As a director of comedy spots, Amit Mehta is drawn toward exploring the awkward, the absurd, the awkwardly absurd and the absurdly awkward. An emphasis on understated performances rooted in realistic foundations characterizes a growing body of work. A unique collaboration with Goodby, Silverstein & Partners on a Comcast campaign marked the launch of Amit’s directing career. Since then, he has worked with TAG SF, Kirshenbaum Bond Senecal + Partners, mcgarrybowen, TBWA\Chiat\Day and The Richards Group among others, for a variety of clients including XBox, BMW, Chase, Sharp, and Activision. His BMW spots “The Close Call” and “The Big Grab” were enjoyed by Super Bowl XLVI audiences in Los Angeles and New York, and earned a best-of nod from TIME Magazine Entertainment.
In his earlier incarnation as a screenwriter, Amit logged thousands of laptop hours in a numerous Los Angeles coffee houses. He co-wrote the feature film Scenes of the Crime starring Oscar®-winner Jeff Bridges and also authored projects for Indian Cinema. His script Tandoor—optioned in Mumbai for Amit to direct—boasted the attachment of some of Indiaʼs most respected character actors, including Irrfan Khan and Saurabh Shukla of Slumdog Millionaire fame.
Amit’s extensive stage directing experience put him on the path to becoming a commercial director with a passion for crafting performances. Back in his acting days, Amit received a prestigious award, wore dorky outfits, shared screen time with multiple chimpanzees, and was typecast as Saddam Hussein’s grandson.
Amit has at different times lived in Milwaukee, New Delhi and Philadelphia. This has made for some unconventional sporting loyalties and a variety of accents. It has also contributed to his unique inclinations as a storyteller. Amit is now proud to call LA home and entertains little desire to leave. His kryptonite is yellow cake with chocolate icing. Not the fancy bakery kind. Just down and dirty, out of a box.