On the heels of director Daniel Brown helming Wendy’s amusing, first-ever Super Bowl spot "Cold Storage", production company UNHEARD/OF has officially staked its banner in both Atlanta and Seattle.
Formed in partnership with Alan Nay and his renowned post-production outfit, World Famous, UNHEARD/OF launches with a focus on live action carrying a growing roster of emerging and established directing talent. “Our live action content conveys a sense of artistic style and design that stands out among others,” says UNHEARD/OF Co-Founder/Executive Producer Matt Ackerman. “So it helps to have a range of directors that can take on a broad scope of creative work for brands and agencies while growing their own portfolios.”
UNHEARD/OF’s flagship directorial roster consists of several commercial and film festival notables including Minneapolis native and editor-turned-director/DoP Matthew J. Clark, short film and commercial comedy director Jacqueline Dow, Effie and Cannes Lion-winning filmmaker Joe Vanhoutteghem, LA-based Jonny Zeller and the aforementioned Daniel Brown, who’s brought his storytelling savvy to a wide array of projects from music videos for the likes of Odesza to spots for Beats by Dre, Microsoft, CitiBank, AT&T, Fox, Sundance and of course, Wendy’s.
The Super Bowl spot serves as as a memorable, high-profile launch pad for a production company establishing itself outside the traditional New York and Los Angeles markets. According to Ackerman, though, launching operations in cities like Atlanta provide plenty of advantages for a company like UNHEARD/OF, from the shoot days that just recently surpassed New York’s to rich tax credits and affordable cost of living. “There is just as much opportunity in mid level markets like Seattle and Atlanta,” he notes. “There is a philosophy amongst agencies and clients that big budget projects and great directors only come from the LA area. Not true. Great directors are everywhere and the business is what it is no matter where you are based.”
With plans to build out his company’s talent roster to over 10 directors, expand its client base – which currently includes Wendy’s and T-Mobile – on a global scale, tap into features, TV series, VR films, and utilize partner World Famous as a design and post-production resource, Ackerman says growth is a big part of the plan for UNHEARD/OF, which aims to establish mutually beneficial working relationships with agencies and brands. “The motivation for starting UNHEARD/OF was to work with agencies and clients alike to help design and create motion content for their brands,” he says. “They need us and we need them. As long as we continue to do the quality work that we have been doing, the world is our oyster.”