Chelsea Pictures has added director Gandja Monteiro to its U.S. and U.K. roster for branded representation. Raised between New York’s Lower East Side and Rio de Janeiro, Monteiro was exposed early on to a vast cultural array which instilled a curiosity that has helped to uniquely inform and inspire her work as a director and creator.
Monteiro started making films at 17 years old. She graduated from NYU's Tisch School of the Arts and AFI’s Directing Workshop for Women. Monteiro’s directing prowess has brought her to more than a dozen different countries creating work spanning four continents and eight languages.
“In Gandja we see a singular filmmaker who has become one of the hottest directors on the rise,” said Chelsea president Lisa Mehling who added, “She is a killer performance director equally regarded for the worlds she creates, be it collaborating with Tim Burton on the spectacle of Wednesday, the realm of The Witcher or the reality of growing up in Chicago for The Chi. Gandja is a paramount addition to Chelsea and we can’t wait to see all the amazing worlds she creates with us.”
Monteiro was meticulously tapped by Burton to direct the two episodes following his first four of the much anticipated Addams Family series Wednesday for Netflix which premieres next month (11/23). She directed two episodes of Netflix’s Top 10 Most-watched Shows of All Time, The Witcher starring Henry Cavill. Monteiro is set to direct The Walking Dead's next chapter, Isle of the Dead, and the feature film SABU for Warner Bros. starring Anthony Ramos. Her
additional credits include directing episodes of the Netflix series Brand New Cherry Flavor and Showtime’s acclaimed series The Chi as the producing director of which she directed four episodes of the series’ most-watched fourth season.
Monteiro said, “I’m thrilled to be joining a prolific roster at Chelsea and for the opportunity to work with their amazing team. I admire so many of Chelsea’s filmmakers and their diverse, innovative body of work in the commercial and short form space!”
Monteiro comes aboard a Chelsea directorial roster which includes Amir Bar-Lev, Anna & Ewan, Jack Cole, Glenn F. Clements, Alex Gibney, David Gordon Green, Dumas Haddad, Adi Halfin, Nadia Hallgren, Bruce Hunt, Gregory Jacobs, Nadav Kander, Johan Kramer, Stacy Peralta, Alan Poul, Caroline Suh and Kevin Wilson, Jr.
Comedic Director Roderick Fenske Joins Yard Dog TV For U.S. Spot Work
Roderick Fenske, the award-winning agency copywriter/creative director turned comedic director of commercials and films, has joined Yard Dog TV for U.S. representation.
Fenske--known for his idiosyncratic casting, stylish art direction, and blend of practical and digital effects--saw his newest commercial work, for Drink Weird Ice Tea, break earlier this month. His most recent short film, I’m Dead, You’re Welcome, starring JR Russell, Taissa Zveiter, Sandy Eels, and Julia Lorpriore, is making the rounds of film festivals now, having won Best Comedy Short at the Flagstaff International Film Festival last month.
Fenske, who started out in the business as a copywriter, is one of a select group of agency creatives to have found success in both New York and London, where his last post was as a creative director at TBWA there. “I owe so much of my career to Trevor Beattie [TBWA London chairman/creative director at the time], because he believed in me and started my career directing commercials,” said Fenske, citing work for Sony PlayStation, French Connection UK, and Channel 5.
Those spots led to an invitation to become a member of the visionary Swedish film collective known as ACNE. “I learned so much there working in a directing collective. With everybody talking about how to make stuff look stylish and cinematic it was like a film school for me,” Fenske explained. “Production design is so important because humor can be much more unexpected when you have an elevated look.”
Over the course of his career, Fenske’s work has received many international awards from shows including the Cannes Lions, British D&AD, and AICP. He moved from London to Los Angeles, and during this time he met Yard Dog... Read More