Bryan Buckley
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Bryan Buckley | |
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Born | Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States | September 3, 1963
Alma mater | Syracuse University[1] |
Occupation(s) | Film director, screenwriter |
Years active | Since 1988[update] |
Spouse | Kiana Madani (m. 2017) Sharon Buckley (1988–2004) |
Bryan Buckley is an American filmmaker, screenwriter, producer, and two-time Academy Award nominated director.[2] His successful career has led to him being dubbed the "King of the Super Bowl".[1]
Buckley's directorial debut came with a series of commercials he created for
He has directed two feature films and four short films. Of his four shorts, Krug (2004) played at
A 2010 Adweek Readers Poll named Buckley the Commercial Director of the Decade; he was also named one of the 50 best creative minds in the last 25 years by Creativity Magazine. In 2022, Buckley won best director from the CLIOs, D&AD and One Show. His direction of the NFL's Super Bowl commercial, Run With It, was recognized with a Sports Emmy in 2023.
Personal life
Bryan Buckley was born on September 3, 1963, in Cambridge, Massachusetts. He spent his first years in Sudbury, a suburb of Boston, before moving in 1970 to live on a farm in Madbury, New Hampshire.
His father, a one-time Army reservist, worked as an art director in a small regional
In his senior year of high school, Buckley was selected for the Short Term Institute at Phillips Andover preparatory school on a full art scholarship. He was then admitted to Syracuse University's design program; he finished his first class in advertising design there in 1985, but never enrolled in a film class during his time in college.[1][4]
In 2017, Buckley married actress Kiana Madani. He has four children.
Early career
After graduating from Syracuse, Buckley began as an entry-level art director at
In 1988, he co-founded his own agency, Buckley/DeCerchio, with his
The agency would go on to sign clients such as Yugo cars and Snapple, for whom they created the famous "Made From the Best Stuff on Earth" slogan. In December 1993, Buckley and DeCerchio made the cover of the New York Times business section.[6] The next day they announced that they had closed the agency.
This is SportsCenter
In 1994, Buckley and his collaborator Frank Todaro were offered the chance to direct a few unscripted, very low-budget promos for ESPN's hockey telecasts. Buckley had never been behind the camera before, and the job was not paid.[5]
Over its 25-year run, the campaign has featured appearances from several sports stars, including Kobe Bryant, Wayne Gretzky, David Ortiz, LeBron James, Mike Tyson, and Michael Phelps. SportsCenter was named the best commercial campaign of the 1990s by The One Club.[4]
Hungry Man Productions
In 1997, Buckley co-founded Hungry Man Productions along with "This is SportsCenter" creator Hank Perlman and long-time producer Steve Orent. The company quickly added several directors to its roster, such as Jim Jenkins, David Shane, Bennett Miller, and Stacy Wall.
Buckley's first major work came in 1999 with his first
Initially, the ad was considered a disappointment, as viewers gave the commercial low marks in the USA Today Ad Meter, a consumer poll of the best and worst Super Bowl ads that has become an industry standard for measuring public reaction to the multi-million dollar project.
However, the Monster.com ad continued to get airplay over the next few days while conversation around other commercials died down, and the job site ended up crashing due to increased user activity. Monster.com reported an increase of 1 million site visits per month for the rest of 1999.[7]
By 2004, the company had won the
Commercial work
Over the course of his career, Buckley has worked on several
As his work has grown in scale, Buckley has collaborated with celebrities such as Larry David, Jennifer Aniston, Conan O'Brien, Ellen DeGeneres, Leslie Mann, Taylor Swift, and The Rock, who starred in Apple's "The Rock x Siri Dominate the Day" commercial, which accumulated over 80 million views.
