Gifted Youth, the commercial production arm of Funny Or Die, is delighted to announce the addition of director/writer/producer Alice Mathias. Having already made her mark in television and web, the multi-hyphenate Mathias recently made her foray into commercials, proving that her comedic flair and natural knack for storytelling fits perfectly across a range of mediums.
Mathias studied film at Dartmouth College and earned her MFA from USC’s famed School of Cinematic Arts, where she was the recipient of The Coca-Cola Refreshing Filmmaker Award and The Subway Fresh Artists Award. After college, she joined IFC’s Portlandia in its first season as an intern before working her way up to become Co-Executive Producer, and an occasional director. This led Mathias to be nominated for three Emmys as a producer on Portlandia, as well as two seasons of Documentary Now! Mathias has written and directed various projects with frequent collaborator Fred Armisen including Paul Simon at the NY Auto Show, Portlandia Presents: Talkative Driver and the web series The Dominizuelan Consulate for Broadway Video’s Hispanic content division Más Mejor. Recently she also directed the pilot for Comedy Central's digital series “This Week in Betsy,” hosted by Jo Firestone.
Mathias is adept at blending entertainment and advertising, throwing the two facets in a comedic blender to produce memorable branded content. Most recently, she was hired by Wieden+Kennedy to direct the “Red Zone” tie-in campaign for Secret Deodorant and the NFL leading up to the 2017 Super Bowl. While Mathias has directed, produced, and written brand-direct content for the likes of Amazon, Dos Equis, Hangar 1, Jose Cuervo and Captain Morgan, the signing to Gifted Youth marks her first time being officially represented as a director for commercial work.
Dal Wolf, Gifted Youth’s Managing Director/Executive Producer, first became aware of Mathias from her Red Zone spots, and immediately knew he wanted to bring her talents further into the advertising world, saying: “It’s a really great fit, she’s exactly what Gifted Youth is: Each director we work with is a different shade on the comedy spectrum.”
Wolf adds: “It’s very apparent, by looking at her work, that Alice knows how to tell a story with comedy that is not only smart but also ‘ha-ha funny’ without over-complicating it.”
“It's a thrill to be joining the Gifted Youth team,” echoes Mathias. “This company has been making me laugh for years. I couldn’t be more excited to start contributing to their exceptional body of work.”
Gifted Youth is a full-service creative production company nestled comfortably in the heart of Los Angeles, in the belly of their mothership Funny or Die. Their directors make content for television, the web, and your phones.