Partizan Signs Masterful, Decorated Director Floyd Russ

Globally-renowned production company Partizan signs Floyd Russ, an award-winning director who deftly captures the poignance of the human experience. A maverick of his craft, Russ embraces a bold vision that encompasses advertising campaigns to music videos to scripted and non-scripted feature films and TV series.

In 2018, Russ’ Netflix Original documentary, Zion, premiered at the Sundance Film Festival, was shortlisted for Best Short Documentary at the Oscars, won Emmys, and was ultimately acquired in a bidding war by Netflix. Shortly after, Russ made the Netflix documentary Malice at the Palace, followed by his first narrative feature film, Ayar. He recently crafted a 3-part documentary about the Boston Marathon Bombing for Netflix, American Manhunt, and is currently shooting a feature documentary with Imagine Entertainment and developing a period horror feature film.

“Floyd has an exceptional eye for talent and stories, he seeks to breathe life into everything he does, infusing his work with a distinct emotional flair,” said Partizan Founder Georges Bermann.

Russ comes to Partizan confident that the collaboration will elevate his cinematic artistry. “I was in film school when Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind came out, so for me, Partizan director Michel Gondry is like a God,” he said. “Partizan is filled with great established and young filmmakers at the forefront of their style, and the management and producers there are top-notch - a few of them I go way back with and trust very deeply.”

One such trusted colleague is Mike Lobikis, Partizan’s US Head of Sales/EP and a producer behind Russ’ first critically acclaimed Vice short A Piece of the Bottom. The pair have collaborated on the multi-awarded campaigns “Marriage Market” for SK-II with Forsman + Bodenfors and the equally hard-to-forget Ad Council spot “Love Cam” out of R/GA. They’ve formed a genuine friendship — one based on admiration for one another’s film craft as well as sweet jump shots and trash talk on the basketball court.

“For Floyd, it’s telling stories that allow for the subjects to be fully seen,” Lobikis says. “That has always been my favorite thing about him as a filmmaker. He puts the full array of raw and real human experiences on display in service to an overarching message.”

Russ’ early career is defined by producing award-winning work with Saatchi & Saatchi New York and Grey New York, where he produced and directed in-house spots that were honored at awards shows across the industry. In just over a decade, Russ is now a two-time Emmy winner, and his films for brands like Apple, Google, Infiniti, Kaiser and Gillette have won countless awards, including Titanium, Glass and Film Lions, and several Clios and AICPs.

"Floyd possesses a remarkable ability to tell large-scale narratives as well as the most intimate tales, ultimately he has a storyteller's heart,” added Partizan’s US Managing Director/Executive Producer, Lisa Tauscher.

Russ is signed with Partizan for representation across the US, UK, France and Canada.