His work has often garnered publicity, and has at times been described as "anticommercials". His commercial for
In 2011, Buckley directed a series of commercials for New Era apparel. The campaign, titled "Rivalry", had actors John Krasinski and Alec Baldwin engaged in trash talk as fans of their respective teams, the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees. The spots were inducted into the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art.[9]
His 2020 Super Bowl spot for Hyundai, titled "Smaht Pahk", was named on several best of the game lists by Time,[10] Adweek,[11] and Vogue.[12] It was also ranked number two on the USA Today Ad Meter.[13] The spot, which stars John Krasinski, Chris Evans, Rachel Dratch, and David Ortiz features the Massachusetts natives over-enunciating the distinctive vowels of the classic Boston accent as they talked about Hyundai's new Sonata.[14] In 2022, Buckley directed the Toyota Super Bowl spot with Saatchi & Saatchi.[15]
Narrative work
In September 2011, Buckley shot the short film ASAD in South Africa with an all-Somali refugee cast. The story, which Buckley also wrote, follows a young Somali boy's tale of how he deals with the decision to fall into pirate life, or become a fisherman. The film screened at over 50 film festivals worldwide and took top honors at the Tribeca Film Festival, ultimately receiving a nomination for Best Live Action Short Film at the 85th Academy Awards.[16]
Buckley's first feature film, The Bronze, was selected to open the 2015 Sundance Film Festival and received praise in Park City as the "breakout comedy" of the festival.[17] The film features a notorious sex scene, called one of the 15 greatest of all time by InStyle[18] and deemed the "wildest sex scene" by Vulture.[19]
In 2017, Buckley wrote and directed the American drama film
In 2019, Buckley wrote and directed the short film SARIA. The film explores the life of young female orphans at the Virgen de La Asuncion Safe Home in Guatemala, leading up to the fire which claimed 41 of their lives in 2017. The film was received well by critics, and Variety called the film "harrowing, but completely convincing in the way it presents the sexual and psychological abuse they endured... an influential chapter in a story that's still being written."
Rather than using traditional child actors to play the roles of the orphans, Buckley opted to reach out to orphanages throughout Mexico to participate in the film. Ultimately, he established a partnership with Ministerios De Amor Orphanage in Mexico City. None of the girls had ever acted before they participated in the film. They received extensive training from an acting coach who would come to the orphanage daily.
The production team bypassed the traditional festival circuit and
Directing style
This section of a biography of a living person does not include any references or sources. (August 2023) |
His early work has been characterized as anarchic and populist. Defined by a "run and gun" style that often challenged the importance of advertising to begin with. "It ain't feel-good advertising," Buckley acknowledges.
Buckley's work has been primarily comedic. New York Times Magazine wrote "Bryan is an interpreter of American fears. He doesn't make commercials; he writes haiku." He has been celebrated for his casting ability, and in his skill for directing unprofessional actors, whom he often casts for a more raw performance. Bryan's later work has typically involved more prominent celebrity roles, driven by character-driven comedy.
Though his body of work is primarily comedic, Buckley has shifted to a more socially-conscious approach in recent years. His narrative work has been defined by a focus on the oppressed and oppressors, and the need to illuminate otherwise unknown or under-reported injustices.
Awards
In 1999, Buckley won the Best Directing award from the Directors Guild of America, a cumulative award for several commercials he directed that year, including his Super Bowl spot "When I Grow Up" for Monster.com, and work for E*trade.[21]
He has been nominated for three Emmy Awards, and has won over 50 Cannes Lions, most recently the top honors at Cannes in 2019, a Grand Prix for his work on the March for Our Lives "Generation Lockdown" campaign to raise awareness about gun violence prevention.[22] Buckley also took the Titanium Lion and the top honors, a Grand Clio for his Microsoft "Changing the Game" work showcasing Xbox's new adaptive controller, the first ever system designed to be inclusive of handicapped gamers. The same year,[when?] he won 15 gold pencils at the One Show for his work with both the Microsoft and March for Our Lives campaigns.[23]
Buckley's second Academy Award nomination for Short Film within the same decade is the first time a director has managed to return to the category in over 30 years.[3]
Activism
Buckley has been a long-time supporter of activism and philanthropy. In the past, he was worked with organizations like Women's March to create advocacy campaigns at no cost.
In 2019, Buckley directed work for the "Generation Lockdown" campaign on behalf of March for our Lives, an organization dedicated to preventing gun violence in the US. The commercial was created in support of the S.42 Background Check Expansion Act, and was cited by several members of Congress to advocate for stricter gun control.
After the release of his 2019 short SARIA, the film was cited by members of Congress in a 2020 letter to the Secretary of State. Congressmen Adriano Espaillat and Vicente Gonzalez stated the film "amplifies global awareness" of the issue, and demanded justice for the victims and an investigation into the whereabouts of the remaining survivors. Buckley has stayed involved with the pursuit of justice within Guatemala, attending a meeting on Capitol Hill between Stef Arreaga, a prominent activist and Congressmen Espaillat and Gonzalez Jr.[24]
In 2020, Buckley created a team named the Trump Statue Initiative dedicated to mocking Donald Trump and actions taken during his presidency. Buckley noted "Trump is obsessed with statues".
