John O’Hagan and Hungry Man have reunited, completing a full circle for the director who was one of the production company’s first signings back in 1997.
O’Hagan returns to Hungry Man for worldwide representation. Now he is an accomplished, award-winning commercial and film director. But in his first tour of duty at the company he came aboard its roster after graduating from NYU film school and directing a documentary. His introduction to the company came when he met and got to know director Bryan Buckley, Hungry Man’s co-founder.
“I have been a huge fan of Bryan and his work since day one,” said O’Hagan. “I cannot think of a better director to have had as a mentor during my early days of directing.”
It was the start of O’Hagan’s commercial career, and he recalled it being a hugely thrilling time to join such a new and fresh shop. “There wasn’t even an office yet, we were all working out of someone’s brother’s apartment and huddling in the corner for conference calls because there was all this construction going on in the background.” Hungry Man has since grown into an international company with offices in New York, Los Angeles, London Sao Paulo, and Rio de Janeiro.
The very first spot that O’Hagan directed, Dial-A-Mattress “Squirrel,” won a Gold Lion at Cannes. He joined RSA in 2006, at which time he was moving to Prague, where he began a family, and started focusing most of his work in Europe. Along with winning numerous Cannes Lions, O’Hagan is also known for directing a number of popular Super Bowl commercials in the U.S. In 2019, the Chicago Tribune named O’Hagan’s EDS “Cat Herders” spot #3 on its list of “The 5 Greatest Super Bowl Commercials of Modern Times.” Earning #1 distinction on that list was Buckley’s Monster.com spot “When I Grow Up.”
After recently returning to the U.S., O’Hagan reconnected with Buckley and the two began speaking about teaming up again.
“It’s an honor to be back in the fold at Hungry Man where I got my start,” said O’Hagan. “For me, it’s a company with not only tremendous talent but also just truly enjoyable and genuine people. There is a clear desire to make great work. In this business where creativity never stands still, I love that over the years Hungry Man has continued to evolve and surprise and stay completely on top of their game.”
Buckley said, “It’s such a rarity when a monster talent returns back to where their career started. It’s sort of like when LeBron returned to Cleveland. That’s how excited I am that John O’Hagan is back at Hungry Man. I just wish he would sell season tickets to his shoots.”
