Growing up in the 1980s in Sandefjord, a small town south of Oslo, Norway, Joachim Roenning and his childhood friend Espen Sandberg spent their free time making short films with Joachim's dad's 30 pounds home video camera - one of few burdens for being the first of the video generation.
In 1992 they both attended Stockholm Film School in Sweden, and graduated in 1994. Later that year they served their mandatory time in the military making "propaganda" films for the Royal Norwegian Army.
In 1995 they founded their own company. They called it Roenberg - their last names put together.
Early in 1996 they began directing commercials and music videos professionally in Oslo. Their extensive and award winning work in commercials in Scandinavia led to major international commissions such as ads for Airbus, Nintendo, Coca Cola, GE and Nokia.
Roenning and Sandberg (alias Roenberg) established themselves in the American market with their spots for Capital One, Labatt's and especially with their USA Today Superbowl 2001 Viewer's Poll-winning spot "Rex" for Budweiser. In 2008 they won the Lions in Cannes for their Hydro commercial - "Train Loop".
Together with fellow Norwegian director, Harald Zwart, they own and run Motion Blur - a production house for commercials. Founded in 2002 it is now one of the largest and most award winning productions companies in Scandinavia.
Joachim Roenning and Espen Sandberg's next film is "Kon-Tiki". Produced by Jeremy Thomas, together with Nordisk Film and Aage Aaberge, it's the true story about legendary explorer Thor Heyerdahl and his epic crossing of the Pacific on a balsa wood raft in 1947. "Kon-Tiki" opens 2012.
