Director/DP James Mann joins Contagious for spots and longform branded content
Mann has a knack for combining documentary storytelling, high-end visual imagery and food.
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Director/DP James Mann has joined Contagious for exclusive US spot and branded longform representation.
He has helmed award-winning branded documentary work for Whole Foods, McDonald’s, LL Bean and more. From broadcast spots for restaurant chains like Jersey Mike’s to digital series for automotive clients such as Infiniti and Hyundai, Mann has a knack for combining documentary storytelling, high-end visual imagery and food. His 6-part PBS TV series Broken Bread, currently streaming on Hulu, goes further, following celebrity chef Roy Choi on a social justice journey through the landscape of food.
“We get approached more and more often by creatives looking for partners like James who can tell stories over time and across many assets,” said Contagious Executive Producer Natalie Sakai. “The fact that James is a Director/DP keeps us nimble as well, with a faster production turnaround that really plays into the requirements of today's marketplace, from broadcast to digital campaigns.”
“I really enjoy helping brands express their soulfulness and connect with an audience in a meaningful way,” Mann acknowledged, stating that at Contagious, he is poised to move into the commercial space a little more vigorously. “I was really taken by Natalie’s approach to building directors and understanding the marketplace. When I saw the UPS work Contagious produced (directed by roster-mate Daniele Anastasion), I thought, ‘They get it.’ It made me want to be a part of the company.”
Following his directorial debut, Desert Son, and some critical recognition (2012 Webby Honoree, inclusion in SHOOT’s 2013 New Directors Showcase), Mann’s foray into filmmaking for a friend’s fledgling food blog quickly got serious; before long, he was creating recipe films and other food content for a variety of bloggers, restaurants, app-based recipe startups, organic grocery stores and major global corporations. Mann won 2015 Telly Awards for projects with Whole Foods and McDonald’s, before joining forces with the cross-platform food and travel network Tastemade, where his documentary sensibilities and passion for food eventfully collided resulting in a storm of branded content and original series, including the 2016 Telly and Addy Award-winning Grill Iron for Hyundai, the 2017 James Beard Foundation Award-winning Uncharted for LL Bean and this year’s Broken Bread.
“After Broken Bread - which ended up really impacting the lives of the people who were featured and also those who watched it - it was important to me to find ways to continue making work that has the power to transform lives in some way,” Mann reflected. “If I can touch people’s hearts or get them to think a little differently or care a little more, that’s a successful project to me now.”
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