Filmmaker, actor and writer Patrick Brice has joined GenPop’s directorial lineup, marking his first career representation in spots and branded content.
Brice was first exposed to different ways to approach narrative storytelling while getting his BFA in Film and Video at the California Institute of the Arts. Creep, his first feature film as director/writer/actor (with Mark Duplass) premiered at the 2014 SXSW Film Festival and was distributed by Netflix and iTunes. A horror movie shot in found footage-style, Creep was nominated for several awards by SXSW, the Chicago International Film Festival, and earned a Special Mention at the Sitges-Catalonian International Film Festival.
His second feature as director/writer, The Overnight (starring Adam Scott, Taylor Schilling and Jason Schwartzman) world premiered at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival. The Overnight made rounds on the festival circuit that year, winning Best Narrative Feature at the deadCENTER Film Festival, and earning a nomination for the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance, as well as for an Audience Award at the Edinburgh International Film Festival.
Liberating is how Brice describes the opportunity to create commercial work with GenPop, “Being used to projects that take several years from conception to completion,” said Brice, “the chance to focus on a very specific story and explore the narrative within the short format feels like the world is opening up.”
Brice is currently writing a movie for Netflix–produced by the Duplass Brothers–which he will also direct. This marks Patrick’s third project with Mark Duplass.
“Patrick’s record in features shows just how much he thrives in collaborative environments. People truly enjoy working with him,” said Alex Anderson, managing director of GenPop. “He’s a brilliant creator and a peer, and that combination is a great indicator that he’s going to do amazing things in the commercial world.”
Genpop was launched this year as a content creation studio and production company by creative/director Ben Conrad. Key staffers include Anderson, EP Pierre Nobile, and Nick Moceri who heads up the film and TV department.
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