CoMPANY Films Signs Director Mary-Sue Masson

Writer and Director Mary-Sue Masson has signed with CoMPANY for both spots and branded content. The announcement was made by CoMPANY Executive Producers Robin Benson and Richard Goldstein. Masson is probably best known for her highly regarded currently airing campaign for HARIBO and agency Quiet Storm. The funny series of spots feature adults funneling their inner child through the famous Gold Bears candy. This marks the first time Masson has been represented by a spot company in the States. She will continue to direct spots in the UK out of HunkyDory.

Fresh Voice

“We love introducing new talent into the marketplace and are thrilled to introduce Mary-Sue as a fresh new voice alongside her much awarded Haribo campaign,” says Benson. “We can’t wait for people to have the chance to work with her; she’s talented, charming and funny!”

Great Fit

“A producer friend of mine in London thought I’d make a good fit at CoMPANY,” says Masson. “They don’t have 58 people, just a selection of great directors. My objective at CoMPANY is to continue making fun, attention-getting commercials. I love the writing, collaborating... really the entire process.”

BBC and Comedy Central

Masson is an experienced creative, scriptwriter and filmmaker. With degrees in design, writing and art direction from Ware College and Watford in England, Masson got her start at the BBC. Seeing her talent, executives sent her to Elstree Street Studios to hone her production and directing skills. “It was the best formal training one could get, you learned how to craft stories.” Masson soon found out her training was very appropriate for a career in advertising. “As a creative, I understood how hard it is to get projects to that final production stage. As a female director, I’m often pitched against the big boys but I feel an inherent advantage. Most products that you might buy in a grocery store the woman is your target audience. The same for getting the best performances out of children. Being a mother gives me insights not always shared with men.”

“Gold Bears”

Her recent campaign for HARIBO out of Quiet Storm is a good example. “I wanted to come up with an funny idea that was universal, that could hold up in many languages,” says Masson. “We refer to it as the “Kids Voices” campaign. The adults talk about Gold Bears but only kid’s chatter comes out. We recorded the children, completely unscripted, talking about the candy. Then we shot several scenarios with the grown ups. The campaign is for kids and adults, which is perfect for the brand.”

In between commercial work, Masson is writing a comedy-based mini-series and involved with other filmmaking projects.