Bully Pictures has expanded its directorial roster, signing Michael Shapiro for exclusive, US representation. Shapiro brings more than ten years of experience in directing spots, including work for Nike, Energizer, Bank of America and AT&T to name a bunch.
Shapiro, who has already completed his first project with Bully, a new campaign for Home Depot out of The Richards Group, Dallas, said he was impressed both by the quality and the quantity of the work emanating from Bully, and by its energy and enthusiasm. “When I met with Bully, the place was buzzing,” recalls Shapiro. “And I went with that positive vibe. Since I’ve been here, we’ve been actively bidding, booked three projects, and have several more pending.”

Shapiro has a well established reputation for his versatility, expertise in filmmaking technique, and ability to draw engaging and realistic performances from actors. “Michael is a really sharp director,” observes Bully Pictures executive producer Jason Forest. “He knows his craft well, brings a lot to the table creatively, and delivers beautiful footage.”
Shapiro’s background includes tenures at Space Program and Go Films. Early in his career, he directed fashion work for such brands as New Balance, Bill Blass and Guess Jeans. More recently, he has focused on lifestyle and talent-driven work. For the new Home Depot campaign, he shot scores of naturalistic vignettes of people performing home improvement tasks. “The point was to show people at work,” Shapiro notes. “It’s not play and it’s not typically commercially ‘acted.’ My task was to find the right tone, which is always the challenge—it’s about taste and finding the right style to get the mood across.”
In addition to his commercial work, Shapiro has enjoyed success in television, with credits on the series CSI: Crime Scene Investigation and Soldier of Fortune. He also recently directed pilots for Comedy Central and Spike TV, and he is now in pre-production for his first feature, a romantic comedy titled “Opposites Attract.”