Production house Merman has signed multinational directing duo tomboy for representation in the U.K. spanning commercials, branded content and music videos. Consisting of Nikki Grattan and Jesse Heath, tomboy continues to be repped in the U.S. for commercials by Greenpoint Pictures. Based in New York and London, tomboy has in recent years turned out commercial campaigns in collaboration with Reebok, Estrella Jalisco, VRBO and ESPN, among others. A campaign series for Washington D.C.’s MilkPEP was a dream project which invited Grattan and Heath to pitch, conceptualize and execute a concept that appealed to younger demographics, in a bid to encourage them to consume more dairy projects. During their formative years, Heath carved out his career painting graffiti and working as a printmaker while Grattan earned a Master’s in creative writing and literature before working as a wardrobe stylist. Inspired by the innate power and possibilities of storytelling within film and photography, the pair first began working together on smaller personal projects, including music videos to hone their collective identity. Since forming tomboy, Grattan and Heath have forged a distinct tone of voice while expanding their offering to brand partners. They are passionate about tapping into subcultures throughout their storytelling as a way of selling a lifestyle, rather than an individual product….
Toronto-based production company Someplace Nice has signed directing team GoshDamn (Josh Lawson and Dan Vallint-Riggs) for Canadian representation. Someplace Nice becomes the first production company to rep the U.K.-based duo in Canada. Lawson’s art school vibe is evident in the framing and pacing of the pair’s work, while Vallint-Riggs’ strength as a narrative storyteller, along with Lawson’s talent for casting, deliver strong performance work. The convergence of all this can be seen in work for Greenpeace and Toyota, for example. In “The Big Plastic Count” for Greenpeace, a spot encouraging Britons to track their plastic use, a unique visual style and rapid camera transitions unify the narrative. In their Webby Awarded campaign for Toyota x Olympics, meanwhile, a strong narrative of athletes overcoming adversity is enlivened by deft camera work. GoshDamn’s body of work also includes commercials for Google, Barbour, Honda and Netflix….
