Long-time agency creative made mark at BBH, Crispin Porter+Bogusky, 180 L.A.
Amir Farhang, who’s best known for his work as a copywriter at BBH New York, Crispin Porter+Bogusky and 180 Los Angeles, has formally moved into the director’s chair, joining Hollywood-based Über Content for U.S. commercial representation.
Farhang has already made a directing splash with his series of humorous Bolthouse Farms/Baby Carrots spots in the continuing “Eat ‘Em Like Junk Food” campaign from Crispin Porter+Bogusky, Boulder, Colo. The Farhang-helmed commercials centered on the musings of an offbeat grocery store employee, who is at times paired with a fellow worker in various antics. The Baby Carrots package was produced by Prettybird. While the job was run through that production house, Farhang was not on its roster. Über Content is his first production house roost as a director after years of working on the agency side where he had a hand in creating noted work for clients such as Axe (Gamekillers), Vaseline (“Sea of Skin”) and adidas (Basketball is a Brotherhood).
Farhang also wrote and creative directed The Sony Rocket Project, a 22-minute documentary that aired earlier this month (10/8) on the Discovery Channel. The documentary grew out of a Sony campaign from 180 Los Angeles in which eight academically gifted high school students teamed with an aerospace expert in using Sony VAIO laptop computers to help design, build and launch a 29-foot tall, 1,100 pound rocket into the stratosphere. A Sony VAIO Z-series laptop with Intel Core i5 Processors was built into the inner chamber of the rocket to run key on-board functions while the VAIO F-Series 16.4″ screen, Intel Core i7 Processor with Turbo Boost served as mission control for the launch. Not only did the kids successfully propel the rocket into space, the project has attracted worldwide interest with some 30 high schools in the U.S. and around the world wanting to replicate the program. The campaign components, including a short film as well as the aforementioned documentary, were directed by Andrew Fried of @radical.media.
“I’ve been extremely lucky to have worked with some of the best agencies in the world,” said Farhang. “That moment when you go into production has always been the most exciting part of the job for me and the move into directing has always in the back of my mind. I am extremely grateful that the opportunity with Über came to fruition.”
Preston Lee, Über Content partner/executive producer, related, “Amir gets that the ‘idea is king’ as much or better than most people in advertising. His pedigree as a top creative is clearly impressive, but his drive to turn great ideas into great little films is what really excited us.”
“Overnight Success” Has Been More Than A Decade In The Making For Meghann Fahy and Eve Hewson
Meghann Fahy and Eve Hewson, two of the stars of Netflix's whodunit "The Perfect Couple," have news for you if you want to call them breakouts: They've been working in this business for more than a decade.
Fahy made her TV debut in 2009 in an episode of "Gossip Girl." Hewson's first big film role was in 2011's "This Must Be the Place." They do concede, however, that it's recent TV roles — "The White Lotus" for Fahy and "Bad Sisters" for Hewson — that have led to new frontiers of opportunity.
Susanne Bier, who directed "The Perfect Couple," says both Fahy and Hewson are "going to be big stars."
"They certainly have proper, profound star quality, Both of them in very different ways," Bier says. "Both are incredibly creative, incredibly smart, and also have a impressive insight as to who they are. You can be a great actor or actress and not necessarily really know who you are yourself. And they do."
Hewson, 33, whose dad is U2 front man Bono, may have grown up in a famous family but she's now in demand in her own right. She will next be seen in a second season of "Bad Sisters, " out in November. She's in Noah Baumbach's next film, alongside Adam Sandler, George Clooney and Riley Keough. She's also been cast in Steven Spielberg's next production and is set to star opposite Murray Bartlett in a racing series for Hulu.
Fahy, 34, is in production on a limited series with Julianne Moore and Milly Alcock called "Sirens," written by Molly Smith Metzler ("Maid") for Netflix. She also has two films in the can with Josh O'Connor ("The Crown," "Challengers") and Brandon Sklenar ("It Ends With Us").
The two actors spoke candidly about this phase of their careers. This interview has been condensed for clarity and... Read More