Returning to the place where he began his career, director Scotty Bergstein has signed with STORY for exclusive, national representation in commercials. Bergstein signed his first directing contract a decade ago with STORY affiliate The Joneses and has been directing for the past year through FM Rocks, where his most recent project was a campaign for Ameriquest and DDB, Los Angeles. He has already completed his first project for STORY, a pair of spots for Texas-based restaurant chain Dave & Buster’s via Dallas agency Slinghot.

Bergstein called his move to STORY a “homecoming” and said he looked forward to renewing his relationship with Mark Androw, the company’s president, and his production staff. “I have always had tremendous trust and belief in Mark,” Bergstein said. “And I have the greatest respect for his professionalism and the solid way he conducts business.”

Bergstein, a onetime production designer, has shown tremendous versatility over the course of his career and is particularly well known for his skill at visual storytelling and humor-often in the same spot. His work for Dave & Buster’s is a case in point as the spots use artfully designed speed ramps to link scenes in humorous stories about people enjoying a night out.

“The speed ramps gave us a way to add energy to the spots,” Bergstein said. “Dave & Buster’s is a place that is all about energy and having a good time.”

Bergstein has shot frequently in Europe of late, including most recently, in Spain, where he shot two spots for Lays tied to the Euro 2008 Soccer Championship. Bergstein has also been pursuing work in the long-form arena and recently directed a pilot for Fox for a comedy series titled Man and Woman.
Aside from his stints at The Joneses and FM Rocks, Bergstein has been affiliated with Area 51 Films (another STORY affiliate) and Highway 61. His credits include work for AT&T, Pennzoil, Ameritech, Jose Cuervo and Bob Evans. Bergstein apprenticed as a production designer under Norris Spencer (Thelma and Louise, Black Rain) and later worked as a commercial production designer for such noted directors as Tom and Ridleyt Scott, Michael Karbelnikoff and David Kellogg. He launched his directing career in 1996 on the basis of a spec reel that included a spot called Cable Boy that was later picked up by ESPN. He won a London International Advertising Award for a spot promoting Attorneys.com.

STORY is represented is represented on the East Coast by Laura Zinn (212) 741-0909; in the Midwest by Doug Stieber & Co. (312) 222-9595, in the Southeast by Miller Associates, (954) 563-6004; in the Southwest by Alyson Griffith, (214) 288-2813 and on the West Coast by Char & Associates, char@char-associates.com.