Director Harold Einstein has opened a production company with his longtime executive producer, Eric Liney. Called DUMMY, the new venture is based in Venice and ends Einstein's six-year run at Station Film where he has directed commercials for clients including Kayak.com, Axe, Little Caesars, FedEx, Luvs, Target, Crest and Johnnie Walker. His work has been a fixture at Cannes since he began at Station.
The decision to open his own shop, said Einstein–who moved back to his native California from Brooklyn in July–was motivated by friends. "I watched Gerry [Graf] open Barton F. Graf9000, editors open post houses, composers open music houses, and Steve O [Stephen Orent] open Station Film. The one thing I noticed and continue to see among all of them is a gleam in their eyes. That gleam comes from them knowing that they own the key. I wanted to experience what it was like to make stuff in an environment I created to make stuff in."
Still, Einstein is grateful for his tenure at Station. "Without Station I wouldn't be in the position to do what I've just done: open a company. If you want to be a director, if you want to be a producer, there is no better school than Station Film."
Orent stated, "It's been a fun ride working with Harold over the past six years. Although we will miss him here at Station Film, we wish him the best of luck with his new company."
Meet Honorary Oscar Recipient Juliet Taylor, Casting Director With A Filmography Spanning 40+ Years
Juliet Taylor does not give herself credit for Meryl Streep.
In her over 40 years as top casting director behind so many classics, "Annie Hall," "Heartburn" and "Sleepless in Seattle" to name just a few, she did, technically give Streep her first film role. She gave many stars their big breaks. But Streep, she said, was always going to happen — the young stage actor was the talk of the town in New York as soon as she came on the scene. Taylor was simply the lucky one who happened to be casting for "Julia," which didn't conflict with a play.
Modesty is not antithetical to being a great casting director, though, a profession of observation, negotiation and nuance that operates mostly out of the public eye. It's why Taylor's a little nervous about Sunday, when she'll be presented with an honorary Oscar at the film academy's annual Governors Awards in a room full of Hollywood greats.
Recognition is long overdue for Taylor and her peers. Earlier this year, the film academy announced that it would add a new competitive Oscar for casting directors starting with films released in 2025.
"There's so much people don't know about casting actors," Taylor said. "One thing is we negotiate all the contracts and we cast a movie within a budget."
Casting wasn't always the art that it is today. In the studio system, it was more of cattle call, an organizational rather than creative job. But Taylor began her career in 1968 at time of change, mentored by one of the pioneers behind the movement: Marion Dougherty, who scouted talent in off-Broadway plays and turned casting into a more selective, humane process. It was also a profession led by a lot of women. Dougherty used to joke that it's because they didn't get paid much.
The first movie... Read More