CULVER CITY, CA, July 16, 2010 - Bandito Brothers has signed director/photographer Sinuhe Xavier for exclusive US spot representation. He was represented previously by Green Dot (as part of directing team GOLD), and directed projects for CAA that were produced through SMUGGLER. His first assignment with Bandito Brothers is a Toyota campaign via Saatchi & Saatchi LA, currently being edited at Bandito Post.  “We are extremely happy to have Sinuhe over here in Banditoland,” said Executive Producer Jeff Rohrer. “It is great to see the man in action, and he is a perfect fit for Bandito. We are going to rock together.”

“I really love the way Bandito Brothers has taken the conventionality out of commercials,” Xavier said. “What you see is what you get, they’re the real deal, and with my sports background, it’s a great fit.”

Xavier is perhaps the only ”washed up professional skier” to have shot for Gillette, eBay, and Spinal Tap. He is further distinguished by the fact that he did not pursue a career in directing and photography until 2003, when he traded a life in the mountains for the potentially more treacherous terrain of Los Angeles.

“I’d just turned 30 and was shooting a lot of print and felt like I needed to do something drastic, to shift into high gear,” he explained.

After co-writing the Sony Dreams short “Little Pony” with Filip Engstrom at SMUGGLER (where he met Bandito EP Jeff Rohrer), Xavier directed two projects with Creative Artists Agency: the first was his critically acclaimed stop motion Lego piece for eBay’s “Let Them Post” campaign (featured in Creativity, Boards and Shoot); he next directed Rob Reiner, Christopher Guest, Harry Shearer and Michael McKeon  for Spinal Tap’s 2009 twenty-five year Reunion Tour.

High profile spot work followed. With GOLD, Xavier directed Tiger Woods and Derek Jeter for Gillette, and Michael Strahan for Subway. He also directed Steve Casimiro on several segments for National Geographic. Over the past few years, advertising agencies BBDO, TBWA Chiat Day, Saatchi, and Euro RSCG have all turned to Xavier to bring their unique visions to life.

Xavier’s photography career actually began in front of the lens, as a professional ski mountaineer for The North Face in Bozeman, Montana, working with National Geographic photographer Gordon Wiltse. While studying architecture and photography at Montana State University, he transitioned his way from in front of, to behind the camera and found his love of visually telling stories. Xavier has been published in National Geographic Adventure, Overland Journal, Print and Transworld Snowboarding magazines and has also shot for Burton Snowboards, Nike, Volvo, Toyota, Marmot and EA Sports.

Speed Channel recently produced a one-hour episode covering a photo shoot Xavier did for American Expedition Vehicles (AEV), and he  is currently helming some documentary shorts for “127 Hours,” the new film from Oscar-winner Danny Boyle (Slumdog Millionaire).

Xavier rounds out a Bandito Brothers roster comprised of Partners/Directors Mouse McCoy and Scott Waugh, director Stewart Hendler, directing duo Gentlemen, and director/cinematographers Shane Hurlbut, Mitchell Amundsen, and Vic Huber.