Director Doug Walker Signs With Locksmith Content

 

 

Locksmith Content, the content creation and production studio based here, has signed Doug Walker to direct and create commercials and film. The announcement was made by Benjamin Blank and Stephen McDonald, founders and partners of Locksmith Content (www.locksmithcontent.com). Walker joins the company as it embarks on an ambitious expansion of its talent roster and the opening of an office in San Francisco.

 

Previously represented by Mirror Films, Walker had been working as an editor for 19 years and has accumulated several Clios and a Cannes Lion before jumping into the director’s chair. Since then he has directed memorable spots for brands such as Nike, U.S. Cellular, Audi, NCAA and Adidas. His documentary short “Rhag,” about painter and experimental composer Roy Henry Alexander Gover, was chosen for the Special Screenings program at the 2011 Slamdance Film Festival in Park City, Utah. His most recent documentary “Lost & Found,” a search for legendary surfers of the past triggered by Walker’s discovery of 30,000 black and white negatives at a swap meet, recently won best story at X-Dance 2012. The film also premiered in California to great acclaim at San Francisco’s Ocean Film Festival and will screen at the Newport Beach Film Festival in April.

 

“For a long time, Doug has been one of the most in demand commercial editors in the country, and is now an accomplished documentary director,” said McDonald. “His commercial work maintains the level of honesty of his short films and documentaries. And his editorial chops influence his directing decisions. He’s sat down with the best commercial directors and creative minds in the industry. You can only benefit from that. We’re lucky to have him working with us.”

 

“I’m really excited about working with Locksmith,” said Walker. “When I met Steve and Ben I realized we are all creatively on the same page, but at the same time we all bring something different to the table. I feel privileged to be here. I’m looking forward to getting to work.”

 

Walker specializes in a character-based, documentary-style approach to content, with few fixed shots or dolly movements. His camerawork is fluid and intimate, focusing on people and action and stunning natural images, telling real stories in an unvarnished, unfiltered way. 

 

“Doug is a hybrid, resourceful talent who fits right into the Locksmith family,” said Blank. “Needs are changing, and we are making sure we have the skill-sets to deal with the evolving marketplace. As a production company we are no longer just looking at one piece of media. We are creating for multiple outlets.”

 

Walker joins Locksmith as the company begins to ramp up its content production services, signing new talent and expanding its reach. Since it’s founding in 2006, Locksmith has become one of the West Coast’s premier content producers. This year the company plans to open a San Francisco office that will be managed by Vince Genovese, partner and producer.