Bicoastal Station Film has hired production veteran Michelle Towse as executive producer. Prior to joining Station’s staff, Towse was a freelance line producer there working with directors including David Gray, Scott Corbett and Mark Gilbert, and a production cost consultant for Bird Bonnette Stauderman where she worked with large, multi-national brands.
“I’m excited to finally be a regular commuter to Station!” Towse said. “I’ve always enjoyed working with Steve [Orent, Station’s managing partner, and Caroline [Gibney, EP/partner], and love the culture of the company. I look forward to working closely with the Station directors and continuing to create memorable and innovative work in commercials and branded content.”
Among Towse’s additional experience are several years as head of production for Slavin Schaffer Films, and 14 years line producing for a long list of esteemed commercial directors including David Shane, Harold Einstein and Jeffrey Fleisig through production companies such as HSI, MJZ and hungry man.
“I have been lucky to work with Michelle on many jobs when she was a line producer, and couldn’t be happier having her on staff as part of the Station family,” Orent said. “She is a smart, experienced producer who can deal with any production – that means big and small-sized jobs, integrated campaigns, at home or offshore. We know she will be a great resource for our clients, and continue her work as a collaborative producer for our talented roster of directors.”
Towse began her career in the dark room, working her way up to studio manager for Jamie Phillips, a high-end fashion photographer for clients such as Donna Karen, Liz Claiborne, Mikimoto and Macy’s, to note a few. As a freelance photo assistant, she garnered top-notch experience with esteemed rock photographer Danny Clinch, legendary Life Magazine photographer Gordon Parks, and advertising brand architect Peter Arnell. Towse worked for Annie Leibovitz, printing her photos from the Clinton Inauguration, coverage of Sarajevo and celebrity shoots, including Harrison Ford, Paul Michael Glaser and Evander Holyfield. And she also was a production coordinator on the documentary Unzipped, featuring Isaac Mizrahi.
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