Bio

Xander makes great stuff for lucky folks. Xander makes clients happy. Xander makes striking visual storytelling seem easy. Xander makes pals wherever he goes, because he’s a really genuine guy.

Xander dislikes bios. That’s why he asked his pal (me) to write it for him. Xander shouldn’t be afraid to talk about himself though, he’s earned the right. Anyway, here are some more things about Xander.

Xander’s work is a menagerie of different styles, stories, and emotions executed for some of the world’s most well-known brands, including Google, Nike, Yahoo, NFL, Adidas, Clinique, Chevy, Gillette, Asics, MTV, Pizza Hut, Goose Island, Cheerios, and Home Depot. 

You might call Xander a renaissance director, if you are the kind of person who calls people things. His work runs the gamut from docu-style stories featuring real people, to gritty and visceral sports stuff, to high end visual storytelling. You might say the common thread is a commitment to authenticity, if you are also the kind of person who tries to categorize things that boldly defy categorization.

After leaving the MTV world, Xander went to the ad agency world. He was a broadcast producer at JWT NY, working with their highest profile brands. While at JWT, Xander developed an interest in the entire creative process, and was encouraged to direct in-house. He took advantage by helming spots for HSBC, Smirnoff, and Kleenex.

That led to Xander doing his thing at East Pleasant. He cut his teeth, shot film, and built a post-production facility from the ground up. In between directing several campaigns for brands like Royal Caribbean and ESPN, Xander earned 3 Emmy awards for Executive Producing the acclaimed television series ‘NYC Soundtracks.’ Very hands on, very punk rock. Xander went deep.

Xander has spent several years on the roster of acclaimed commercial production company Backyard, honing his ability to capture elusive and indefinable moments of human behavior. To be fair, some of that time has also been spent taking pictures of things and shooting live music. Most recently, cinematography has become a renewed focus for Xander.

Xander hails from Norwalk, CT. He now lives in the comparatively cosmopolitan city of New York with his partner Sarah Roebuck and their dopely named children Axl and Von.

BACKGROUND

In early 2007, coinciding with the same week my first son was born, I left the relative security of advertising agency life, and started a production company. This is some of the early work I did with East Pleasant. The focus was on real people and documentary style storytelling. I've included a couple of case studies, as some of the jobs are really hard to understand by just showing only one of the spots - like shooting of 268 commercials in 14 days for ESPN.

Over time, my aesthetic started to develop. I was still into the "docu" type of look, but the work was advancing into more narrative pieces and an elevated style. There was some crossover during this time, where I was doing more stylized work, and was still doing a lot of Real People work. 

In 2012, again coinciding with the birth of a second child, I decided to join acclaimed production company, Backyard.

Eventually, I started to get more sports related jobs. My 'real people' experience serves me well in this genre, as most of the talent in the performance-based sports genre are just athletes that need as much or more direction than a non-actor would. Fortunately there is a familiarity with being coached, and we can fall into that type of relationship when filming.

There are a few house accounts which I have been doing consistent work for over the last few years. Shaq and GoldBond, Icy Hot and Epson came back 9 years in a row!

My most recent commercial work has primarily become visual based, with a narrative approach.

When’s a better time to expand the repertoire than during a pandemic? I don’t know, but there are probably a few. Regardless, after doing dozens of livestreams over 20’-22’ I can confidently say live shows are a new favorite medium to work with.

CLIENTS

APPEARANCES

PRESS

http://adage.com/article/cmo-strategy/watch-spot-asics-moves-training-category/241330/

http://www.upworthy.com/a-gut-wrenching-psa-shows-a-gay-teens-final-texts-before-saying-goodbye?c=hpstream

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/mythic-bridge-lgbtq-teens_us_58407345e4b017f37fe367c0

http://creativity-online.com/work/mythic-bridge-change-the-script/48752

http://www.thehurlblog.com/director-of-photography-start-your-engines-2/

AWARDS

AICP – PSA Shortlist 2017

NY 2008 Emmy – Outstanding Documentary Series 

NY 2008 Emmy  - Outstanding Arts Series

NY 2008 Emmy – Outstanding Entertainment Series