Bicoastal Station Film has added director Thomas Beug to its roster for commercial representation in the U.S. He is known for work that is naturalistic, grounded in realism and often tinged with humor or mischief. Among the highlights are Domino’s “Paving for Pizza” (CP+B) which documents an initiative with actual road crews to repair pesky pot holes that are bad for Domino’s take-out customers, and Puma’s “Faster Delivery” (digitasLBi) featuring Usain Bolt at his physically comedic best as a running courier for Puma.
According to Stephen Orent, Station’s managing partner, Beug has been awarded his first project at the company–an assignment from Boston agency Mechanica for an undisclosed client. Orent said of the job, “Thomas will bring his vision to three wonderfully scripted spots that take you on an epic journey through everyday life.”
Beug was born in the west of Ireland, where youthful wanderlust and hippie parents took him traveling around Europe and cultivated his passion for storytelling. After graduating from Dublin’s Trinity College he moved to New York. In 2006 he became employee #8 at Droga5, initially producing and eventually directing in-house for the agency where he shot adidas’ “Go,” a spot of beautifully choreographed visual stories of superstar athletes including Serbian tennis sensation Novak Djokovic.
Much of his work is characterized by that nimbleness with cinematography and aesthetic language. Mazda’s “Snow Day” is an atmospheric travelogue of some friends leaving the city for a ski weekend just ahead of a palpable big storm. Kellogg’s “What Gets You Started” depicts the daily rhythms of various Olympians and Paralympians, giving insights on their training and fortitude. And Prudential “Marshmallows”–part of Droga5’s 2011 Cannes Titanium Lion-winning campaign–uses the classic Marshmallow Experiment to offer a clever analogy between not spending too soon and saving for retirement, and young children having the willpower to not eat one tantalizing marshmallow treat, instead holding out for the bigger reward of two.
Prior to joining Station Film, Beug was handled by Chelsea Picture for spots and branded content.
Beug’s longer-format projects include the award-winning short film Hanger B, about the aviation museum in The Floyd Bennett Airfield in Brooklyn, and its octogenarian volunteers which won best documentary at Fastnet, received Critics Pick at DOC NYC and landed Beug at The White House for AFI Docs. He directed the travel series This Is My City, co-created with a friend who shared his desire to see the world through the eyes of locals. This Is My City is currently streaming on Amazon Prime and has been covered extensively by the New York Times and The Guardian.
Beug’s love of swimming and the sea led him to his latest short doc The Swimmer, created with the Irish Film Board and currently playing the international Festival circuit. It’s a beautiful, contemplative story about open water swimmer Stephen Redmond who was the first person to complete the infamous Ocean’s Seven long-distance swimming challenge. “I went to meet him in West Cork and found him to be a really compelling, unique individual,” Beug related. “It was definitely a complicated shoot as we had to film it in April when the Atlantic Ocean was very cold and the weather was completely unpredictable. We had a tiny skeleton crew but everyone did an amazing job and we are really proud of the result.”
Authentic performances characterize all of Beug’s work. “I think I have a knack for making people comfortable,” he said. “I get to know them quickly and strive to tell their stories in a way that’s both honest and entertaining. And I love creative collaboration, which is ultimately what this job is all about.”
Caroline Gibney, partner/EP at Station, described Beug as “a well rounded filmmaker who is very passionate about what he does. He’s a pleasure to collaborate with already.”
Beug said of Station, “I’m always impressed by the work they put out and their openness to tackle such a vast range of projects and produce work at such a high level. It’s great to be in the company of such talented directors (including my big sister Lena!) and I’m very excited to collaborate with Steve, Caroline and the whole Station team to make great work together.”
