Framestore Pictures has signed directors Anh Vu and Marcus Ubungen. The NYC-based Vu has a background in design and visual effects. Having started at Psyop in 2007 as a designer, Vu quickly elevated into Psyop’s director collective. To date, she has contributed to several award-winning campaigns for brands like Aetna, GE, Volkswagen, JBL, Samsonite, Stand Up To Cancer, Michelin and Silk.
San Francisco native Ubungen has worked at creative agency Goodby, Silverstein, & Partners directing content for clients Chevrolet, Motorola, Adobe, Google, and Specialized Bikes. In 2014 he turned to directing full-time and went on to shoot campaigns for Gatorade, Samsung, Toyota, and Porsche. His last short film Halloween Meets Gasoline was staff picked by Vimeo and screened at SXSW.
Both directors have recently launched compelling personal projects; Vu’s Never to Forget portrays the lives of women and children from the state of Rajasthan, India, and their fight for equality while Ubungen’s Beyond The Fields follows child boxers in rural Thailand.
Cultivate.Media Signs Director Stefan Pflug For U.S. Spot Representation
Danish director Stefan Pflug has signed for exclusive U.S. spot representation with bicoastal Cultivate.Media, the commercial and content production company overseen by managing director/executive producer Mark Thomas and executive producer Stuart Wilson. Cultivate.Media is the first U.S. spot roost for Pflug, who is represented in France by Frenzy Paris, Le Berg Berlin in Germany, Holy Ravioli in Denmark, and Thirsty Film in Finland and Sweden. Pflug's filmography includes memorable work for major brands and lesser known alike, including Arla, Danske Spil, Adidas, AXA, the PlayStation game trailer for PayDay 3, Danone, Pfizer, Puma, Santander, and Vivo. “When I first screened Stefan’s work, I came away with this impression: his film can give you a warm smile or even cause you to shed a tear, but it always compels you to think,” said Thomas. “Rare is the filmmaker who possesses those attributes. It’s the visceral reaction followed by the contemplation of what you experienced when you screen Stefan’s reel that I can only describe as total engagement with his film.” “I feel that my reel is now in a place where the timing is right for an expansion in the U.S. market,” said Pflug. “My conversations with Mark and Stu have been really substantial and comfortable and I trust their evaluation of the work that I have done, because they took the time to dig in and analyze it. Further, I like them as individuals, and we share a very clear ambition for the kind of work I want to do, and the journey I am on as a director.” Pflug’s love of professional sports--the immediacy of the event, the focus, and yes, the emotion--led, unexpectedly, to his career in advertising: after earning a Master’s in Business, he worked in sports sponsorships and... Read More