
Award-winning director Michael Gabriele creates the type of heartfelt projects that'll move you to tears in under two minutes. Born in Montreal, Canada, the Los Angeles-based creative has directed national TV spots for mega brands and companies like Applebee's (["Brothers"](https://youtu.be/lEaStbtQvXM)), Straight Talk (["Sharing Photos"](https://youtu.be/3lycvX4zHM0)) and Accu-Chek (["A Guide for Life"](https://youtu.be/jiRK_NIxcQo)). After discovering his passion for film and storytelling as a teenager and college student, Gabriele made a name for himself within the vibrant advertising community in Chicago, where he spent nearly a decade working at some of the top creative agencies as a producer. He made the jump to full-time commercial director after joining the reputable design and production studio Daily Planet in Chicago.

Gabriele commands a striking visual style and creative voice that integrates video-based storytelling with a focus on humanity to express genuine emotions and sincere narratives. His work connects brands to consumers by employing authentic performances from real-life people told via relatable stories and experiences and shot in a beautiful, cinematic visual style. His commercial for StreetWise (["Like You"](https://youtu.be/cuPsSRHZeP4)), the Chicago-based magazine sold by homeless people, used actual employees and vendors from the organization to communicate the brand's philosophy while simultaneously addressing the city's homelessness issue; his video was officially used as part of StreetWise's 2018 "20 Most Inspiring Chicagoans" Gala in Chicago. He's also won multiple awards across the advertising field, including: a Midwest Emmy for Community and PSA Single Spot Campaign in 2017 and a Bronze win at the Telly Awards for his ["How Do You Find an Angel?"](https://youtu.be/aizQYzx4INM) clip for the nonprofit Imerman Angels; a Bronze win at the Telly Awards for his ["Welcome to Kimski"](https://youtu.be/dJrdCCcA4JA) visual for Chicago restaurant Kimski; and a Silver win at the Telly Awards for his ["Powered By Vegan"](https://youtu.be/R0EwFMItbx8) commercial for Daily Planet. Elsewhere, his widely popular [CATastrophes web series](https://www.youtube.com/user/CatCatastrophes), which he launched in 2014, won the 2015 editions of the Internet Cat Video Film Festival and the Catdance Film Festival.


Michael Gabriele

Verizon

Kimski

Angel

Applebees

Unspill

LoRez


New Jersey-born, Los Angeles-based comedy writer and director Dan De Lorenzo is behind some of the most viewed, most viral commercials and branded videos to fill your screens. He’s directed tons of videos from your favorite, and not-so-favorite, brands like Purina, Amazon NBCUniversal, Gillette, Ford, Warner Bros., Kia and Hot Pockets. He’s also behind some of the most successful branded video series from media and entertainment giant BuzzFeed Motion Pictures, including the Puppyhood series for Purina Puppy Chow, which he wrote and directed and which remains BuzzFeed’s biggest branded video series to date (+250 million views). He also directs branded videos for many of BuzzFeed’s online series—including The Try Guys, their most popular franchise—for which he’s collectively garnered millions of views.

De Lorenzo’s brand of comedy—self-aware, sarcastic and downright silly—mixes his background in comedic parodies, improv and sketch comedy into his performance-driven directing style and character-based branded comedy content. That unique voice has solidified De Lorenzo as one of the leading creators of viral YouTube and online video content, which also includes directing work for CollegeHumor, Funny or Die and Lorne Michaels’ Above Average Productions (Broadway Video). A proud Webby Award loser, De Lorenzo gained his first-ever Webby Award nomination in 2012 in the Comedy: Individual Short or Episode category for his “The Man Without A Facebook” video, ultimately losing to Simon Pegg and Nick Frost, which could have been worse. De Lorenzo was also nominated for Best Branded Consumer Campaign at the 2016 Digiday Awards for his “Moving Day” video for Comcast’s Xfinity. His work has also been featured at the 2017 and 2018 New York Television Festival (NYTVF).


