Washington Square Films has signed director Alex Ogus for commercial representation. His work has earned global award recognition, including Cannes Lions, Clio Awards, One Show Awards and Bessie Awards. His client list included AMEX, McDonald’s, Nestle, Advil, TurboTax, Pfizer and Snickers. Recently, Ogus helmed the music video “Gonna Be You” for 80 for Brady featuring Dolly Parton, Belinda Carlisle, Cyndi Lauper and Gloria Estefan.
Jonathan Schwartz, director of marketing and sales/managing director of NY-based Washington Square Films, said, “Alex understands how to create great comedy using wonderful visuals, great performances and a perfect sense of timing. His work has a richness that makes you laugh and also makes you want to watch it again.”
Ogus added, “The team at Washington Square Films is made up of truly down-to-earth, real people, but what sets them apart is their vision for the future of the industry and their dedication to the careers of their directors. I’ve always had a lot of my work come out of New York and their strong presence in the city makes this such a great fit.”
Ogus was drawn to filmmaking at an early age, transitioning from amateur comic book writing and illustration to filmmaking class while growing up in Toronto. After going to film school, he funded his initial directorial reel by creating and distributing a salad dressing based on a coveted family recipe. His creativity quickly splashed over from the salad bowl to the screen, striking literal commercial gold with one of his earliest spots for The Fight Network going on to earn top awards, including four Cannes Gold Lions. Following this powerful entry into the commercial directing scene, he started helming spots across the globe, shooting campaigns in Paris, London, Moscow and Zurich, while continuing to grow his body of work in the U.S. Prior to Washington Square Films, Ogus was represented in the U.S. by CoMPANY Films.
Outside of commercials, Ogus directed the 2022 short ICE, which follows a young Latina who comes home only to find that her mother has been taken by immigration. The film recently earned a Remi Award from the Worldfest-Houston International Film Festival.
Maggie Smith, Star of Stage, Film and “Downton Abbey,” Dies At 89
Maggie Smith, the masterful, scene-stealing actor who won an Oscar for "The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie" in 1969 and gained new fans in the 21st century as the dowager Countess of Grantham in "Downton Abbey" and Professor Minerva McGonagall in the Harry Potter films, died Friday. She was 89. Smith's sons, Chris Larkin and Toby Stephens, said in a statement that Smith died early Friday in a London hospital. "She leaves two sons and five loving grandchildren who are devastated by the loss of their extraordinary mother and grandmother," they said in a statement issued through publicist Clair Dobbs. Smith was frequently rated the preeminent British female performer of a generation that included Vanessa Redgrave and Judi Dench, with a clutch of Academy Award nominations and a shelf full of acting trophies. She remained in demand even in her later years, despite her lament that "when you get into the granny era, you're lucky to get anything." Smith drily summarized her later roles as "a gallery of grotesques," including Professor McGonagall. Asked why she took the role, she quipped: "Harry Potter is my pension." Richard Eyre, who directed Smith in a television production of "Suddenly Last Summer," said she was "intellectually the smartest actress I've ever worked with. You have to get up very, very early in the morning to outwit Maggie Smith." "Jean Brodie," in which she played a dangerously charismatic Edinburgh schoolteacher, brought her the Academy Award for best actress, and the British Academy Film Award (BAFTA) as well in 1969. Smith added a supporting actress Oscar for "California Suite" in 1978, Golden Globes for "California Suite" and "Room with a View," and BAFTAs for lead actress in "A Private Function" in 1984, "A Room with a View" in... Read More