Comedy director Pondu Krek has signed with The Joneses for exclusive representation in the United States. Krek is a former agency creative, most recently serving as creative director at Philadelphia agency Tierney/DeGregorio, who recently launched his directing career. His credits as a director include the spot Stranded for Bud Light and Boston agency Hill Holliday and the viral ad Honkin’ Bastard for Suzuki and Dentsu Los Angeles.
Mel Gragido, executive producer of The Joneses, said that he was impressed with Krek’s unique comic style and willingness to take on risky concepts. “Pondu likes to push the edge and as a result, he has the ability to create work that has impact and is very funny,” Gragido said. “His agency training is also obvious in his work; it is disciplined and well crafted.”

Krek’s Honkin’ Bastard viral ad is a good example of his distinctive brand of comedy. The spot follows a man as he drives a Suzuki sedan around West Los Angeles annoying people by excessively blasting his horn. The spot has posted on You Tube, IFilm, ClipShack and other websites, and has drawn thousands of views. Krek produced the spot through his own production company, Attention Span, Los Angeles.

Krek said the growing popularity of virals and other non-traditional advertising makes this a good time for him to launch his directorial career. “Five or six years ago, a spot like Honkin’ Bastard couldn’t have been done,” he said. “But now you can make something that is funny and push it way over the edge.
“In my agency career, I often came up with ideas and the lawyers would look at me as though I was from a different planet. But now, there are a lot more opportunities.”

Krek’s Bud Light spot also has an edgy concept. In a spoof of the reality series Survivor, four men competing to survive on a tropical island are allowed to bring one item with them. One brings matches, another a chunk of meat and a third, a six-pack of Bud Light. The fourth man brings a lead pipe that he uses to bludgeon the others and take their possessions. The spot was a finalist for this year’s AICP Show.

Krek is a graduate of the School of Visual Arts in New York and has a master’s degree from Art Center College of Design in Pasadena. He began his career as an art director with Lotus, Minard, Patton, McIver in New York and later joined Lord Dentsu in Los Angeles, where he worked on Sanyo/Fisher and Suzuki Motorcycles. His background also includes stints as an art director at Ogilvy & Mather, Los Angeles, and DMB&B, New York. Additionally, he served as creative director at Publicis/Bloom in New York, where he worked on BMW and other accounts.
Krek spent two years as executive creative director at the Designory in Long Beach for Mercedes-Benz. He joined Tierney/DeGregorio as senior vice president/creative director/group head in 2001.

In discussing his decision to join The Joneses, Krek said that he was attracted by the company’s boutique size, national sales reach, and reputation for comedy. “I like their directors and the company has a great reputation, ” he said. “As a new director, I felt it was important to sign with a well established company. An agency will only award a job to a new director if the production company has a strong track record-and The Joneses has that. It’s a good name for me to be associated with.”

For more information about The Joneses, call Mel Gragido at (310) 656-8300. The company is located at 1501 Colorado, Santa Monica CA 90404 and at 41 East 11th St., 11th floor, New York, NY 10003. It is represented in the East by Maggie Klein, in the Midwest by Doug Stieber & Company, in Detroit by Dawn Ratcliffe, in the West by Howell Associates and in Texas by Alyson Griffith.