Hey Wonderful welcomes comedy director Brad Lubin
Bicoastal/international indie production company Hey Wonderful, honoured most recently for its work by Tribeca X and One Show, welcomes acclaimed comedy director Brad Lubin for commercials in North America.
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Born in D.C. and based in Los Angeles, Brad Lubin has spent the first few years of his directorial career focused on projects out of London’s creatively charged advertising hub, with a standout comedy reel to show for it.
He earned two British Arrow nominations this year for House Simple Neighbors, a hilarious take on the near unbelievable efficiency of the on-line estate agency, and a British Arrow nomination for Burger King Act of History, generating laughs for its sharp juxtaposition of a regular Joe taste testing BK’s new chicken burger with restaurant employees who hang dramatically on his every bite.
“Brad is the gift that keeps on giving,” comments Michael Di Girolamo, Founder/Managing Partner at Hey Wonderful. “I can watch his reel on repeat and still get the same belly laughs I did the first time I saw it, and that to me counts for something. Honestly, the last time I laughed that hard and was this excited about a comedy director was when I first saw Harold Einstein’s FedEx spot in 2008 which if you do the math worked out pretty well for us.”
Lubin’s style is characterised by meticulous casting of relatable characters and irreverent situational comedy, as seen in his Living Nutz commercial, Nut Allergy. The spot delivers side-splitting laughs with clever portraits of people professing their love for the gourmet nuts despite suffering allergic reactions that border on physical deformity.
“Brad’s humor really captures a moment and drills down to a simple truth—his situations are familiar, but his take feels very fresh,” says Sarah McMurray, Hey Wonderful Partner/Executive Producer. “We knew from the moment we watched Nutz, he was the one to bring funny back.”
“As an American, the timing is right to really go for it here in the states with Hey Wonderful,” Lubin says. “I was drawn to the people, culture and pedigree of the company. Hey Wonderful has an incredibly strong team. Michael, Sarah and Earl are not only exceptionally talented and experienced, they’re good people. They’ve partnered with reps at the top of their game. They’re the perfect team for me to work with as I make my foray into the U.S. market.”
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Lubin admits he caught the comedy bug as a child when his grandmother would let him stay up late to watch Live at the Apollo. Def Comedy Jam and SNL are among his other early influences. “Growing up, my world revolved around stand up, Mel Brooks, The Zucker brothers and the Farrelly brothers,” he relates. It was no accident that his first job out of film school was working for Peter and Bobby Farrelly. And today, going to the Comedy Store and the Laugh Factory to check out their gamut of talented comedians is a regular part of his repertoire. That culture has influenced his own storytelling.
“Comedy’s in my DNA,” he says. “I look for scripts that make me laugh or have the potential to make me laugh, and I want to work with collaborative creative teams who are all about making the funniest and most memorable work possible. I treat every spot like a mini-comedy film.”
Lubin has been honoured with nominations for the D&AD Next Director Award and a Cannes YDA. And he was selected for the SHOOT Online New Directors Showcase in 2016.
