Creative and business leader Ben Conrad continues his momentum in the advertising and entertainment spaces with the launch of Los Angeles-based live action production company GenPop. Designed to grow with the ever-changing industry, GenPop assembles a collaborative environment with a culture of harmony, resulting in a mix of groundbreaking work and new era talent.
As co-founder of Logan, Conrad worked with notable brands including Apple, Nike, BMW and Ford, where his work as creative director and director on the Apple Silhouette campaign was named Out of Home Ad of the Decade by Adweek. Conrad is widely known for directing the viral Gymkhana series with rally driver Ken Block, which has racked up an astounding 200-million-plus views. Hailed as the “most watched and most shared branded web franchise of all time” by Adweek, Gymkhana also grabbed two Gold Pencils from The One Show, among many other awards. Gymkhana 5, set on the streets of San Francisco, is the most popular installment, reaching over 80-million views on its own.
GenPop is stitched with modern talent, adding creative technologists to its roster of top-level directors to offer artistic diversity spanning live action, animation, projection mapping, experiential, and virtual reality. The ensemble represents the variety of work being created today, as well as where the industry is headed, making up a list that includes Ben Conrad, Andrew Bruntel, Fellow, Riley Blakeway, Collider Studio, Josh Forbes, Master of Shapes, Andrew Gura, Renascent, Steven Ilous, Geoffrey Lillemon, Pieter Henket and the freshly-signed tabletop/lifestyle director Tiger in a Jar.
GenPop has hit the ground running, beginning with a trailblazing virtual reality campaign for Castrol Edge from Master of Shapes, who developed the technology which allowed racers Ben Collins and Matt Powers to square off on a virtual racetrack driving real cars. The pair go head-to-head in a heart-pounding competition visualized only through their headsets, bringing the virtual world into a thrilling reality.
Currently, GenPop is in post on Ben Conrad’s next viral hit; Fellow debuted an all-CGI film commissioned by Tesla competitor Faraday Future at CES 2016; and Riley Blakeway is currently in Mexico shooting a short film for watch company Nixon.
