How many directors do you know with their own fan site? Curious’ Taika Waiti has one.

But then how many directors do you know like Taika Waititi?… or even creatives like Waititi?

Curious commercial director, Taika Waititi is “a director-comedian-painter-writer-photographer-actor, he’s the sort of artist that the hyphen was invented for.” [boardsmag.com]

He’s “a formidable talent. Inspiring in his output and charmingly entertaining in person. He’s a joy to work with. His films are hysterical and his commercials hilarious.” [Peter Grasse, president of Curious]

He’s…smart.

Zany. Experimental. Inconventional. Brave…

“We tried to put people off seeing this movie [What We Do In The Shadows] by filling the trailer with all the worst bits – the most depressing, boring stuff we could find. It’s not our fault if people watch it and think the film is going to be the most hilarious, awesomest film of the year.’ [Waititi, New Zealand Herald, May 2014]

…But above all, smart.

“It’s to do with reputation I guess. In this industry that’s really one of the few things you have to go on, and there’s always a danger, when you take endorsement or advertising opportunities, of people seeing it as ‘Oh he’s sold out’. But I’ve got a kid, and as the old saying goes, it’s not selling out, it’s buying in.” [Waititi, New Zealand Herald, December 2014]

Waititi’s reputation as a creative is in no danger in adland. He has won so many of the right awards and made so many of the right ads, like Blazed and Tinnyvision for NZTA, The Most Epic Safety Video Ever Made for Air New Zealand and Rexona Rise Up: Do More. 

This week, Waititi’s #Hello Beer, for CUB via Clemenger BBDO Melbourne, became a finalist at AWARD in both Craft for Direction of Branded Content and Film for Commercials under 30s.

His NZTA work for Clemenger BBDO Wellington, Tinnyvision, is a finalist for both Interactive Film and Mobile Branded Content…

…And Tinnyvision was named a finalist for Direction in Film Craft as well as Digital Craft Use of Video, Digital and Interactive Mobile & Innovation, and Long Form Branded Entertainment at NZ’s Axis awards.

Most Epic Safety Video Ever for Air New Zealand topped YouTube’s Most Watched List with over 14 million views in October last year.

Earlier in 2014, Blazed won Gold in pretty much every award it entered, making Curious the most awarded Australasian production company at Cannes.

Waititi’s reputation as a creative in the wider world of film got an octane hit this week too. Waititi has kickstarted his way to the American release of his vampire film, What We Do in the Shadows. 

What We Do In The Shadows took the biggest box office return of all New Zealand films in 2014 – NZ$2.1 million between its release in June and December when it won Best Self-Funded Feature at the NZ Film Awards. It was named the best comedy of the year by The Guardian, and chalked up a long list of international film festivals. It was chosen to close the Sydney Film Festival.

In January, Waititi and co-creator, Jemaine Clement, [Flight of the Conchords] launched a campaign to raise $400,000. This week, they secured the last $4,000 they need to release their film in 70 cities across the USA and Canada.

How? That began with an ad disguised as a comedy video.

…whose tagline, “If you want to help that would be awesome” was the preface to a title: Check out the rewards.

Even the rewards were perfectly in character: Those pledging $3,000 or more were promised roles as extras in the pair’s next directorial project. For $50 or more, donors received a Shadows Cooking Apron, for $10 a PDF of the final script, and for $1 they got a digital high five.

And they worked. What We Do in the Shadows opens in the USA and Canada this month.