Director Rodrigo Garcia-Saiz has joined O Positive for commercial representation in North America and internationally. He has won a Cannes Gold Lion for the Association of Mexican Insurance Companies’ “Office,” a dramatic spot from Ogilvy & Mather, Mexico, that suggests the only thing you should be thinking about while driving is driving, while his comedic Skittles campaign—“Bleachers,” “Cranky” and “Mentor” for DDB Chicago and LatinWorks–was honored in D&AD Annual.
Garcia-Saiz has helmed a steady drumbeat of award-winning work. Other highlights include the Bronze Lion winners “Executed” for Gandhi Bookstores, a funny parody of the horror genre depicting just how swept away a person can be by a good book, and “Playground” for Todos Los Dias Es El Dia (Everyday is the Day to Not Discriminate), a PSA which casts a young boy in alarmingly violent scenes to drive home the consequences of bullying in schools. Both spots came out of Ogilvy Mexico.
What drew Garcia-Saiz to each was a strong concept and the agencies openness to working as a team. “I have had the opportunity to do different genres of commercials—comedy or drama,” Garcia-Saiz explains. “For every board, I put all my heart and cinematic learning of the past 12 years. I love the comedy, but I also love to do emotional things. I love to work with actors and tell a story. I don’t want to be pigeonholed. I’m more a storyteller than anything else.”
Garcia-Saiz, 38, attended film school at University of Mexico’s prestigious El CUEC. He was handpicked to join Alejandro G. Iñárritu’s production company as a commercial AD where he says he had ample opportunity to build his “cinematic muscle.” He went on to form his own Mexico City production company, Central Films. Prior to joining O Positive, Garcia-Saiz was repped stateside by Boxer Films.
“Both David [Shane, director/partner at O Positive] and I have followed Rodrigo’s work for years, so when an opportunity arose to meet with him we jumped at it,” said Jim Jenkins, O Positive director/partner. “David and I both have always seen a sure hand in his work, and a consistency that we really admire, especially in terms of his performances. He’s just an enormous talent.”
Garcia-Saiz said he is “an enormous fan of O Positive. Talking with Jim and David, I felt as if I knew them. They really love their work and enjoy their families; we share a similar vibe. Plus, they do some of the best work out there. I appreciate that O Positive is a small company where I can really focus and do great work.”
O Positive is headquartered in New York, with offices in Los Angeles and production affiliates worldwide. The company’s directorial roster includes Jenkins, Shane, Garcia-Saiz, Peyton Wilson, Lenny Dorfman, Jonathan Klein and Kenny Herzog.
