RSA Films has added director and artist Anthony Leonardi III to its roster for commercial representation in the U.S.
Leonardi’s extensive credits include brand partnerships with the Marvel universe on campaigns for Lexus, Tide, Audi and the Super Bowl spots “Mini Marvel” for Coca-Cola and “No Shrinking and Drinking” for Heineken. He was a second unit director on blockbusters Lilo & Stitch and Transformers: Rise of the Beasts. He’s worked with a list of talent including Robert Downey Jr., Ana de Armas, Paul Rudd, Eric Andre, Elizabeth Olson, Kamail Nanjiani, Brie Larson, The Rock, Danai Gurira, Chris Hemsworth and Anthony Mackie. And Leonardi has partnered with agencies to direct campaigns for brands such as Old Spice, Chevy, Mountain Dew, Miller Lite, Hyundai, Hertz and more. Prior to joining RSA, Leonardi had most recently been repped in the ad arena by production house Eleanor.
An expert in world building, with a distinctive style that delivers a visually rich, action packed and entertaining cinematic experience, Leonardi has a visual aesthetic which grew from a childhood obsession with comics. “There was a comic shop in my hometown that I went to every day after school,” he said. “Eventually the owner’s son started letting me hang around after closing. He’d hand me a stack of paper and tell me to try drawing from any of the books I wanted. It blew my mind wide open and was the first time I realized I had a skill with art that was unique to me. It gave me my voice.”
Leonardi refined his talent studying character animation and film at CalArts, then later directing, at The AFI Film Conservatory where he first met Luke Ricci, who is now president of RSA Films US. “Luke was one of the first people I connected with there,” Leonardi said. “AFI is such a small, intimate environment, we all ended up helping on each other’s short films.”
Leonardi started his directing career with music videos and also became a sought-after storyboard artist. Gore Verbinski was familiar with his art and invited him to do storyboards for Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End (2007), an experience Leonardi credits with giving him his start in the industry. Leonardi was also handpicked for his drawing by a production designer who had worked for him before, Deborah Riley. She brought him on board as a concept artist for another entertainment juggernaut, Game of Thrones (2014).
Ricci and Leonardi again crossed paths at Bullitt. While a director at the former commercial production company of the Russo Brothers, Leonardi was asked by the Russos to work on several Marvel movies, among them Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Captain America: Civil War, and Avengers: Endgame. Leonardi contributed as a concept artist which led to him designing sequences for the films.
“At AFI, Anthony and I used to say the dream would be to keep working together after film school,” Ricci said. “Anthony and I started our careers together then had a great eight-year run in commercials. We have a strong dynamic so having the chance to represent Anthony again at RSA is a special opportunity. His work is exemplary film craft and he brings a strong point of view to everything he creates.”
Leonardi said: “To be at this point in my career reconnecting with Luke at such a high level is pretty incredible. RSA’s approach to supporting artistic vision at such a high caliber, especially under Luke, made the decision to join the company easy.”
Leonardi’s work for Tide featured an awards-worthy performance by Dr. Strange’s Cloak eluding the washing machine–the spot picked up two Cannes Lions. Then for Old Spice Leonardi turned out a hilarious send-up of Liam Hemsworth’s Thor played by his real brother, Luke. Then there’s a spot for Chevrolet, with a galloping horse morphing into a powerful truck driving across stunning mountainous terrain and red valley floors; all exemplify Leonardi’s talent for world building.
Leonardi explained, “I build shots and every detail in the frame the same way I draw and paint. As soon as I read a script, an original idea pops into my head, I start seeing shots, moments and visual fragments. Immediately I begin decoding it with pen on paper, and through that exploration the tone, feeling and vision grow. It’s in service of telling the story. A character and story focus is the other half of my visuals.”
At RSA, Leonardi is open to all sorts of opportunities. “I’m always drawn to unique, relatable character stories. Whether that ‘character’ is a Cloak, a mechanical horse or Thor’s brother reenacting him for local theater, and then throwing them into wild situations. I love having fun and entertaining an audience.”