On June 4, 2021, Buckley partnered with ad agency
Super Bowl ads
Buckley's work has consistently aired during the Super Bowl, leading to the New York Times deeming him the "King of the Super Bowl"; Buckley has directed 71 such commercials. His work is often rated at the top of every year's Super Bowl commercial rankings. Super Bowl ads which he has worked on include:
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References
- ^ a b c Liu, Jennifer (2020-01-30). "Director of over 70 Super Bowl commercials: 'Better decisions are made when you have no time—you have to go with your gut'". CNBC. Retrieved 2020-07-06.
- ^ "Bryan Buckley". IMDb. Retrieved 2020-07-06.
- ^ a b "Browser Unsupported - Academy Awards Search | Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences". awardsdatabase.oscars.org. Retrieved 2020-06-19.
- ^ ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-06-19.
- ^ a b Lipin, David (April 10, 2000). "creative profile: King of Comedy". www.adweek.com. Retrieved 2020-06-19.
- ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-06-19.
- ^ Schad, Tom. "Meet Bryan Buckley, the director behind more than 50 Super Bowl commercials". USA Today. Retrieved 2020-06-19.
- ^ "The Genius of E*Trade 'Monkey,' the Most Subversive Super Bowl Ad Ever". www.adweek.com. Retrieved 2020-06-19.
- ^ Fleming, Mike Jr. (2012-06-21). "Top Commercials Helmer Bryan Buckley Returns To Features On 'Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus'". Deadline. Retrieved 2020-06-19.
- ^ "These Are the Best Super Bowl 2020 Commercials Because They're Some of the Best Reasons to Tune in". Time. Retrieved 2020-07-06.
- ^ Griner, David (February 2, 2020). "The 10 Best Super Bowl Ads of 2020". www.adweek.com. Retrieved 2020-07-06.
- ^ Specter, Emma (3 February 2020). "The 10 Best Super Bowl Ads of 2020". Vogue. Retrieved 2020-07-06.
- ^ Schad, Tom. "Jeep, Bill Murray win USA Today's Ad Meter with hilarious 'Groundhog Day' commercial". USA Today. Retrieved 2020-07-06.
- ^ "Watch the full version of Hyundai's Boston-themed Super Bowl ad". www.boston.com. Retrieved 2020-07-06.
- ^ "Nick Jonas Crashes Toyota's Super Bowl Ad Featuring Tommy Lee, Rashida and Leslie Jones".
- ^ "The Oscars 2022 News, Blogs & Articles | 94th Academy Awards". oscar.go.com. Retrieved 2020-06-19.
- ^ "Day One: The Bronze Makes A Raunchy Premiere, John Legend Shines at What Happened, Miss Simone?". www.sundance.org. Sundance Institute. January 23, 2015. Retrieved 2020-06-19.
- ^ "The 15 Best Movie Sex Scenes of All Time". InStyle. Retrieved 2021-04-14.
- ^ "Melissa Rauch and Sebastian Stan Explain Their Insane Sex Scene in The Bronze". Vulture. 16 March 2016. Retrieved 2021-04-14.
- ^ "'The Pirates of Somalia': Film Review". The Hollywood Reporter. 8 December 2017. Retrieved 2020-06-19.
- ^ "Awards / History / 1999". www.dga.org. Retrieved 2020-06-19.
- ^ "Saria, Director Bryan Buckley | Film School Radio hosted by Mike Kaspar". 27 January 2020. Retrieved 2020-06-19.
- ^ "The One Club / The One Show - Archive of Award Winners". www.oneclub.org. Retrieved 2020-06-19.
- ^ ""Saria" Filmmaker Bryan Buckley Teams With Congressmen To Push For Justice In Guatemala". SHOOTonline. Retrieved 2020-06-19.
- ^ "Gun activists tricked into speaking at fake Las Vegas high school graduation". news3lv.com. 23 June 2021. Retrieved 2022-02-16.
- ^ "Transcript: The Rachel Maddow Show, 6/23/21". MSNBC.com. 24 June 2021. Retrieved 2022-02-16.
- ^ Hungryman.com
External links
- Bryan Buckley at IMDb