNeely and Martin have written and directed projects for HBO, Comedy Central, Comedy Bang Bang Productions, Ed Helms’ Electric Picture Company, and many more. Following a project at Wayne Newton’s house–an absurdist setting surrounded by pet monkeys and a penguin–they united as The Director Brothers, bringing together experience in writing, visual effects, design, live action directing and producing for comedic projects with cinematic production value. They’ve worked as writers, creatives, and directors on projects including Old Milwaukee with Will Ferrell and Jose Canseco, Kia Optima with Jeff Goldblum and Blake Griffin, as well as Captain Crunch with Burt Reynolds and Tone Loc, and Skull Candy with Kate Upton, James Harden, Kevin Durant, and Big Boi.
The Director Brothers’ experience with branded content and multi-pronged skillset aligns perfectly with Bullitt’s filmmaking collective, and is a complement to the talent roster. Through Bullitt, The Director Brothers are already bringing their originality to projects for AT&T, Indiana Farm Bureau Insurance, and Instant Pot.
Review: Director Morgan Neville’s “Piece by Piece”
A movie documentary that uses only Lego pieces might seem an unconventional choice. When that documentary is about renowned musician-producer Pharrell Williams, it's actually sort of on-brand.
"Piece by Piece" is a bright, clever song-filled biopic that pretends it's a behind-the-scenes documentary using small plastic bricks, angles and curves to celebrate an artist known for his quirky soul. It is deep and surreal and often adorable. Is it high concept or low? Like Williams, it's a bit of both.
Director Morgan Neville — who has gotten more and more experimental exploring other celebrity lives like Fred Rogers in "Won't You Be My Neighbor?,""Roadrunner: A Film About Anthony Bourdain" and "Steve! (Martin): A Documentary in Two Pieces" — this time uses real interviews but masks them under little Lego figurines with animated faces. Call this one a documentary in a million pieces.
The filmmakers try to explain their device — "What if nothing is real? What if life is like a Lego set?" Williams says at the beginning — but it's very tenuous. Just submit and enjoy the ride of a poor kid from Virginia Beach, Virginia, who rose to dominate music and become a creative director at Louis Vuitton.
Williams, by his own admission, is a little detached, a little odd. Music triggers colors in his brain — he has synesthesia, beautifully portrayed here — and it's his forward-looking musical brain that will make him a star, first as part of the producing team The Neptunes and then as an in-demand solo producer and songwriter.
There are highs and lows and then highs again. A verse Williams wrote for "Rump Shaker" by Wreckx-N-Effect when he was making a living selling beats would lead to superstars demanding to work with him and partner... Read More