Comedy director Jono Hunter has landed his first U.S. company roost, joining Venice-based Slim for commercials and branded content. He continues to be repped by OPC in Canada and MindsEye in the U.K.
Hunter garnered a silver award at the Young Directors’ Showcase at Cannes in 2015 and made an initial impression in the U.S. with Jolly Rancher and the Kit Kat “Chance The (W)rapper” campaigns, both via Anomaly in New York. He was among the filmmakers singled out in SHOOT’s collection of promising talent in our fall 2014 Up and Coming Directors coverage.
A native of Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, Hunter has a solid track record of commercial work in Canada, including the Canadian Film Festival’s “Academy of Clichés” and spots for the 2016 Vancouver Games. Plus, he recently directed, co-wrote and starred in a film, Modern Classic, which was awarded Best First Feature at the 2017 Canadian Film Festival.
Tom Weissferdt, owner/EP at Slim, remarked, “Jono’s work has an unrivaled comedic appeal–his humor is accessible, in spite of its quirkiness, and I expect he will continue to attract a wide audience in the advertising industry and beyond.”
Hunter is enthused over the prospects of joining what he described as Slim’s “well-rounded and intimate roster.” That roster has been busy as of late. Director Jeff Baena’s film The Little Hours was a surprise hit at the indie box office this summer, while Thomas Garber’s Jeep spot out of DDB Chicago made an appearance earlier this year during the Golden Globes broadcast. Karen Cunningham also created an impact with “Dads Who Play Barbie,” her follow-up spot to the multiple award-winning “Imagine The Possibilities” for BBDO SF and Mattel. In addition, Vincent Urban added a Panama Tourism campaign to his growing list of credits, and ZCDC (Zack Canepari and Drea Cooper) directed a series for Netflix about the police department in Flint, Michigan, that will debut in 2018.