Dan De Lorenzo

Purina

Ford

Reel


Since debuting on the scene in 2009, award-winning director Ana Maria Hermida has become one of the brightest new voices in the international film market. The Colombian-born, Los Angeles-based creative first broke out in 2013 via her debut feature film La Luciérnaga (The Fireﬂy), which won the coveted Jury Award at the 2017 Toulouse Gay Film Festival in France, in addition to receiving multiple nominations at the 2016 Madrid International Film Festival and the 2017 Macondo Awards, the equivalent to the Academy Awards in her motherland. The film, distributed by Media Luna Films, premiered as part of the Female Filmmaker New Mavericks section at the 2015 Atlanta Film Festival and screened at the 2015 Annual Festival Internacional del Nuevo Cine Latinoamericano de La Habana in Havana, Cuba, among other notable international film festivals. Most recently, Netflix purchased La Luciérnaga in 2017.

Born and raised in the Colombian capital of Bogotá, Hermida first cut her teeth at the School of Visual Arts in NYC, where she won the Outstanding Achievement in Directing and Outstanding Film awards at the school's annual Dusty Film & Animation Festival in 2009 for her short film El Elefante Rojo (The Red Elephant). Hermida's unique cinematic style blends an honest, raw and real visual aesthetic with striking elements of fantasy and magic realism and heartfelt drama. Inspired by her personal experiences and everyday encounters, her storytelling and themes explore complicated, and often taboo, sociopolitical issues, while presenting them in a digestible and intelligible manner that's relatable to universal audiences. (Her breakout film La Luciérnaga, which was inspired by the real-life loss of her brother, analyzes themes like homosexuality and death, while El Elefante Rojo examines child prostitution and female politics.) She also integrates her bold identity and influences from her homeland---all of her projects were filmed and are set in Colombia---into her work, which expresses a sense of collective femininity and depicts her individual yet challenging upbringing as a Latina filmmaker in the industry.


Ana Maria Hermida

La Luciérnaga


Based in Los Angeles, Robert is an award-winning director of films, commercials, branded content, and music videos. Robert’s cinematic approach to storytelling constantly strives to highlight the human element that lives at the heart of each of his films. Inspired to create diverse, meaningful and culturally-progressive content, Robert always pushes to find the perfect pairing of technologically-innovative filmmaking and emotionally powerful imagery. Robert’s work has screened globally including at the Cannes Short Film Corner, and the Montreal World Film Festival, and has been featured in publications like IndieWire, Huffington Post, NBC News, Moviemaker Magazine, and Director’s Notes.


Robert Nyerges

Dialed

Adidas

Gatorade

Mercedes

Fight Camp


Los Angeles based cinematographer and director David Ortkiese creatively uses lighting to fill your screen with vibrant experiences.  He was intrigued by the cinema at a young age and attended Valencia College in Orlando, Florida.  During his course work there, David got his first taste of lighting techniques and the world of storytelling through the prism of a lens.

In 2017, David incorporated stunning imagery as he directed Esquire Network’s Joyride.  The series featured fast-paced action by some of the most incredible new and vintage cars out there as professional drivers pushed them to their limits in a battle to determine the one with supreme performance.  Since then, David has used his vast experience to direct professionals as they redesign houses to their signature style in HGTV’s Rock the Block.  Additionally, in 2017 and 2018, David directed episodes of Apple’s Carpool Karaoke inspired by the viral sensation segment from The Late Late Show with James Corden.

As a cinematographer, he always embraces new technology to enhance the art of visual storytelling.  David continues building on his experience as a renowned cinematographer integrating his compelling visual techniques that reflect humor and genuine human emotion. Working in sketch and improv comedy, he used his background in reality TV to help bring to life character-based comedy for Marlon Wayans.   David has used his cinematographic skills to shoot epic commercial content for Fox, NBC, Spike Sports MMA, WE tv and most recently Disney Channel.


David Ortkiese

Hankook / Papadakis Racing

Nineteen Below

Joy Ride


Coming from the news and photojournalism worlds, Gregory McClatchy began his career in entertainment marketing as a producer and editor. He is the owner and creator of Motor Entertainment, a marketing and creative advertising company, which has worked with international brands such as The Walt Disney Company, Nickelodeon, Paramount, 20th Century Fox, MGM, Sony, and others. He directed two seasons of Sit Down Comedy with David Steinberg (Viacom/TV Land), which featured the comedy legend interviewing entertainment icons like Larry David, Mike Myers, George Lopez, Jon Lovitz, and Martin Short, among many others. He also directed the family feature film Soccer Mom and the horror classic Vampire at Midnight and co-directed the TV movie A Place Like No Other. He also produced the film Ticket Out, starring Ray Liotta, for Lifetime and Bert Stern: Original Madman, a theatrical documentary about influential photographer Bert Stern. In addition to his work in film, McClatchy has directed and edited national commercials for international companies and entities, including RCA Corporation and the University of Southern California, and has produced major motion picture advertising campaigns.


