Luke Anderson comes aboard as partner & exec producer
Entertainment production company London Alley has added Lake Bell to its directorial roster for representation spanning commercials, branded content, music videos, film and TV. In addition to director, actress and screenwriter Bell, London Alley is bringing aboard Luke Anderson as partner and executive producer. Anderson is co-founder of Cann, a cannabis-infused beverage and the 2022 Cannabis Clio Brand of the Year.
Bell and Anderson’s combined brand storytelling, talent relationships and deep understanding of the cultural zeitgeist are poised to drive London Alley through its next phase of growth. Bell–who earlier was repped in the ad arena by Epoch Films–joins London Alley on the heels of her partnering with the company on Cann’s short film “Cann-Do Holiday,” which received widespread, positive accolades from several publications including Paper magazine, Nylon, People magazine and Forbes. Bell brings more than 20 years experience in the entertainment industry both in front of and behind the camera through titles including Pam and Tommy, Bless This Mess, and In A World.
“I’m excited to be continuing my relationship with London Alley and officially joining the team as a director,” said Bell. “It’s an exciting opportunity to have a lane to create a new genre of work in ads and creative, and I can’t think of a better collective to join. In working with London Alley for the campaign with Cann this past holiday season, their vision to bridge diverse and authentic storytelling in this industry is what drew me to the opportunity and I look forward to working closely together to further that with my work.”
Partner and EP Anderson will work with Lake and the London Alley executive team to win and produce creative projects, with a focus on diversity and authentic storytelling. Under Anderson's stewardship, Cann has raised more than $40M in funding from major institutional firms and celebrity investors including Gwyneth Paltrow, Kate Hudson, Rosario Dawson, Judd Apatow, and more. Anderson is also the brains behind Cann’s marketing campaigns for which he scored 15 wins at the 2022 Clio Cannabis Awards, including the aforementioned Brand of the Year honor. The company was also recognized for its pride campaign and music video “Taste So Good,” also produced by London Alley, which featured Patricia Arquette, Vincint, Sarah Michelle Gellar, MNEK, and several stars from RuPaul’s Drag Race.
“As a long-time client and collaborator with London Alley, I have experienced firsthand their ability to produce world-class creative content that shapes culture. It’s a dream to officially join their team,” said Anderson. “Getting to work directly with Lake on subversive, comedic, and authentically diverse and inclusive storytelling projects is an honor–she truly is one of the best writers and directors in the world and a fantastic addition to our roster.”
London Alley’s recent work includes producing SZA’s “Kill Bill” music video, Pepsi’s “The One That I Want,” and Tiesto & Tate McRae’s “10:35” music video for the Atlantis Hotel.
Review: Writer-Director Coralie Fargeat’s “The Substance”
In its first two hours, "The Substance" is a well-made, entertaining movie. Writer-director Coralie Fargeat treats audiences to a heavy dose of biting social commentary on ageism and sexism in Hollywood, with a spoonful of sugar- and sparkle-doused body horror.
But the film's deliciously unhinged, blood-soaked and inevitably polarizing third act is what makes it unforgettable.
What begins as a dread-inducing but still relatively palatable sci-fi flick spirals deeper into absurdism and violence, eventually erupting โ quite literally โ into a full-blown monster movie. Let the viewer decide who the monster is.
Fargeat โ who won best screenplay at this year's Cannes Film Festival โ has been vocal about her reverence for "The Fly" director David Cronenberg, and fans of the godfather of body horror will see his unmistakable influence. But "The Substance" is also wholly unique and benefits from Fargeat's perspective, which, according to the French filmmaker, has involved extensive grappling with her own relationship to her body and society's scrutiny.
"The Substance" tells the story of Elisabeth Sparkle, a famed aerobics instructor with a televised show, played by a powerfully vulnerable Demi Moore. Sparkle is fired on her 50th birthday by a ruthless executive โ a perfectly cast Dennis Quaid, who nails sleazy and gross.
Feeling rejected by a town that once loved her and despairing over her bygone star power, Sparkle learns from a handsome young nurse about a black-market drug that promises to create a "younger, more beautiful, more perfect" version of its user. Though she initially tosses the phone number in the trash, she soon fishes it out in a desperate panic and places an order.
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