Martin Jay Weiss became known for creating comedic and highly visual TV commercials, directing hundreds of national and international campaigns for major Blue Chip brands, and acquiring numerous industry awards, including Clios, Cannes Lions, Addys, One Show Pencils, and Best Director accolades at the New York Film Festival and Chicago International Film Festival. His commercials have premiered on the Super Bowl and screened in the AICP show where they are displayed in the permanent collection at New York Museum of Modern Art.
He began his career at DDB Chicago, producing commercials for clients such as Anheuser Busch, McDonald’s, and Disney. Highlights included the iconic Budweiser frog commercials (and other infamous animatronic and CG critters), as well as a series of humorous spots with lauded filmmakers Joel and Ethan Coen. After relocating to Los Angeles, Weiss directed commercials through Sony Picture Entertainment’s Pavlov Productions, The Bedford Falls Group, Cucoloris Films, as well as international companies (h) films/Milan, Filmmasters/Rome, Partners/Toronto, Macando/Spain, and Cielo/Europe.
He directed his first feature length film, Vampires: The Turning, for Sony/Screen Gems Entertainment – an action/horror movie from executive producer John Carpenter. It was filmed in Chiang Mai, Thailand and released worldwide. Then came The Pre-Nup, an independent comedy produced by Mosaic Entertainment, featuring Larry Miller, Alex Borstein, and Alanna Ubach. The film was acclaimed throughout the film festival circuit, including the HBO U.S. Comedy Arts Festival, the Santa Barbara Film Festival, the Palm Springs International Festival, and The World of Comedy Film Festival, Toronto.
Weiss also directed movies for Spike TV, Showtime, and he has written (and rewritten) several scripts for studios, TV networks, and independent production companies. He was honored with Amazon Studios first $20,000.00 Best Screenplay Award for The Alchemist Agenda, which then went on to their development slate.
His novels, The Second Son (2018), and Flamingo Coast (2019) are published by Rare Bird Books, Los Angeles, and he is currently working on his next thriller, Unmanned.
Weiss earned an MFA in Film and Television at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts and a BS in Journalism at the University of Illinois. He also has an FAA license to fly drones.
He is a proud member of the Directors Guild of America, Writers Guild of America, International Thriller Writers organization, and he serves as a mentor at the University of Southern California’s Cinematic Studies Program.
Weiss lives in Southern California with his wife and two children.
Martini Shot Films was founded by Marty Weiss in 2007 to facilitate the development and production of varied content, embracing traditional as well as emerging formats.
“The success of any movie, book, or TV commercial depends on the strength of both concept and execution. Martini Shot approaches every project by adhering to the time-honored fundamentals of storytelling.”
-Indiewire interview
“As technology continues to change our creative tools and distribution channels, we intend to embrace these rapid shifts while maintaining the proven elements of linear narrative that have worked for thousands of years. A good story well told will never go out of style.”
-The Guardian interview, London
