Ago Panini
Director Ago Panini has a name that's infinitely cool in both Spanish and his native Italian. He's noted for his work with highly-driven machines (both on two feet and four wheels), so it's no surprise that he's one of Europe's best car guys. Music fans will recognize his videos for superstars like Andrea Bocelli, Laura Pausini and Eros Ramazotti, while car aficionados will see lots of curves and power reflected in his spots. He's internationally acclaimed as one of the best directors in his field and has directed award-winning commercials for brands like AlfaRomeo, BMW, Fiat, Ford, Renault, Toyota and Mercedes. And as if dominating the auto world weren't enough, he's also a feature director - ASPETTANDO IL SOLE (WAITING FOR THE SUN) being his latest. (Represented exclusively in Brazil and Latin America)
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Angel Gracia
Angel Gracia is a powerhouse of a director; he always delivers flawless visuals and has a great sense of the cinematic. If you're looking for grand performances (or just ones that make you stop and go, "hmmmm"), this is your guy. Born in Venezuela and based in Los Angeles, Angel has lived and worked in London, Frankfurt and New York. His productions have taken him to North and South America, Asia and the Middle East, and he has carved out a special niche coaxing fun performances out of celebrity actors. If you want to hear a great story, ask him how his spec music video for Madonna kicked off all of those adventures.
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Clyde Brothers
The Clyde Brothers' love for filmmaking began at a young age, when they learned to connect with people through innovation, entertainment and great storytelling. Today, Rob and Ben Clyde create, write and direct everything from short dramatic films and documentaries to comedic commercials and viral videos. Their recent clients include Microsoft, Toshiba, Audi, Xbox, Symantec, Sun America, Adobe, NASA, and Mattel Children's Hospital, among others. In 2010, the two directed the short documentary NURSES FOR AFRICA, with a television version of the film airing on broadcast and cable networks in more than 50 million homes nationwide. The Clyde Brothers are currently in development on their first feature film, IF I COULD TELL YOU, as well as numerous web and television originals.
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Daniel Gruener
Daniel Gruener is the Big Job Guy, great with big visuals and (especially) special effects. He's another one of our directors with a boatload of feature films (MORIRSE EN DOMINGO, SOBRENATURAL) under his belt, not to mention television, shorts and documentary projects. That has led to him winning everything from multiple Mexican Arieles to top awards at film festivals in Colombia, Puerto Rico, Spain, Chile, and Canada--not to mention a special debut at Sundance. We like him because he's a whiz with things like digital compositing, matte painting and 3D animation.
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Doble Nelson
Doble Nelson is a delightfully, creatively insane directing team that always goes over and above whatever it was you were imagining your project would originally look like. Agustín Berruezo and André Muschietti are Argentines who relocated to Spain in 2001 and have proceeded to trample over every carefully-manicured creative lawn in their path (regardless of time zone, continent or format) ever since. That their professional name is taken from wrestling moves performed by their favorite childhood television stars should be a hint as to their quirky sense of humor. Ask anyone who has worked with them what the experience is like, and you'll usually get a wistful look and then a fit of giggles in reply.
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Esteban Sapir
One of Argentina's most prolific and award-winning filmmakers, Esteban Sapir is an all-around director extraordinaire. Esteban got his start as a cinematographer winning accolades along the way and working with some of the best directors, including Pucho Mentasti, Lucho Bender, and Marcelo Schejtman. His 1994 feature "Picado Fino" earned him special mentions and awards from festivals in Berlin, Havana, Montreal and Montevideo. Not too shabby considering it was his first feature film. Esteban has directed over 300 commercials, video mappings and short films for international agencies and clients since 1999. Notable projects include campaigns for Unilever, Peugeot, Budweiser, Pepsi, Ford and Visa, as well as documentary projects for singer Shakira and Sony Music International.
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Fatty
The director endearingly known only as "Fatty" got a peculiar start in the world of advertising; he created a homemade commercial for a TV show contest, and his first place prize led him to a workshop at the New York Film Academy. From there he served as AD under a number of the commercial world's most talented and award-winning Argentine directors (including Lucho Bender), then branched out by becoming a skilled director in his own right. Fatty credits Francis Ford Coppola with sparking his interest in film; he caught a viewing of The Outsiders when he as 15, which led him to watch absolutely everything else Coppola ever directed, dissecting movies like The Godfather frame-by-frame and scene-by-scene to understand how he worked his magic. Although his home base is Buenos Aires, Fatty has worked extensively throughout both South and North America.
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Guarna
Known for his subtle humor and skill when it comes to directing actors, Argentinean director Guarna's enviable client list includes Coca-Cola, Corona, Peugeot, Pepsi, Renault, Unilever and Kraft. A graduate of the University of Film in Buenos Aires, and armed with experience in writing, art direction, and directing talent, he began his professional career as an assistant director on feature films. Guarna then transitioned into advertising, working with some of the most renowned directors in South America before helming a campaign for the newspaper La Nación, which landed on the Cannes Short List. His work has been recognized internationally by the San Sebastian Advertising Festival, Golden Award of Montreaux, London International Awards, FIAP and El Ojo de Iberoamérica, among others.
