Tool of North America has added live-action directors Rudi Schwab and Sasha Levinson to its roster for commercial and branded content representation in the U.S.
Schwab began his career as a photographer, eventually moving on to direct commercials, including Gillette’s “Handle With Care” which won seven Cannes Lions and four Gold Clio Awards. With a knack for capturing the emotional and inspiring elements of a story, he has collaborated with brands including Google, Hewlett-Packard, Disney and Samsung. Schwab has garnered assorted awards for his work, including Emmys, Cannes Lions, Clio Awards and Golden Pencils.
Levinson, who is best known for co-writing and directing short films for the Las Vegas Convention and Tourism Authority, all of which went viral, garnering a dramatic global response, perhaps most notably with the viral spot “Now and Then” receiving a nomination for YouTube Ad of the Year. She began her career in the electric music video scene, receiving an MTV nomination for her work on Cake’s “Short Skirt, Long Jacket.” Levinson has directed commercials for brands such as Microsoft, Starbucks, Samsung and McDonald’s.
Prior to joining Tool, Schwab and Levinson had most recently been repped by Humble.
“As seasoned filmmakers with strong points of view, both directors have the great gift of crafting powerful and emotional stories,” said Nancy Hacohen, managing director of live action at Tool. “Working with HP and Gillette, Schwab has combined clear and confident storytelling with breath-taking visuals. Additionally, Sasha has broken new creative ground by presenting a refreshing, unique, and modern female perspective.”
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