Sibling Rivalry Welcomes David Brickel as Managing Director and Executive Producer

New York based David Brickel has joined the fold at Sibling Rivalry—the hybrid brand studio and production company—taking on the role of managing director / executive producer.

David previously worked in LA, most recently in the role of managing director at Stept Studios. David was brought in to help the studio expand its commercial arm; winning jobs, retaining existing directors, bringing in new talent, and helping in part as the company tripled in size during his years there.

Sibling Rivalry’s holistic creative process was a large part of the attraction for David. “Sibling has created an environment where every voice can be heard, and you're able to move mountains that way,” he says. “I also knew that in today's landscape you can't just be a single faceted company. With Sibling Rivalry, the brand studio and film sides work so well together.”

He continued, “I have never worked with such a design-led company, but I love where that side of the business is moving towards and recent hires are helping propel that to new heights. I'm really excited by how that relationship can continue to grow to a new level.”

David had also long admired Sibling Rivalry partner and head of films Darren Foldes’ work, and the pair quickly hit it off. “He made it really clear that he was looking for a teammate, and that he wanted another like-minded individual to help raise things to a new level,” said David. “I really respect what he's accomplished and I'm also extremely excited by the potential we're sitting on at Sibling.”

David had initially studied engineering, before being invited to make a feature film over a summer in his hometown in NJ. “That was my first introduction to producing,” he says. “I went on to work on set all summer long in a number of capacities, and ended up helping manage the post production process. I threw myself into the deep end and learned an immense amount of information quickly.”

From there, he moved to Boston and started working in the industry, working on three more feature films over the following six months. He then began making and producing local commercials, before moving to Brooklyn to jumpstart a new production company (Voyager), where David spent five years as head of production and then managing partner before parting ways. “We were just fearless: we were in our early 20’s and didn't know what we didn't know,” he said. “I surrounded myself with the most talented producers I could get a coffee with or hire and that became my foundation in this industry.”

Darren said, “It is incredibly satisfying to find new voices, bring them to market, punch above your perceived weight and then go on to absolutely crush the creative by listening intently, collaborating and pouring your last drop into craft. Those have been the highest highs in my career; and I know me and David share the DNA and drive it takes to consistently deliver upon that mantra.” 

He adds that David’s role will be focused on making processes more effective and streamlined; and that his knowledge and experience, coupled with his “empathetic, caring and sharing personality means he can develop our roster and inhouse team, which is a hugely valuable and unsung part of his role”. 

Darren continued, “At Sibling Rivalry our goal is always twofold: we want to make the creative so good it makes our clients eyes roll back in their heads with delight—and do that while making the experience first class and as enjoyable as possible.”