PRISM Grows With Comedy Director Nick Spooner

PRISM, the Brooklyn-based production company and content studio founded by Executive Producer Tom Rossano and director Elliot Kealoha Blanchard, adds the versatile Nick Spooner to the team.

Nick Spooner is known as a hard-working director with a distinctly cinematic aesthetic, a keen eye for talent, and a natural comedic voice. He cut his teeth in the industry right after high school, working on the crew side making commercials and rock videos, gaining first-hand experience in virtually every department on set. The Boston native took this practical knowledge and enrolled at Harvard to major in film and animation, where he joined the storied organization, The Harvard Lampoon.

Starting as a staff cartoonist (he draws his own storyboards to this day) he eventually become The Lampoon’s President. After graduating with honors, he took a creative position at Ogilvy & Mather where he was trained in the art and craft of effective television advertising and brand-building.  Spooner transitioned to a job at Comedy Central in NYC where his combined expertise in comedy and branded content allowed him to take on leadership roles as writer, producer, and director on many of the network’s formative campaigns.

Spooner has since directed commercials for many of the world’s most recognizable brands, including AT&T, Ford, Ikea, Tide, Budweiser, Volkswagen, Bounty, Nissan, Apple, Mazda, Dodge, Yoplait, Burger King, McDonald’s, and HBO. He balances advertising work with his own creative passions; his cartoons frequently show up in magazines, and his short film, a Lovecraftian, SFX-driven dark comedy titled The Call of Charlie has played in 82 festivals around the world, winning over 40 awards and distinctions.

While comedy is his first love, Nick has had the good fortune to work across all genres, saying, “Comedy – especially in commercials – can be hard to get right, but it’s the perfect foundation to take on almost any type of content. There’s nothing I love more than telling these short stories, whatever form they take.”

He sees PRISM as the ideal next step in his career, citing Executive Producer Tom Rossano as a major reason for signing. “Tom has a clear vision as to address the current climate of our business and where it’s headed. A lot of people are trying to figure out the market, but Tom has the ideas, experience and reputation to actually make it work,” says Nick.

For his part, Rossano had been gunning for Nick, saying, “Not only does Nick have a strong foundation in writing, but he creates his own opportunities. You want directors to be self-starters, and Nick is someone who actively seeks out new collaborations. On top of that, his work stands out—it’s quirky, it’s funny, it’s subtle. And that’s a rare combination.”  By combining visionary artistry and cutting-edge technology, PRISM offers its clients the ability to tell stories across disciplines, stretching from traditional commercial and branded content, to emerging technologies such as VR, as well as interactive live experiences and installations.