Director Johan T. Anderson Signs with More Media

Director Johan T. Anderson has signed with production boutique More Media. While this his first official signing to a production company, Anderson is already well-known throughout the New York City advertising world for his creative work as a former agency art director and in-house director.

Born in Fargo, North Dakota, filmmaking has always been the goal for Anderson, and it’s a journey that has taken him coast to coast. After earning a BFA in Film Directing at Emerson College, Anderson interned at Partizan in LA, which first inspired him to get into commercials and branded content.

A move to NYC brought Anderson into the agency world, first as an art director at mcgarrybowen where he worked on Verizon Wireless. From there, he transitioned to Brooklyn agency Big Spaceship, where he launched the in-house content production department. For several years Anderson conceptualized and directed campaigns for various clients including Samsung Mobile, Starbucks, Google, Hasbro, Converse, YouTube, Dannon, and more, before departing in 2018 to work as a freelance director.

Known for his keen aesthetic, understanding of character, and fresh production design, Anderson’s films have screened around the world, including the Cannes Film Festival. Adding to his arsenal, Anderson’s agency experience has provided him with invaluable understanding of how to collaborate with the client as a brand film director.

“My background has given me the insider’s view of how passionate the creative, strategy, production and account teams really are,” explains Anderson. “As a director, I’m there to bring to life something the teams could have been working on for months or even years. It’s extremely important to respect that and keep that in mind when making a project.”

That creative consideration and perspective has helped Anderson arrive at where he is today, along with a deep understanding of the nuances of filmmaking. He embraces motion and lyricism not only with camerawork, but also with his blocking and movement direction. These attributes have earned Anderson’s work a number of accolades, including Webbys, Drums, Shortys, and Hatch Awards.

To date, Anderson’s favorite project is a piece he directed for the International Rescue Committee, a cause he cares deeply about. “I feel so grateful to be able to remind the audience through film, that some of the most influential people in history were refugees,” says Anderson. “I loved the simplicity and beauty of the cinematography and it was such a pleasure directing all of the different actors.”

Always humble, Anderson shares a similar approach to production as More Media, led by CEO/Executive Producer Stephen Buchanan and Executive Producer Blaize Stephens, making the signing a wonderful fit of personality and talent.

“More Media has long had my attention as a company,” says Anderson. “Stephen and Blaize have always collaborated with high caliber directors, and I am honored to join the ranks alongside them. We are teaming up to really push to create projects that are most true to my voice and style. I’m confident excellent work is bound to come from that.”