Danny T Goes Global with Great Guns
The director of the "Portal: No Escape" web video signs on with the production company's US office, giving them global representation.
Director Danny T Signs with Great Guns for Global Representation
Director Danny T (aka Dan Trachtenberg) has joined Great Guns in the US, thereby extending his relationship with the international production house to worldwide representation.
Released less than a month ago, with over 6.5 million hits in just over one week, Danny's short film "Portal: No Escape" was described by the Huffington Post as "winning the internet right now for the grittiness of its take on the video game". It became the month's top favorite, top rated and most discussed film on YouTube after only a few hours online (trending on Twitter within the same timeframe), creating a stir from all the most prominent gaming, movie and online news sites.
The short also drew the attention of more mainstream media outlets such as Entertainment Weekly, Wired, The Los Angeles Times, The Wall Street Journal and the UK's national newspaper, The Independent.
The success of "Portal: No Escape" built on that enjoyed by his previous short film, "More Than You Can Chew," released on YouTube only two months prior, which also garnered a huge amount of attention. The films position the director at the forefront of the digital generation, a position that's further cemented by his role as co-host of one of the internet's most popular video podcasts, The Totally Rad Show. Enjoyed by a broad and vocal fan base, the program covers the latest in movies, games, television and comic books. Described by Wired as "the best weekly podcast – period", it has more recently transformed from weekly to daily broadcasts.
"When Sheridan Thomas, our UK Head of Production and co-founder of GGi, our new interactive division, brought Danny to my attention earlier this year, I immediately saw that rare, exciting talent that truly understands the relevance of classical film disciplines within the context of this digital generation," says Laura Gregory, Founder of Great Guns. "The more recent success of 'Chew' and 'Portal' clearly confirm this to be the case."
"What immediately impressed me was the way he was able to stamp his very distinctive, observational style across multiple genres." adds Tom Korsan, Managing Director of Great Guns' LA office. "His forward-thinking approach and awareness of what's going on in this cross-platform world perfectly compliment the direction that we are taking the company in for the future."
"I'm thrilled to be considered a fully-fledged global 'gunner' now," says Danny. "Since signing earlier this year with Great Guns for the rest of the world, it's become clear to me how much they care about filmmaking and filmmakers. They are as intensely passionate about the art of commercial storytelling and advancements in all forms of modern media as I am. So, for me, joining Great Guns in the US is a natural extension of my relationship with them. It's incredibly validating to have been 'noticed' by them, and I look forward to making them proud."
Published 7 Oct., 2011
