1stAveMachine Signs Narrative-driven Director Morgan Harary

1stAveMachine has added art director-turned-director Morgan Harary to its roster.

Bringing technical proficiency in visual design and a passion for cinematic narrative, Harary fits perfectly within the story-driven construct of 1stAve, where he previously established a working relationship as an art director on projects including the Squarespace 'Build it Beautiful' campaign and the E! So Cosmo promo. According to Harary, “Film is about putting a lot of people together who could never make it themselves, so we make things together. It’s a comfortable environment and I enjoy collaborating with such a diverse group of creatives and producers."

Leveraging his background in design, VFX and photography, which he honed for several years as an art director, Harary has already displayed his directing prowess and flair for the cinematic in spots for YouTube, Samsung and the captivating 'Southern Seas' campaign for classic shoe brand Sperry that was shot off the exotic and challenging coast of Chile. According to Harary, the Sperry production was especially meaningful. “Shooting with a run and gun crew for Sperry and creating something really special was a career highlight,” Harary fondly recalls. “It was an amazing experience travelling through Patagonia for six days on a boat with a handful of people who embraced the adventure and the challenges while always focusing on telling a great story.”

Now as an official part of 1stAveMachine directing roster, Harary hopes to have the freedom to fully explore his love of cinema and storytelling. Harary believes that there is exciting uncharted territory in mixed-media filmmaking. Understanding that much has been accomplished in live action and separately in CG, he asserts that it is the alchemy of these two mediums where new cinematic opportunities are yet to be discovered.

“I would never want to leave my behind my CG roots but these last years of telling stories through live action and CG have been the best. Maintaining a vision from the beginning and carrying it through every aspect of post feels right to me. Its one of the things I appreciate about 1stAve the most, the proficiency in both production and post makes it the perfect environment for me as an artist,” adds Harary, who is currently hard at work on a State Farm campaign among other efforts. “The aspect of directing I love most is building the best team for each individual film and then working closely with the team to make even better work than you could on your own. ”

According to 1stAve Partner/Executive Producer Sam Penfield, Harary’s transition from art directing to the director’s chair happened rather naturally and has been gratifying to watch as their working relationship continues to develop. “Morgan is a total natural for today’s marketplace. Besides being an incredibly talented filmmaker, he is also humble, hard-working and most of all, collaborative. And the marketplace loves him as much as we do at 1stAve. He has directed 3 projects this month alone for Townhouse Worldwide, DDB and 72andSunny. The potential is pretty amazing as Morgan works seamlessly across TVCs, Experiential and Content. Definitely a talent to watch out for.”