The Joneses, with offices in Santa Monica and New York, has signed the young Norwegian comedy director Sten Hellevig, who directs under the name Sten, for exclusive representation in the United States. It marks the first time that Sten has been available for work in the U.S. He has generated considerable notice in Europe for a pair of outrageous spots for the phone company Djuice featuring ski jumper Matti Nykänen, famous for his heavy use of alcohol, and Tanya Hansen, Scandinavia’s most famous porn star.
“I’m always looking for young directors who are innovative, and risk taking and possess an unique point of view,” said Mel Gragido, executive producer of The Joneses. “Sten fills the bill then some.”
Sten was introduced to The Joneses via Hans Petter Moland, principal of The Moland Film Company, which represents him in Norway. (Moland is also represented by The Joneses in the United States.) “I was flattered that Mel liked my work and recognized my personal style,” Sten said. “He understood what I want to do in my work.”
Sten signed his first directing contract with the Moland Film Company (Oslo and Copenhagen) in 2004 shortly after graduating from Westerdals School of Communication in Oslo. Sten garnered several awards for his work as a student, including the top student prize at the Norwegian design festival Gullblyanten.
Sten’s work for Moland includes the two spots for Djuice. In one spot, conceived by Oslo agency Kitchen, a group of young women arrive at the home of Nykänen, a four time Olympic Gold medalist and famous binge drinker, asking him to “party.” In the other spot, Hansen confesses to a man that she is very hungry and he offers her “a big hot dog.”
“Djuice is a client that is willing to take risks,” Sten said. “The spots were a big success and caught on especially well with young people. I use every opportunity I have to make commercials that people talk about afterwards. That is what makes a commercial successful.” The director’s other spot credits include Soft Shake (Recommended, Kristiansand, Norway), Wing Chun School (Try, Oslo) and Coop (DDB, Oslo).
Sten has also directed several notable music videos, including Why Do I Feel for the artist Thom Hell and the Love Connection that was produced entirely with a camera built into a cell phone. He also directed the video Together for Don Juan Dracula that features the group’s lead singer dancing in a department store window and interacting with the reflections in the glass.
That video, which was done almost entirely in one take, required meticulous planning. “I put a lot of work into preparation,” Sten observed. “When everything is well prepared, everyone is relaxed on the set and that’s when cool and spontaneous things can occur.”
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