Giovanni Messner has come aboard the directorial roster of brother, the bicoastal production company headed by EP Rich Carter and director Ted Melfi (whose new feature Hidden Figures is generating considerable Oscar buzz).
Messner’s background includes serving for five-plus years as creative director at The Zizo Group, a new media agency and production company where he created digital content for major brands. His notable work there included following soldiers as they returned to their families after a 15-month tour of duty (Walmart/USO), documenting the neo-natal intensive care unit with the parents of a baby born four months early (Pampers), and making over 40 short films in 17 countries for the 2012 and 2014 Olympic Games (Procter & Gamble).
Messner has directed commercials for Levi’s, Gerber, eBay, Dupont, Comcast, Hallmark, Pampers, Merck, Electrolux and a series of Tide ads starring Jeremy Maguire (Modern Family) that premiered during the 2016 Oscar telecast and generated millions of views online.
Messner’s mesh of authentic storytelling and cinematic imagery has won awards ranging from Clios to multiple Tellys and a Catalyst, in addition to being shortlisted for the YouTube Young Lions at the Cannes Advertising Festival. His series Raising an Olympian was nominated for Best Documentary Series at the International Academy of Web Television Awards.
Messner had earlier been handled by The Famous Group for spots and branded content. He said that among the factors drawing him to brother was the opportunity to work with Carter and Melfi who “bring a tremendous amount of experience in the commercial and film worlds that I expect I’ll learn a great deal from."
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