Tool of North America Blog

 
Campbell-Ewald Detroit & Director Sean Ehringer bring to life the importance of fatherhood in this comedic spot that features The “Today” Show’s Matt Lauer hiding from his daughter in unusual places. Lauer sneaks around his house, finding new hiding places along the way, until his daughter shouts, “Ready or not here I come!”
 
Read more about the commercial as featured on Huffington Post, Creativity, Today Show, Adweek & Adweek Top 10 of the Week.

 
Director Alma’s Har’el’s feature-length film “Love True” was picked out of 2,000 applicants, from filmmakers based in upwards of 100 countries, among the 22 recipients from Cinereach.
 
The film takes a look into the opposing realities of the “True Love” fantasy and an inquiry into whether our view of love changes as we grow older. Through sessions of Psychodrama and Improvisation three couples explore their hopes, memories and love lives.
 
Check out the official press release and read more coverage on Filmmaker for more info.

 
Shots reviews 2012 in an interview with Managing Director Brian Latt and looks at what to expect in the year ahead for both Tool and the advertising industry. Read the Shots article for the full scoop.

Award-winning director, Marcus Nispel, has signed with Tool of North America.
 
Nispel cites Tool’s physical production and post-production capabilities as a primary motivation for the move. “Tool goes beyond just representing directors,” Nispel said. “Big jobs don’t always come with big budgets anymore. To maximize a client’s budget this kind of infrastructure is needed.”
 

Photo by Lisa Tanner

 
For Nispel, joining Tool is a natural partnership of similar personalities, experiences and visions. “Tool shares my vision that advertising, as we know it, will transform into branded content, where all these disciplines will ultimately come together. We’re not just talking about small stunts on YouTube, but significant platforms like “American Idol,” “Transformers,” even MTV. That requires expertise in long-form, and conceptual acumen. It takes incredible production muscle to create entertainment that, on its own, is as captivating as the actual product that it is advertising.”
 
Tool Executive Producer, Oliver Fuselier, added, “I’m really excited to work with Marcus again. He’s an incredible talent who’s directed some of the most engaging spots and music videos of all time.”
 
Nispel shares a background as an advertising creative with Tool founder, Erich Joiner, and several other Tool directors. “Having served at agencies ourselves—concepting ideas and being immersed in agency culture—gives us all a great understanding of the advertising process and what’s expected.” Some of Nispel’s most recognized and awarded work has come from projects where he was brought directly into the creative process to collaborate with the creative team.
 
On his parting ways with MJZ after more than a decade, Nispel said, “My working relationship with MJZ has simply transformed, and David Zander and I remain great friends.  I’m currently directing a feature film with MJZ and David Zander producing.”
 
Over the course of his career, Marcus Nispel has directed over 250 music videos, worked with nearly every agency and advertiser on about 2000 commercials, and shot features for the USA Network, New Line, Warner, Lionsgate, and 20^th Century Fox. Now, Nispel seeks to combine his formidable background in advertising and feature films to push advertising into the future with his new partner, Tool of North America.
 
Nispel is already in development on numerous branded long-form projects slated to go into production early next year.

 
James Cooper was recently interviewed by Rob Ford, FWA Founder, about his past accomplishments as an agency side interactive creative director and his new role at Tool as an Interactive Director. Read the full interview featuring Cooper on The FWA.
 

 
Please join Tool & Hustle this Thursday night to support the victims of Hurricane Sandy and a local business that was also impacted. Donations will be going to Rockaway Renegades as well as to the Staten Island relief effort.
 
Hustle will match all donations made the night of the event. The Open Bar will be sponsored by Tool.

 
Moving in directly next to Tool’s main office at 2210 Broadway, check out the above time-lapse video of the new Tool digital offices in the process of construction.
 
Also, keep up to date with Tool’s latest digital projects.

 
Eleven SF, along with Co-Directors Erich Joiner & Ben Tricklebank, created an interactive website that catapults viewers directly aboard a Virgin America flight for a firsthand, but surreal, cinematic tour of the “Virgin America experience,” featuring a baseball game, movie, and a Shiny Toy Guns concert. Tool handled the live action, post (with help from our friends at The Mission) and interactive production.
 
Part 2 of the conference:
 

“Becoming” (from the producers of Half Nelson, Blue Valentine, The Place Beyond the Pines), is an interview series that reveals what successful musicians, actors, athletes, and chefs, did to become leaders in their respective industries.

 

 
Watch the second part of the interview with Wale on Youtube.
 
Read more about the 24-episode web series on Deadline.

Matt Ogens directed two short films as part of the 2012 Stand Up 2 Cancer Show. In one film, Ogens documents the story of David Gobin, a retired Baltimore cop with Lung Cancer. And, in the second film, Ogens takes us into the world of Hillary Kind, a young woman from Detroit with Melanoma.
 
Stand Up 2 Cancer will air Friday, September 7th, 8pm on both coasts, or 7pm central. It will also feature performances by Taylor Swift, Coldplay, Alicia Keys, and Tim McGraw. It will be broadcast on all networks – ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC, E!, HBO, Showtime, VH1, and more.
 
For more information about the show, or to donate, visit the Stand Up 2 Cancer website.
 
All donations go directly into the hands of doctors and scientists on the front lines in the fight against Cancer.