International animation and film production company Passion Pictures, with offices in NY, London, Paris and Melbourne, has signed L.A.-based director Joshua Harvey for exclusive worldwide representation.
Harvey was previously creative director at Buck where he co-led, designed and animated films in various visual styles for clients including MTV, Honda, Telstra and ChildLine. His work has been honored with awards from numerous shows including the Clios, LIAs, and ADC Designism. In 2013 he was named one of Young Guns’ Top 30 Under 30.
Harvey said he was drawn to Passion’s range of high-quality storytelling across different platforms. He is also looking forward to being involved in Passion’s forays into storytelling via new technology such as virtual reality. “I’m excited to have such an experienced team to work with, specifically one that doesn’t shy away from new frontiers,” enthused the director. “Beyond elevating the quality of productions I’ve done in the past, I’m looking ahead to more non-linear storytelling and interactive design and gaming. The potential for VR is extremely interesting to me and I’d love to do some work in that arena.”
Colin Pearsall, exec producer of Passion Pictures NY, said: “It’s hard to find directors whose visual range is as diverse as Joshua’s. His work evokes emotion and spirit with a naïve and stylized aesthetic. He’s the ideal complement to our growing U.S. roster.”
After 20 Years of Acting, Megan Park Finds Her Groove In The Director’s Chair On “My Old Ass”
Megan Park feels a little bad that her movie is making so many people cry. It's not just a single tear either — more like full body sobs.
She didn't set out to make a tearjerker with "My Old Ass," now streaming on Prime Video. She just wanted to tell a story about a young woman in conversation with her older self. The film is quite funny (the dialogue between 18-year-old and almost 40-year-old Elliott happens because of a mushroom trip that includes a Justin Bieber cover), but it packs an emotional punch, too.
Writing, Park said, is often her way of working through things. When she put pen to paper on "My Old Ass," she was a new mom and staying in her childhood bedroom during the pandemic. One night, she and her whole nuclear family slept under the same roof. She didn't know it then, but it would be the last time, and she started wondering what it would be like to have known that.
In the film, older Elliott ( Aubrey Plaza ) advises younger Elliott ( Maisy Stella ) to not be so eager to leave her provincial town, her younger brothers and her parents and to slow down and appreciate things as they are. She also tells her to stay away from a guy named Chad who she meets the next day and discovers that, unfortunately, he's quite cute.
At 38, Park is just getting started as a filmmaker. Her first, "The Fallout," in which Jenna Ortega plays a teen in the aftermath of a school shooting, had one of those pandemic releases that didn't even feel real. But it did get the attention of Margot Robbie 's production company LuckyChap Entertainment, who reached out to Park to see what other ideas she had brewing.
"They were very instrumental in encouraging me to go with it," Park said. "They're just really even-keeled, good people, which makes... Read More