Welcome…. SHOOT’s 21st Annual New Directors Showcase offers a total of 35 directors – 31 individuals and 2 directing duos. Seventeen of the Showcase directors are women and two are nonbinary. Seventeen of the directors are unaffiliated with a production company. 

The NDS Class of 2023 includes directors from varied backgrounds such as editing, production design, photography, acting, writing, live theater and serving in advertising agency capacities. The Showcase directors’ body of work spans commercials, PSAs, branded content, short films, a music video, a docuseries, documentary shorts and a feature film. 

Ad agency pedigree
On the agency score, director Sergii Shevtsov, who recently signed with production company Institute for U.S. representation and is handled in Canada by Radke, was raised in Ukraine and is now based in North America. Over the course of Shevtsov’s agency career, working his way up from copywriter to creative director, he honed his storytelling instincts.  Another example of a Showcase director with an agency pedigree is Cameron Carr who’s currently unaffiliated with a production company. He continues to work at Wieden+Kennedy NY in commercialmaking and on the account side. 

DNA
This year’s Showcase includes three directors with notable directorial DNA: Ben Brady of production house True Gentleman whose dad is comedy director Jordan Brady; Eli Snyder of Believe Media, son of feature filmmaker Zack Snyder; and Merawi Gerima of Serial Pictures. Gerima’s father is legendary Ethiopian filmmaker Haile Gerima, who influenced LA’s Rebellions film movement, and his mother is Shirikiana Aina, an American film director, DP, producer, and writer.

Unaffiliated 
Seventeen of this year’s Showcase directors are unaffiliated with a production company.  In addition to the aforementioned Carr, the unaffiliated crop of up-and-coming filmmaking talent consists of: Calvin Callins, Jr., Jacqueline Christy, MG Evangelista, Stacy Pascal Gaspard, Jennifer Greco, Daniel Kreizberg, The Kummerl Twins, Jessica Makinson. Anthony Marinelli, David Nixon, Jr., Alex Ramsey,  Danielle Shapira (whose agent is The Directors Network), Megan Stowe, Sophie Tabet  and Boson Wang. 

Company ties
Eighteen Showcase directors (16 individuals and a duo) have production company affiliations. Besides Brady, Gerima, Shevtsov and Snyder mentioned above, Showcase filmmakers affiliated with production houses are:  Mia Barnes of RadicalMedia, Elda Broglio of 1stAveMachine Buenos Aires,  McKenzie Chinn of Tessa Films, Leslie Cunningham of Diagonal Media, Daisy Ifama of Tinygiant,  Luke Jaden of ONE at Optimus, Somayeh Jafari of Magnetic Field, Justice Jamal Jones of Valiant Pictures, Nathalie Lamb of Emerald Pictures, Chelsea Odufu of Chromista TV, C.T. Robert of Partizan, Anthony Jamari Thomas of Scheme Engine and  Julien & Justen Turner of Invisible Collective. 

Reel value
Annual highlights for us include conducting the the SHOOT New Directors Search, compiling the SHOOT New Directors Showcase Reel and producing the New Directors Showcase Event. After the Reel debuts at the Event, the Reel is posted on this NDS website as a means of continued exposure for the directors in the Showcase. 

The NDS Reel is a force for connecting as agencies seek new collaborators, and production companies reach out to directors who can enhance their rosters. The Reel also is a platform for new voices to be heard as diverse storytelling perspectives are more valuable and relevant than ever in helping to better society through fostering more empathy and deeper understanding of others, including those often underrepresented in the media landscape.

SHOOT was pleased to debut this year’s reel to a live industry audience at the SHOOT 21st Annual New Directors Showcase Event at the DGA on October 26, 2023.

You can now view the Reel online. A special Thank You goes to charlieuniformtango for once again compiling the SHOOT New Directors Showcase Reel.  We hope you enjoy the Reel, spread the word to your colleagues and friends to check out the work and take a look at each director’s profile page. Helping to enable new voices to be heard is most gratifying for us at SHOOT. We wish all the NDS filmmakers a long and successful career, and we are excited to play some small part in bringing them to your attention.

You can now view the Reel online. A special Thank You goes to charlieuniformtango for once again compiling the SHOOT New Directors Showcase Reel.  We hope you enjoy the Reel, spread the word to your colleagues and friends to check out the work and take a look at each director’s profile page. Helping to enable new voices to be heard is most gratifying for us at SHOOT. We wish all the NDS filmmakers a long and successful career, and we are excited to play some small part in bringing them to your attention.