Bicoastal creative editorial and content production house Hybrid has extended its geographical reach, opening a new location in Austin. Perry Tongate of Perry Reps will rep the company in Texas and the Southeast, including Louisiana, Virginia and Florida, and work with executive producer Gail Butler on new business development.
“Our expansion is driven by the desire to better serve clients by offering our top tier talent just a few minutes away for Austin-based clients, or just a short flight for our clients in the Southwest and Southeast regions,” said Susan Munro, editor/partner of Hybrid, who will also head up the Hybrid Austin location.
Partner/editor Michael Bartoli noted, “In addition to the talent and technology, it’s important our clients feel at home and receive the five-star treatment we’re known for. And what better way to capture both sides of that experience than to house our Austin shop in a newly renovated 100-year-old Craftsman just down the road from Franklin BBQ.”
The Southwest shop has already launched its official first project, an ad campaign for AT&T U-verse out of agency Sanders/Wingo, Austin and El Paso, highlighting the service’s many capabilities including high-speed internet and on-demand television that can be paused in one room and started again in another. Showcasing Hybrid’s storytelling abilities, the :30 spots, “Secret Meeting” and “Remix,” edited by Munro, begin with a dramatic scene in a television show and a crowded club scene, respectively, only to twist the narrative and reveal that AT&T U-verse makes everyday viewers feel like they’re part of the action of their favorite media. The two commercials were directed by Nick Spooner who was with Hello! at the time and has since joined The Sweet Shop.
Munro said that Hybrid’s talent is available to work from any of its locations as “we operate with a no-boundaries philosophy.” She added that Hybrid is “strategically aligned with Tone Visuals in Austin for color correction and visual effects, allowing for finishing under our roof or theirs. And we’ll tap into our Los Angeles artists for projects as well.”
Full Lineup Set For AFI Fest; Official Selections Span 44 Countries, Include 9 Best International Feature Oscar Submissions
The American Film Institute (AFI) has unveiled the full lineup for this year’s AFI Fest, taking place in Los Angeles from October 23-27. Rounding out the slate of already announced titles are such highlights as September 5 directed by Tim Fehlbaum, All We Imagine As Light directed by Payal Kapadia, The Luckiest Man in America directed by Samir Oliveros (AFI Class of 2019), Zurawski v. Texas from executive producers Hillary Clinton, Chelsea Clinton and Jennifer Lawrence and directors Maisie Crow and Abbie Perrault, and Oh, Canada directed by Paul Schrader (AFI Class of 1969). A total of 158 films are set to screen at the 38th edition of AFI Fest.
Of the official selections, 48% are directed by women and non-binary filmmakers and 26% are directed by BIPOC filmmakers.
Additional festival highlights include documentaries Architecton directed by Victor Kossakovsky; Cheech & Chong’s Last Movie directed by David Bushell; Devo directed by Chris Smith about the legendary new wave provocateurs; Gaucho Gaucho directed by Michael Dweck and Gregory Kershaw; Group Therapy directed by Neil Berkeley with Emmy® winner Neil Patrick Harris and Tig Notaro; No Other Land directed by a Palestinian-Israeli team comprised of Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor and Hamdan Ballal; Pavements directed by Alex Ross Perry; and Separated directed by Errol Morris. Notable narrative titles include Black Dog (Gou Zen) directed by Guan Hu; Bonjour Tristesse directed by Durga Chew-Bose with Academy Award® nominee Chloë Sevigny; Caught By The Tides directed by Jia Zhangke; Hard Truths directed by Mike Leigh with... Read More