BRW USA Adds Director Rob Groenwold
BRW USA, Los Angeles, has signed director Rob Groenwold for U.S. commercial representation. Groenwold comes to BRW from Skunk. Through thoughtful, story-driven work for top brands including Travelocity, LG, Jeep and Lexus, he has demonstrated an innate talent for visual storytelling and humor, as well as a thorough understanding of visual effects. The maturity and craftsmanship of this work have earned him numerous accolades including a 2011 AICP Award in Cinematography for his work on the Volkswagen “Origin” spot out of AKQA. Most recently, Groenwold directed content for the “DeThroned” Facebook game for the highly popular HBO series “Game of Thrones.” The online game allows users to find out who their friends really are with a first-person POV experience as they ponder which of their friends they wish to betray.
Says BRW USA EP/Partner Gianfilippo Pedrotti, “We are very excited to welcome Rob to our family. His body of work exemplifies BRW USA’s creative direction and renewed approach to the director’s roster. Rob brings a mix of sophisticated automotive work and humorous performance all connected by a clear stylistic signature. We can’t wait to get going.” Adds Groenwold, “It’s been really impressive to see how far BRW USA has come since opening their doors. I think their current body of work and roster will be a perfect fit for my directorial sensibilities.”
Groenwold was born in Portland, Oregon and spent part of his youth in Switzerland. He moved to Los Angeles and briefly studied industrial design at Art Center in Pasadena before moving on to film school at Loyola Marymount University.
Groenwold first cut his filmmaking teeth in post production, starting his career in the post division of Palomar Pictures. He became an in-house editor at Boxer Films in 2003 where he cut spots for Ford, Mercedes Benz and San Miguel to name a few. He later launched his directing career there in 2006. While there he refined his broad visual aesthetics on a variety of campaigns, ranging from sleek auto spots driven by subtle storytelling to character-driven comedy work. He moved on to Skunk in 2011, sinking his teeth into the digital space with unique social media content for HBO’s hit series “Game of Thrones.”
