Name Tom Kuntz | Role Filmmaker | |
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Born July 7, 1972 (age 51) ( 1972-07-07 ) Movies The Onion Movie, Tokyo Breakfast, Santasm Similar People Todd Hanson, Robert D Siegel, Don McManus, Kate Fuglei, Sarah McElligott | ||
Tom Kuntz (born July 7, 1972) is an American director and filmmaker who is most known for his unique television commercials and music videos, which either have colorful settings, time-lapse photography or wildly eccentric humans. He has enjoyed multiple nominations for the honor of ‘Best Commercial Director of the Year’ by the DGA (Directors Guild of America; 2007, 2009, 2010, 2013, 2016)
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In August 2010, Kuntz's Old Spice "The Man Your Man Could Smell Like" spot won the Emmy for "Commercial of the Year."
His work can be seen on Kuntz Manor, his official website.
Career
Kuntz began his directing career at MTV where he (and former creative partner Mike Maguire) created many noteworthy commercials promoting the channel, including a famous batch of commercials for the MTV music awards starring actor Ben Stiller.
Kuntz quickly left MTV and began directing full-time through Propaganda Films and then through MJZ where he has maintained solo representation since 2001.
Music videos
Commercials
Short films
In 2000, Kuntz (and Maguire) released the 6-minute short film Tokyo Breakfast. The spoof sitcom is a parody of the Japanese perception of day-to-day doings of an American family, with an emphasis on the skewed emulation of a perceived black culture. Characters use the term "nigga" with unusual frequency and familiarity. The film appeared in numerous film festivals and also spread as an Internet phenomenon.
Kuntz is also featured in the docu-short “Beez-lapse” which features a locked off camera showing him drawing on actors for ten hours in time lapse photography (in prep for the shooting of his Bumblebeez “Dr. Love” video.)
Feature films
Kuntz (and Maguire) were briefly involved with the satirical newspaper The Onion's feature film, The Onion Movie, and shot initial footage for the project, but the two walked away from the project citing creative differences with the producers. Though numerous websites still cite Kuntz and Maguire as the directors of the released film, Kuntz and Maguire are officially not the directors of record.
Holiday virals
Kuntz (along with friend and collaborator Matt Dilmore) is also the creator of three holiday viral films that spread throughout cyberspace in 2007, 2008 and 2010 respectively.
The first, Santasm.net features two strange-looking semi-nude men in a dark room with some Christmas lights strung up around them. What at first appears to be a still image, slowly begins to move as we see the slighter of the two men begin to suckle the teat of the larger man. The large man laughs manically and then the film is over.
The second, Warmandfuzzyfeeling.com features a Norman Rockwell-esque, silver-haired couple seated by a Christmas tree. The woman opens a large, wrapped present and gleefully reveals a small puppy dog with an abnormally large human penis.
The third, Itstoastyinhere.com features two overweight, middle-aged men dressed in Dickensian attire, seated in front of an ornate fireplace. As the camera dollies-in on the burning fire, two chalices filled with (presumably) egg nog enter frame. As the camera then dollies-out, it becomes revealed that each man's long, snakelike penis clutch the chalices. They toast and laugh maniacally.
All three virals share a signature visual style of lens flares and extreme slow-motion camerawork as well as the same music track—a slowed down, warped version of the song "A Pied Piper (Petit Pierrot)" from "The Singing Nun", accented by sleigh bells.
Record cover art
Kuntz created the record cover art for electronic artist Dr. Dunks and Godsy for NYC record label Whateverwewant Records. The label is owned and run by Carlos Arias, who is also a film editor who has collaborated on numerous Kuntz-directed commercials and music videos.