Filmmakers IYIN LANDRE and Travis Wood are the latest recipients of the Superlounge Diversity Award. As such, the pair received scholarships to attend Commercial Directing Bootcamp, which they did on January 19 in Los Angeles. Superlounge partner/director Jordan Brady – whose recent projects include the seemingly ubiquitous “High Thryv” ad (via Publicis Dallas) and a national campaign for Chrysler Pacifica starring Kathryn Hahn (via Doner) – launched the Commercial Directing Bootcamp in 2015. He has since held sold-out seminars in Los Angeles, New York, Chicago and Dallas. LANDRE and Wood join eight previous Diversity Award-winners Alesia Glidewell, Maya Albanese, Kryzz Gautier, Alex Messianu, Bonnie McFarlane, Jody Lauren Miller, Monty Marsh and Kristyna Archer. Several Superlounge Diversity Award alums have garnered attention since attending the Bootcamp: Albanese, Gautier and Marsh were among 6 directors selected to participate in the inaugural CDDP showcase, as part of that organization’s inaugural program. Albanese signed with Brother, and Gautier joined Above+Beyond Films.
“I’m an Asian-American woman, so I’m a double minority,” said LANDRE, whose Diversity Award submission reel included a spec spot for Red Bull and a promo for YouTube influencer Lilly Singh. “My voice as a commercial filmmaker is about female empowerment with edge (the promo has Singh smashing TVs that broadcast stereotypical female imagery). I discovered Jordan on Twitter, and when I read about the Commercial Directing Bootcamp, I knew this was exactly what I needed.”
“IYIN has been cranking out a spirited, stylish one-minute films every day for months. That work ethic and dedication is impressive and inspiring,” Brady observed. “Her spots and music videos are as polished as anyone's, so if I can help demystify our business a bit, that might help her secure representation.”
LANDRE, who is based in Los Angeles and is now in discussions with numerous production companies, has directed commercials, music videos, and short films. Her first feature, "The Fates," was shot in Brazil following a very successful Kickstarter campaign that went viral on Upworthy. She has a penchant for telling female-driven stories with a gritty edge, and touts "Trainspotting" as one of the coolest, most irreverent movies ever. Since October of 2017, LANDRE has made one #1minfilm a week on Instagram, where she acts, writes, directs and edits each film, making more than sixty to date. She is also a polyglot, speaking English, Spanish, Mandarin and Portuguese fluently.
“Jordan shared a wealth of information, and all of it was relevant and timely,” LANDRE said, “But what I got most out of it is that you can be a successful director and still be a really decent person.”
“Attending the bootcamp has provided me with a big push forward,” said Wood, who works in “visually experimental comedy,” as he calls it, from the skateboard film Black Tail Bigspin to the puppetry short Kayla in 1A, both among the pieces included in his Superlounge Diversity Award submission. “I’d heard tips on Jordan’s RESPECT THE PROCESS podcast, but experiencing them in one day made them really full frontal; Jordan presents you with actionable steps to achieve your goals.”
“Travis's short films already show he a strong comedic voice, so I felt he would benefit from an intense overview of our world,” said Brady. “I expect great things from both these filmmakers.”
The work of Wood, who hails from Minnesota and is currently based in Los Angeles, has screened at film festivals including Rooftop Films and Athens International Film + Video Festival and has also recently been featured by Vimeo Staff Picks, Boooooom TV and Director’s Notes. He was named the 2018 emerging filmmaker by the Queensworld Film festival.
Wood sought out the Commercial Directing Bootcamp because he wanted to take his filmmaking to a career level. Since the Bootcamp, he said, “I’ve devised the spec spots I think I should be making. You can’t slither into commercials, you have to focus on it.”
“If you’re interested in commercials, I would recommend attending the Commercial Directing Bootcamp,” Wood enthused, with a caveat: “Make sure you’re ready to act on it, because you wouldn’t want to waste the fire it ignites in you.”
The next Commercial Directing Bootcamp will take place on Saturday June 15th, 2019 in Los Angeles.
About Superlounge
Superlounge is a boutique LA production company featuring award-winning commercial directors Jordan Brady, Greg Popp, Russell Bates, Ben Giroux, Jeannette Godoy, and John Poliquin. The company is presided over by Executive Producer/Partner Dave Farrell and Executive Producer Vicki Williams.
About Jordan Brady
Jordan Brady has directed more than 1000 national TV spots to date. As host of the popular podcast RESPECT THE PROCESS, Brady interviews as wide range of ad bizzers and filmmakers on a weekly basis. He recently completed his trilogy of documentaries on stand up comedy, comprised of the 2010 cult hit I AM COMIC (Netflix, Showtime), 2014’s follow-up I AM ROAD COMIC (Netflix, Hulu); and 2017’s I AM BATTLE COMIC, which followed Brady and a squadron of stand-ups to Afghanistan, Kuwait, Bahrain and Iraq, where they performed for troops serving in the US Armed Forces. Brady’s new book, Commercial Directing Voodoo: Filmmaking Spells & Production Potions, serves as a complement to his popular Commercial Directing Bootcamp.
