Fortune Favours the Fearless as Johnny Foreigner Signs Dave Meinert

Picture: Dave Meinert (far left) and crew

Johnny Foreigner sign Documentary Director, Dave Meinert, who successfully bridges the gap between commercials and branded content.

He’s climbed a mountain with Jimmy Chin, sat in a freezer with Wim Hof, and explored the ocean floor with Alexey Molchanov (he even got a Masters in free diving to do so!). He’s lived with an indigenous female climbing crew in Bolivia, a shaman in Indonesia, a survivalist in the Turkish desert, and a child soldier in Africa, oh and he invented the GoPro canine rig, put a camera on the edge of the earth’s atmosphere, and made too many films about dogs. Lazy he is not!! The most notable thing about some of these films, beyond the beautiful cinematography and making these unusual stories so accessible, is the way that he seamlessly weaves in the brand and its values where required to do so (imagine trying to get the perfect cream application shot up a mountain….). 

Dave comments, "I have a deep love for interviewing people that are committing their lives to something extraordinary. The only way to truly show that is to spend time with them and go on the journey with them. I have fed my learnings from docs and passion projects that have gone viral, into a process and structure that allows the client and agencies, and ultimately the audience to be with us right as the adventure is unfolding.’ 

Olivia Hirschberg (Johnny Foreigner Founder) adds ,'In order to create original branded content, clients often have to take bold decisions.. Dave is the perfect partner to do that with, as he makes every effort to fully embrace the brand values, product or subject and his approach comes from a genuine place of deep care and understanding of the marketing side of things. That leads to a process which feels very safe and to visual results that are engaging on an authentic level. He’ll (often literally) take you to the top of the mountain, the depths of the ocean and deep into people’s hearts. He understands the importance of creating risk free environments which will give way for the magic to happen, thus creating something unique and truly memorable. When you work with Dave, you will embark on the most incredible, collaborative adventure (just ask the client and agency pictured up the mountain in the image below).’

Picture: Dave Meinert, Client, Agency and Oscar award-winning adventurer, Jimmy Chin 

In addition to his emotionally charged documentary work, Dave has made a name for himself by continually innovating and developing new ways to shoot. Several of his films have gone viral and have been featured on platforms like BuzzFeed, Fast Company, and Vimeo Staff Picks. While the tone of his content may vary widely — from the world’s first 360-degree surfing footage to a handcrafted dog rig that captures life through a puppy’s eyes — his problem-solving and boundary-pushing innovative approach is evident in all of his work. The true brilliance lies in how seamlessly this innovation blends with the craft of human storytelling in his documentaries, never distracting from the subject at hand. 

Dave has helmed films for clients including Nivea, Nando’s, Unilever, Procter and Gamble and Coca-Cola, as well as music videos for several top South African and African artists and he is currently developing his first feature film, alongside his branded work. 

If you’d like to embark on a filmmaking adventure with him please contact olivia@johnnyforeigner.tv or anna@johnnyforeigner.tv. You can view his reel HERE