CULVER CITY, CA, April 22, 2011 – Acclaimed director Gavin Bowden has signed with Bandito Brothers for exclusive US spot representation. Bowden comes to the rapidly expanding company with a reputation for shooting memorable visual and effects-driven commercials and music videos. The director’s recent spot work includes Chevrolet’s “Sonic,” Toyota’s “Dance” and “Imagine,” and Subaru’s “Peel Out.”
“We are very excited to have Gavin join Bandito,” said Executive Producer Jeff Rohrer. “We recently partnered in the launch of Cantina Creative to bring visual effects in-house, so the addition of Gavin to the roster is a natural fit for many jobs. Gavin’s work is impeccable and we are happy to have him as part of the family.”
Bowden got his start filming music videos in the nineties, when, as he described it, “Bands were open to having experimental and challenging ideas in their videos and MTV was playing them based upon their creative merits.” His work includes iconic videos for artists like Red Hot Chili Peppers, Rage Against The Machine, Henry Rollins, and Matchbox 20, as well as the 1992 documentary “Funky Monks” — a revealing look at the recording of the Chili Peppers’ landmark album, “Blood, Sugar, Sex, Magik.” Bowden made the jump into advertising with Original Film when his video for the Butthole Surfers’ “Pepper” caught the attention of Wieden + Kennedy. Inspired by his work on the project, the shop recruited him to apply a similar style to spots for Nike. Bowden also directed spots through A Band Apart and Plum Pictures before joining Bandito Brothers.
His most recent and best-known commercial work has been for car makers. For Saatchi, Bowden directed a campaign for Toyota’s launch of its redesigned RAV-4, and employed his trademark style of animation using stills. He wanted to explore and develop more unique ways of showcasing the cars in the spots rather than rely solely on running footage. Indeed, whether it’s a gorgeous CG rendering of the Chevrolet Sonic’s engine or a single-shot motion controlled exploration of the Nissan Rogue, Bowden’s work distinguishes itself from typical automotive advertising.
“I’ve never been the person to take an easy job,” he said. On Subaru “Peel Out,” for example, Bowden teamed with a graphic designer to personally create the scores of magazine pages featured in the spot. His work ethic puts him right at home with Bandito Brothers. “I want to work like crazy and so do they. They have this infectious and aggressive can-do attitude, and great resources at their disposal.”
At Bandito Brothers, Bowden rounds out a roster comprised of Partners/Directors Mike “Mouse” McCoy and Scott Waugh, director Stewart Hendler, director Sinuhe Xavier, director Jacob Rosenberg, directing duos Gentlemen and The Polish Brothers, director/cinematographers Shane Hurlbut, Mitchell Amundsen, Peter Rodger, Matt Goodman, Vic Huber, and Los Banditos, the Hispanic division made up of Igor Jadue, Flavio Labiano, Robert Maya, and Leonardo Ricagni.
