Grasso, Marsden Get Passports Stamped

Directors Michael Grasso and Joel Marsden Sign with Passport Films
 

Director Michael Grasso.

Passport Films, based in Santa Monica and headed by Owners/Executive Producers Patti and David Coulter, has added Michael Grasso and Joel Marsden to its roster of directors.
 
Grasso has a depth of experience in advertising, marketing and film production, including having owned or co-owned production companies and an advertising agency, as well as producing advertising and promotional campaigns for the ABC TV network. His work has won numerous numerous awards, including a Gold Lion from the Cannes International Advertising Festival. Grasso is a two-time Director's Guild of America nominee for Director of the Year award in the commercials category. He's directed spots in China, Italy, France, Germany, England, South Africa, Australia and Argentina.
 
Grasso's expertise, according to Patti Coulter, is capturing the real moments in storytelling, whether it's real people, testimonial or lifestyle spots. Among many others, Grasso has directed work for such clients as Nestle, IBM, American Airlines, Delta Airlines, Southwest Airlines, USPS, Pillsbury, JC Penney, , Mazda, Walt Disney, McDonald's, , Anheuser Busch, Coors, Miller Brewing Co., American Express, Visa, Kellogg's, Bank of America, Ford, Chevrolet, Chrysler, Lexus, Toyota, HBO, Honda, Sears and Merck.
 
His most recent project is an original, full-length feature film titled "The Umbrella Man." Last year he and his brother, Director of Photography Joe Grasso, adapted the screenplay for the stage. The feature film version is scheduled to begin shooting this spring.

Director Joel Marsden.

Marsden specializes in directing live action as well as  animation and multi-media (including GCI, 2D and stop motion) projects. His campaign for the 400th anniversary of Don Quixote earned the Best Animation Awardfrom the Association of Advertising Production Companies in Spain. His clients include McCann Erickson, TBWA, Publicis, Tapsa and Grey Advertising, among many others.
 
In long form projects, working as a writer/producer/director, Marsden's feature film documentary, "World Vote Now," explores and examines the possibility of global democracy. Marsden traveled the world to engage people into asking themselves if a world vote is possible. It was shot over eight years in 26 countries and won the Democracy Video Challenge 2010, which was a global competition sponsored by the US State Department, YouTube, NBC Universal, the Motion Picture Association of America, NYU and USC, among others. The films submitted for the competition have been has been showcased at film festivals and events worldwide, including the Amnesty International Human Rights Art Festival, the Klimaforum in Copenhagen, the Director's Guild in Los Angeles, inside the European Parliament in Brussels and at the UN headquarters in New York.
 
Marsden, who considers himself a global citizen, was born in New York, grew up in Switzerland and has lived in Los Angeles, Hong Kong and Madrid. He recently moved back to Los Angeles. He speaks fluent English, Spanish, German and French.

Published 8 February, 2011