Director Konrad Begg has joined Slash Dynamic, an L.A.-based shop headed by EP Tanya Cohen, for exclusive commercial and branded content representation in the U.S.
A car and motorcycle enthusiast with a passion for conceptual filmmaking, Begg has an affinity for working with high-end automotive clients though his filmmaking range goes far beyond that. A Scotland native, Begg recently wrapped his first production with Slash Dynamic–a four-day Nissan shoot in Phoenix, Arizona, for Fort Lauderdale, Fla.-based agency Zimmerman. The complex assignment involved choreographing 12 cars and showcasing their semi-autonomous driving function at random speeds and positions into order and uniformity.
Begg’s work–which spans features, TV and commercials–has been recognized by BAFTA, Emmy, and The Royal Television Society. His feature directorial debut, Songs For Amy, achieved critical success upon a worldwide cinematic release, and went on to receive recognition for Outstanding Achievement in Filmmaking at the Newport Beach Film Festival, and was an official selection for the Galway Film Festival, as well as assorted other fests. In television, Begg has directed many episodes of the BBC series Top Gear. He has worked with brands such as Range Rover, Ford, Shell, Toyota, and Ferrari, creating large-scale dramatic stunt sequences and naturalistic films featuring vast landscapes that create a sense of adventure and wonder. Begg has filmed a helicopter flying and dropping a VW Beetle from 5,000 feet in the Salt Flats of South Africa, choreographed high speed drifts and stunts with professional rally driver Ken Block inside the Ford Factory, launched Bear Grylls out of a six-story building onto an airbag, and bungeed a Lotus F1 racing car from the top of a crane, with Top Gear’s Stig at the wheel.
Cohen assessed, ““Konrad is one of the most technically skilled directors I’ve ever worked with, and highly involved in every minute detail of the project he’s bringing to life. It’s rare that you find a director that is equally confident with mind-blowing action sequences and auto-centric content, as he is with performance-driven storytelling. He’s a cinephile, who is well versed in the latest toys and technology; the perfect blend of intimate, real moments meets amped spectacle.”
Earlier in his career, Begg was repped by Streetlight in London, which also handled him in the U.S. quite some time ago. He was drawn to Slash Dynamic, explaining, “In the constantly changing environment within the industry, it’s essential to explore new ways to tell our stories and wow ever more discerning audiences. Slash Dynamic, I feel, shares this philosophy. A young vibrant company steered by a brilliant EP–Tanya’s excitement for what we do as filmmakers and storytellers remains fresh and infectious. This coupled with her vast experience are qualities that run through her whole company from top to bottom.”
Begg joins a Slash Dynamic directorial roster which includes Patrick Sherman, Laurence Dunmore, Syyn Labs, Travis Hanour, Kiran, Gregor Nicholas, Celine Tricart, Vaylian and Rojomotorz. The company is repped by Brent Novick on the West Coast, Miller + Miller in the Midwest, Sharon Lew and Ann McKallagat on the East Coast, and The Gossip Company in Texas.
Forsman & Bodenfors Shifts Its Singapore Group Creative Director Ivan Guerra to Its NYC Hub
Forsman & Bodenfors (F&B) has expanded its creative leadership in New York by relocating longtime group creative director Ivan Guerra from the Singapore office to the Big Apple to support a quickly growing list of new client wins.
As a group creative director in Singapore, Guerra racked up numerous accolades and participated in a myriad of new business wins that fueled the agency’s growth year over year. He explained why now was the right time to come back to the states, adding more nuance in the process. ”Singapore is the business hub of Asia, New York is the business hub of the world,” he said. “Our office in Singapore was small when I arrived. Since then, we’ve more than tripled in size, and became the [number one] most creative agency in the country, and work with more and bigger clients than ever before. There’s always more to be done, but the agency I’m leaving behind is in fantastic shape and ready to take on the world, as I know they will.”
For Guerra, there’s an opportunity to replicate in New York the success he had in Singapore. During his career, he repositioned and promoted businesses and products across a wide variety of markets and industries including P&G, Coca-Cola and Booking.com. Some of his well-known work includes a campaign that increased Samsung’s sales in the Middle East by almost 200%, one of the most iconic films in the history of Converse, Verizon’s most successful sports partnership program “Data Dunk” with the NBA, and a “Proud Whopper” campaign in 2014 that reignited Burger King and garnered 13 Cannes Lions and a Grand Clio.
Coming back to New York after 15 years in the business, including a stint where he spent time at the likes of top-shelf agencies like R/GA,... Read More