Directors picked for the first and third creative concepts.
Em fits the talk-show turn of this brief because her work already plays on public personas: satirical, retro-feeling worlds built from detailed production design, optical illusions and in-camera tricks. She directed Instagram's global #InstaGiftGuide campaign, and her look sits close to the Aidan Zamiri reference.
Watch reelThe Paisanos fit this brief on its new center: making a familiar format look real but elevated. The bilingual, Buenos Aires-based collective builds big, music-driven worlds on strong art direction and grounded detail, with camera tricks and the odd animated surprise, for Coca-Cola and MTV, and several of them came up at MTV, which shows in their sense of rhythm.
Watch reelDanny fits the elevated talk-show direction because his comedy lives in the frame: deadpan performances inside clean, graphic worlds, a sensibility shaped by his background in illustration and design. His fashion films for Miu Miu, Burberry, Hermès and Balenciaga show he can make a simple setup look expensive without losing the joke.
Watch reelBlink.LA has narrowed its options to three directors who design the set as much as the shot, which is exactly what an elevated talk show needs. Blink produces end to end, including set build, top DPs and production designers, and non-celebrity casting.
Open deckFran fits the talk-show turn of this brief because his comedy is built into the image rather than the dialogue, a habit from his years as an agency art director. He names The Simpsons, Cartoon Network and Argentine telenovelas as what formed him, which is the nostalgic-but-cool mix the creative is after, and he has won Cannes Lions for work whose whole premise is a joke.
Watch reelCLAN fit the craft side of this brief. Nico and Fede direct as one unit, with storytelling that ranges from modern love stories to dystopian sci-fi and a bold, timeless aesthetic, for Meta, Smirnoff and Johnnie Walker, and their film Robot took the Grand Prix at El Ojo de Iberoamérica.
Watch reelVERT has built a microsite with four comedy directors with sharp timing and a strong visual eye, each covering a different side of an elevated talk show: real talk-show and live-show experience, branded entertainment made for the feed, a bold character-led look, and warm humor built on real people.
Open the micrositeThese might not tick every box, but we still wanted to share them because we think they're very relevant for this project.
Robert fits the elevated side of this brief: he builds worlds that are not quite real and plays them completely straight, which is how a talk show turns into a piece of entertainment. He has directed Karol G, Nicky Nicole and Mau & Ricky, and athletes like Messi and Neymar, so famous faces and real talent are both familiar ground, and he directs in Spanish and English.
Watch reelBen fits the Simple Life side of this brief: he takes familiar cultural references and plays them warm and effortless rather than nostalgic. His Nike campaign with Wu-Tang Clan, narrated by Raekwon with The RZA, turned a golden-era moment into something that felt current, and he carried it across film, a faux movie poster and a custom ice cream truck.
Watch reelMilton fits the entertaining side of this brief: bold comedy that pushes a premise further than expected and executes it with obsessive detail. His reel runs through Sprite, Andes, Burger King and Nike with Foot Locker, plus Globant with actress Inés Efron, and he holds a Gold Lion in Film at Cannes.
Watch reelOro brings range to this brief, from playful to stylish, all in one reel. It moves from brand work for McDonald's and Mahou to a fashion piece for C&A and a destination film for Benidorm, plus a campaign for ColaCao about bullying that shows real feeling.
Watch reelMartín fits the talk-show turn of this brief because performance is where his comedy lives: he came to directing from acting, and his satire plays on the awkward, funny-because-it-shouldn't-be moments a talk-show format thrives on. His visual album for CA7RIEL & Paco Amoroso took the Grand Prix at CICLOPE Latino, he has already directed for Verizon, and he works in English and Spanish.
Watch reel