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Guillermo Carbonell
Guillermo Carbonell brings a truly cinematic touch to the commercials he directs. The prestigious Ojo de Iberoamérica Awards named him as the Best DP in Uruguay at the very beginning of his career, and today he's one of the hottest young directors to emerge from South America. Some of his most recent works have won Gold at FIAP and Ojo, and his award-winning "Azucarlito" spot made a recent Hollywood debut at an important industry conference as an example of the blurry line between film and advertising.
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Hernán Almar
Hernán Almar became a commercial director by starting at the source, working in the creative department of agencies like McCann, Bates, CraveroLanis, VegaOlmosPonce and JWT. He transitioned from fueling spots to creating them himself, helming high-end assignments for brands ranging from Renault and Peugeot to Coca-Cola and Sony. A former television news anchor, Almar briefly dabbled in astronomy before realizing that mathematics and the stars weren't nearly as compelling as the creative world.
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J.P. Irizarry
Born and raised in Puerto Rico, J.P. Irizarry graduated from the London film school, where he directed several short films that went on to compete in top international festivals like the New York Short Film Festival and the Griffon International Film Festival, taking (in the case of "Sheepdog") the top prize at Puerto Rico's CineFiesta Festival. His growing body of advertising work includes Heineken, Coors Light, Honda, Ford, Gatorade, Kraft and others. He brings a unique cinematic approach to his work, where the main focus is on a blend of very visual storytelling, stylized cinematography and naturalistic acting. He currently has his first feature film, RINOCERONTE, in development with the Puerto Rico Film Commission.
Booking Info:
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Los Pérez
Mexican native Tania Verduzco and Spanish-born Adrián Pérez operate together under the pseudonym Los Pérez and gladly take shared credit for their joint activities, which include writing, directing, editing and music composition. Their collaboration began when they studied film together at the Center for the Study of Cinema in Catalonia, Spain, and blossomed through the years to the point that Tania recently took Second Prize in Cannes' Young Director Awards and was shortlisted for a Goya. Adrián, meanwhile, combines his film career with music; he's the singer and composer of CatPeople, one of the most important independent rock bands in Spain, and has composed number of different film scores and themes for TV commercials worldwide. Together, they have pooled their beautiful, visual and rhythmic work as directors for companies in both Mexico City and Europe. They are currently writing the screenplay for their first feature film.
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Luis Gerard
Director Luis Gerard can trace his professional roots back to his grandparents' small movie theater in Puerto Rico. He earned his directorial stripes first in the projection room there and then at the University of Puerto Rico, shooting a black-and-white 35mm short film that earned him a spot at the Venice Film Festival and kicked off his career. Since then he has worked both globally and extensively as a commercial director, working on award-winning projects for Euro RSCG, Saatchi & Saatchi, Lowe Worldwide, Young & Rubicam and a host of others.
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Magaby Garcia
Besides being one of the only female directors in Latin America, Magaby García is simply one of the most solid directors, period, that we've come across. She's a steady, unshakeable presence on set and brings a definite flair to commercial and film projects that need a female touch - or just a hint of something special. Apprenticed to the legendary director Simón Bross when she was still a teenager, Magaby literally grew up on set... Which is why she has won so many awards, and so much respect, of her own.
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Quim Lorente
Ever had someone tell you your idea would be too complicated/small/strange to shoot? Quim Lorente is a wizard at finding the quirky in the ordinary and showing it to the audience in all its ridiculous, hilarious glory. Based in Spain but working non-stop globally, Quim has been both a prizewinner at festivals and a perennial audience favorite. That probably has something to do with his ability to work with even the most difficult actors--squirrels and babies included.
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Simon Bross
Industry legend Simón Bross is one of the most critically acclaimed commercial directors in the world. Like Chuck Norris, no matter how many prizes and accolades any other director has... he has more. He has landed gold, silver and bronze in almost every major advertising competition worldwide, and broke most Mexican box office records with his feature film debut MALOS HÁBITOS (BAD HABITS). The film picked up critical acclaim, not to mention prizes, at the Guadalajara Film Festival, the Bogotá Film Festival, Cine Vegas and Cannes. More importantly, Simón is a fun-loving, hard-working director whose sets and working style are something you'll be talking about for years to come.
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Sven and Calle
Creative partners since 1998, Stockholm, Sweden-based directing duo svenandcalle specializes in creating performance-driven commercials. With an emphasis on great casting, they have an uncanny ability to coax out dynamic and often-hilarious performances from their actors. As storytelling / comedy directors, they have garnered international attention, including Cannes, Clios, NY Film Festival and Eurobest. In 2007, their "Dress" spot for VW was voted as one of the all-time top 100 commercials in the world. Now that's nothing to laugh at!
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Zac&Mac
Zac&Mac, the directing team of Miguel de Olaso and Bruno Zacarías, wants you to know that on set, they function like one director with two brains and one mouth. Olaso, AKA "Macgregor", the Mac portion of the team, is a former DP and post-production supervisor; Zacharías is a recovering advertising copywriter who segued into screenwriting and then directing. The two teamed up several years ago and their resulting commercial work is sleek, beautifully cinematic and filled with deliciously gorgeous lighting. Their shorts (like "Similo" and "Uyuni") have placed high in a number of international competitions, with "18 seconds" alone earning almost twenty awards.
Booking Info:
ed@cortezbrothers.com