Disorderly Conduct Signs Director Jesse Moss

National production company Disorderly Conduct has signed Director Jesse Moss, whose critically-acclaimed documentary The Overnighters is distributed by Drafthouse Films and commences its nationwide theatrical run in October of this year. At Disorderly Conduct, Moss joins a Director roster that includes Brett Foraker, Daniel Levy, Jan Wentz, Luis Gerard, Eric Stoltz and Francesco Calabrese. 

Named as one of the “Top 10 Stand-Out Talents at Sundance” in 2014, Jesse Moss has shot, directed, and produced an extraordinary range of award-winning documentaries, including Con Man, Speedo: A Demolition Love Story, Full Battle Rattle, and The Overnighters. 

“I’m drawn to unique, complicated and often conflicted characters ” comments Moss. “Digging beneath the surface, their stories reveal emotional, surprising, funny and universally resonant truths about American life.” He adds: “My work reflects an equal concern for the structure of dramatic storytelling and the surprise of the spontaneous moments and unexpected possibilities that define unscripted filmmaking.”

The Overnighters has been hailed as a modern-day “Grapes of Wrath,” and is an intimate portrait of job seekers desperately chasing the broken American Dream to the tiny oil boomtown of Williston, North Dakota. With the town lacking the infrastructure to house the overflow of migrants, a local pastor starts the controversial “overnighters” program, allowing down-and-out workers a place to sleep at the church. His well-meaning project immediately runs into resistance with his community, forcing the clergyman to make a decision, which leads to profound consequences that he never imagined. 

The Overnighters has screened at festivals around the country, including Sundance (Winner: Special Jury Prize), Full Frame (Winner: Inspiration Award), San Francisco International Film Festival (Winner: Golden Gate Award for Best Documentary), Tribeca, Hot Docs and more. It was following Sundance that Disorderly Conduct EP Ron Cicero first began speaking with Moss about expanding into advertising projects. 

“Jesse has an instinctive ability to find and connect with people whose stories translate magnificently on screen,” explains Cicero. “He’s a thoughtful storyteller who is adept at bridging the narrative and the core brand idea and creating content that people relate to in a very honest and compelling way.”

Moss says he is excited to make his foray into branded work via Disorderly Conduct, with its highly curated roster and connections to both the advertising and feature film worlds. 

Disorderly Conduct was founded in 2013 by Kate Cohen, Marisa Polvino and Ron Cicero, and is sister company to film development and production company Straight Up Films. Supporting a roster of prominent directing talent, Disorderly Conduct collaborates with leading advertising agencies and entertainment brands to create commercial content for play on mobile screens to movie screens and everything in between. 

In June, Disorderly Conduct’s Integrated Campaign created by Hill Holliday and directed by Eric Stoltz (Glee, Nashville, Believe), for non-profit The Partnership for Drug-Free Kids, was honored with a Gold Lion and a Bronze Clio. The company’s directors have also shot commercials for Dunkin Donuts, Jeep, MTN, Audi, Ford and Nike. Sister Company Straight Up Films develops and produces feature films including Transcendence, Jane Got A Gun, The Door In The Floor, Away From Here, and I’ll Sleep When I’m Dead. 

“We recognize advertising content is evolving from interruption to strategic entertainment,” says Disorderly Conduct Co-CEO, Kate Cohen. "Great advertising is producing water cooler moments through social media, television, and online video networks.” 

Marisa Polvino, Co-CEO of Disorderly Conduct, adds, “Our goal is to produce inspiring content that not only excites our Directors but helps our agency and client partners create huge opportunities to really engage audiences.”