New Director Signings at Whitelabel, Tool and Ebeling Group

Bayer Picks Up A Whitelabel Product, Zada Grasps Tool of North America and Bearfight Gets Into the Ring with The Ebeling Group

The Super Bowl is over, Olympian Michael Phelps is taking his punishment like a man, Rem Koolhaus’s Beijing masterpiece is in ashes and flash mobs are taking over the London transport system—when it’s not snowed under.  What better time to announce a trio of director signings?  In the US, Samuel Bayer has left HSI for aWHITELABELproduct, while Jason Zada, formerly the lead creative at digital hot shop EVB (of  “Elf Yourself” fame) signs with Tool of North America.  In the UK, the creative collective known as Bearfight has signed with The Ebeling Group. 

Bayer is the winner of dozens of major ad awards and the director behind memorable spots for a harem of brands such as Nike, Visa, Converse, VW, Coca-Cola and Mountain Dew.  His music video list includes work for Green Day, Justin Timberlake, The Strokes, The Rolling Stones and Metallica, to note a few.  This move reunites him with former HSI colleagues Annique DeCaestecker and Ellen Jacobson-Clarke, and their partner Oliver Hicks, at bicoastal aWHITELABELproduct.  Says Bayer, “I like what WHITELABEL represents. It’s a boutique with an eye on where the business is going, focusing on cross-platforming directors into other mediums.” One of Bayer’s most recent projects is his Green Day concert film “Bullet In A Bible.” He also directed a viral campaign for hands-free maker Jawbone via New York-based agency Anomaly.

One of the director's goals in signing with the company is to extend his work for agencies from film to print—sort of a reverse osmosis from the way it’s normally done in the industry.  “It’s been a life-long dream of mine to push my photography in print and editorial,” he says. “It seems beneficial for the agency to have continuity between the different mediums of a campaign, so it’s logical for the agency to have someone who can do both.”  He may have found the perfect place to do this, as WHITELABEL also represents high-end photographers such as Peter Lindbergh, the legendary Jean-Paul Goude and Mikael Jansson, who work in both print and film.

Bicoastal Tool, meanwhile, has announced the recent signing of director Jason Zada. With nearly two decades of experience working on both advertising and digital content assignments, Zada has developed an impressive multi-screen storytelling capability that allows him to deftly transfer a brand’s message across all media, from television to the web to print.

Prior to joining Tool, Zada was the founder and executive creative director of EVB, the digital content marketing agency globally recognized for its breakthrough creative and production.  Nearly every major ad agency has tapped Zada's talents.  During his time there, EVB produced award-wining work for clients such as adidas, Wrigley, Old Spice, 2K Sports, Burger King, A&E, MTV, Levi's and dozens of other notable brands.

Not merely just the top creative executive at EVB, Zada also directed all of the agency's high profile campaigns, culminating with the “Elf Yourself” sensation he did for Office Max, which was viewed by 193 million people in its first six weeks, making it the most successful viral site of all time.

"Every great project that came out of EVB had Jasonulls stamp on it," says Tool Executive Producer Brian Latt. "That sort of sustained excellence for years on end shows an incredible ability to execute a range of projects that donullt always necessarily fit neatly into the thirty or sixty second box. Jason is part of the next generation of talented, capable directors, with a strong command of the digital world but also has the ability to create incredible traditional commercials as well."

"I'm extremely excited about working with Tool in both the integrated and traditional advertising spaces," Zada says.  "The industry is rapidly evolving, and Tool is the type of shop that will challenge me to turn out work for all media, using all the skills I've mastered over the past two decades."

Finally, from London comes word that the skies have cleared, the snow has melted and a design collective known as Bearfight has signed for commercials representation with The Ebeling Group.  Bearfight is comprised of several creatives who bring over nine years of experience to client-based projects.

“Bearfight covers all media in film, animation and interactive design,” explains its creative director, Christoper Hewitt.  “It’s our goal to push the conceptual side of production, whilst also setting off new trends within the design world.”

The Ebeling/Bearfight combo has already scored, with Hewitt directing “Tetley Red,” a 3D animated piece from Toronto agency John St. introducing Tetley’s latest product, Red Tea.  The spot features fluid transitions and warm red hues that help to define illustrations of the African continent. 

Hewitt, whose work has appeared regularly on the motion graphics blog Motionographer.com, has lectured on design trends at a number of key design industry events, including the recent FITC Toronto conclave, BD4D and OFFF events in New York and Lisbon.