Gregory Mcclatchy

Student Affairs

Safe


Film and TV director Michael Lehmann began his career working for cinema icon Francis Ford Coppola at American Zoetrope, formerly known as Zoetrope Studios. Lehmann first broke out in the late ‘80s when he made his feature film directorial debut with the cult classic Heathers, starring Christian Slater and Winona Ryder. Since then, Lehmann has injected his quirky style across multimedia platforms, from films like 40 Days and 40 Nights, The Truth About Cats & Dogs, and Airheads; to critically acclaimed TV shows like Dexter, True Blood, Big Love, American Horror Story, and Californication; to comedic campaigns for McDonald’s and Tylenol. Most recently, Lehmann has directed episodes of fan-favorite TV shows like Blunt Talk, Chance, Snowfall, White Famous, and Deception.


Michael Lehmann


Sweden-born, Los Angeles-based artist Chris Anthony is best known for his captivating and surreal photography style, which mixes macabre imagery with Renaissance- and Victorian Gothic-inspired elements and cinematic narrative. His work has been exhibited around the world—from Los Angeles and Brooklyn to Hong Kong, London, and his native Stockholm—and has been featured in the pages of Los Angeles Times, The Washington Post, Nylon, BlackBook, Photo District News, ARTnews, American Photo, Juxtapoz, and LA Weekly, among many others. In addition to his photography work, he has also directed commercials for major corporations and entities, including Dell, the University of Southern California, and Deutsche Telekom, and has worked with companies like Sony PlayStation, Sony Music, Universal Music Group, Republic Records, Warner Music, Hollywood Records, and more.


Chris Anthony

Dell


Award-winning actor and director Andy García made his directorial debut with the 1993 documentary concert film Cachao… Como Su Ritmo No Hay Dos, which chronicles legendary Cuban musician and composer Israel Lopez Cachao, who is credited as the co-creator of the mambo genre. In 2005, García directed and executive produced his passion project, The Lost City, which earned him the Best Director and Best Picture wins at the 2006 Imagen Foundation Awards as well as a nomination for Outstanding Director - Motion Picture at the 2007 ALMA Awards. In addition, his commercial work includes an international Spanish-language campaign for global brand Whirlpool.


Andy Garcia

Martell

Whirlpool


Five-time Oscar nominee Caleb Deschanel is both a world-renowned cinematographer and director. With an unrivaled body of work that includes timeless classics such as The Black Stallion, The Natural, The Passion of the Christ, The Patriot, and The Right Stuff, Deschanel’s unique vision and unparalleled artistry have set the gold standard for a new generation of cinematographers. In 1993, Deschanel co-founded Dark Light Pictures, a creative and marketing studio for film and TV, where his gift of cinematic storytelling seamlessly translated into the worlds of TV advertising, online video and media, and beyond.


Caleb Deschanel


Recognized by The New York Times as “a comic institution all by himself” and “a cross between Woody Allen and Lenny Bruce,” David Steinberg is one of the most original comedians and most revered entertainers of our time. His longstanding career, which began at The Second City in Chicago in the ‘60s, has encompassed all facets of media and entertainment—from TV, film, and advertising—and has directly influenced comedy greats like John Belushi and Bill Murray, among others. During his prolific career as a stand-up comedian, Steinberg recorded and released four comedy albums, including Booga! Booga!, which earned him a Grammy nomination in the Best Comedy Recording category in 1974. Equally funny and uniquely creative on both sides of the camera, Steinberg has also won two Emmy Awards for his work as a writer on the Academy Awards programs in 1991 and 1992, in addition to his multiple award nominations for his directing work on critically acclaimed TV shows like Friends, Seinfeld, Mad About You, Weeds, and Larry David’s Curb Your Enthusiasm on HBO. He has written, produced, and acted in many feature films and has directed movies like Paternity starring Burt Reynolds, Going Berserk starring John Candy, and The Wrong Guy starring Dave Foley. Steinberg’s directing work also comprises more than 300 commercials, for which he’s earned multiple awards in virtually every advertising-related competition, including two Clio Awards as well as the prestigious Silver Lion Award at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity.


Directors