Live Theater Director/Independent Filmmaker Seeks Commercial Niche.
By JEREMY LEHRER
Director Robert Mulligan has joined N ur Eye Films, New York. Mulligan comes to the company after a nine-month stay at New York-based Creative Film Management (CFM).
Before coming aboard CFM, Mulligan was a relative newcomer to the spot world. He was signed by CFM based on the strength of three specs, which he wrote, produced and directed in the fall of ’98.
In addition to the specs, Mulligan has one commercial project under his belt. In September, he helmed a spot as well as a four-minute promo for Washington, D.C.-based Evolution Fitness, a company that offers an extreme sports exercise training program. Mulligan wrote and independently produced the client-direct spot and promo.
In longform, Mulligan has written, directed and produced numerous productions for the theater as well as Boxed, an independent film.
Ready For Ad Duty
John O’Grady, executive producer at N ur Eye, said that Mulligan’s directing experience both in film and the theater world well prepared him for duties as a spot director. "He’s got a good eye, a good feel for storytelling, and he’s good with talent," said O’Grady. "He’s got all the tools he needs to tell a story in thirty seconds."
O’Grady felt that Mulligan could direct a wide variety of spots. "It’s difficult to get people to do dialogue, but with Robert’s film and theatrical background, he can handle dialogue [spots]," said O’Grady. "He also has a real strong visual sense, and there’s a lot of spots that fall into that category." O’Grady said that N ur Eye would go after "top shops" in smaller markets for Mulligan’s initial spot assignments.
Mulligan left CFM because he felt the company was more focused on its established directors "instead of building somebody new." After talking with several other houses, Mulligan ultimately settled on N ur Eye because the company had an "artistic take on the [spot] business" which he shared. "While they do have the business in mind, they approach commercials very artistically, which is what my background is," Mulligan said.
Mulligan felt that N ur Eye would also provide him with the commitment that he needed as a developing commercial director. In that sense, Mulligan wanted to have the support to do projects such as PSAs in order to build his reel.
After graduating in ’94 from Denison University, Granville, Ohio, with a BFA in creative writing, Mulligan obtained an MFA in playwriting and theater direction from the London-based Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts.
The Play’s The Thing
While in London, Mulligan directed plays such as Harold Pinter’s The Dumb Waiter, Caryl Churchill’s Cloud 9 and Manfred Karge’s Conquest of the South Pole. Since returning stateside in ’97, Mulligan has directed off-Broadway productions of plays that included Christopher Durang’s Beyond Therapy and Luigi Pirandello’s Six Characters in Search of an Author. In September, Mulligan directed an off-Broadway production of Alan Bowne’s Beirut. At the beginning of the new year, he plans to direct and produce Harry Magilicutty’s House Of Resolution, an original play which Mulligan wrote.
The aforementioned Boxed is a feature about what Mulligan described as "two young adults who come to terms with their true identities in a jaded society." In ’97, the film played the festival circuit, including the Boston International Film Festival, the Rotterdam International Film Festival and the Panama International Film Festival. At the latter event, the film won the audience award for best picture and an honorable mention from the grand jury for best direction. While he wasn’t at liberty to specify the companies involved, Mulligan said that he is currently in the process of selling the international and domestic distribution rights to the film.
Mulligan has also written Method, a second screenplay, which he is now shopping around to independent production companies. He said that the screenplay was a thriller based in Manhattan.
Mulligan joins an N ur Eye directorial roster that includes Syd Garron and Ernie Mosteller. The company is seeking an in-house representative to handle national sales.
Microsoft Report Says Efforts By Russia, Iran and China To Sway U.S. Voters May Escalate
Foreign adversaries have shown continued determination to influence the U.S. election –- and there are signs their activity will intensify as Election Day nears, Microsoft said in a report Wednesday.
Russian operatives are doubling down on fake videos to smear Vice President Kamala Harris' campaign, while Chinese-linked social media campaigns are maligning down-ballot Republicans who are critical of China, the company's threat intelligence arm said Wednesday.
Meanwhile, Iranian actors who allegedly sent emails aimed at intimidating U.S. voters in 2020 have been surveying election-related websites and major media outlets, raising concerns they could be preparing for another scheme this year, the tech giant said.
The report serves as a warning – building on others from U.S. intelligence officials – that as the nation enters this critical final stretch and begins counting ballots, the worst influence efforts may be yet to come. U.S. officials say they remain confident that election infrastructure is secure enough to withstand any attacks from American adversaries. Still, in a tight election, foreign efforts to influence voters are raising concern.
Microsoft noted that some of the disinformation campaigns it tracks received little authentic engagement from U.S. audiences, but others have been amplified by unwitting Americans, exposing thousands to foreign propaganda in the final weeks of voting.
Russia, China and Iran have all rejected claims that they are seeking to meddle with the U.S. election.
"The presidential elections are the United States' domestic affairs. China has no intention and will not interfere in the US election," the Chinese Embassy said in a statement.
"Having already unequivocally and... Read More