Lucky 21 has signed director Robb Bindler who’s successfully translated his documentary sensibilities into the advertising arena, initially during a tenure with Nonfiction Unlimited and more recently at Chelsea Pictures.
The director first gained critical acclaim with Hands on a Hardbody, a documentary feature which chronicled an annual competition in Longview, Texas, where 24 contestants compete to win a pickup truck. All the winner has to do is be the last person standing with a hand still touching the truck in a battle of endurance that goes on for days. The film was a festival hit around the country and won the AFI Audience Award in 1997 for Best Documentary.
Bindler then extended his reach into docu-style advertising, turning out work for brands such as Coca-Cola, Visa, the National Football League and Major League Baseball. He has collaborated with agencies including Wieden+Kennedy, BBDO, DDB, Grey, McCann, Arnold and TBWAChiatDay. Bindler is known for portraying people’s interests and their authentic intersection with brands, yielding a blend of poignancy and levity in his storytelling.
“It’s an investigative process,” said Bindler about working with real people. “It is fascinating to discover people who look at things deeply, who are committed to an idea, ritual or process. The authenticity comes from creating an environment that builds rapport, where real people and actors can comfortably and genuinely articulate their story. It’s revealing and rewarding.”
A native of Texas who now resides in Los Angeles, Bindler says he was drawn to Lucky 21 for its shared Texas roots, as well as the company’s intimate feel and wide creative reach. Bindler joins a Lucky 21 directorial roster that includes Tom Ryan, Rob Pritts and The Chartrands.
“Robb naturally puts people at peace. He’s thoughtful and methodical,” observed Lucky 21 CEO Tammie Kleinmann.
At New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts’ Film program, Bindler first immersed himself in the filmmaking process, from writing and film theory to directing and editing. This education and his experience serve the current content shift in advertising and the demand for story across many platforms.
Rom-Com Mainstay Hugh Grant Shifts To The Dark Side and He’s Never Been Happier
After some difficulties connecting to a Zoom, Hugh Grant eventually opts to just phone instead.
"Sorry about that," he apologizes. "Tech hell." Grant is no lover of technology. Smart phones, for example, he calls the "devil's tinderbox."
"I think they're killing us. I hate them," he says. "I go on long holidays from them, three or four days at at time. Marvelous."
Hell, and our proximity to it, is a not unrelated topic to Grant's new film, "Heretic." In it, two young Mormon missionaries (Chloe East, Sophie Thatcher) come knocking on a door they'll soon regret visiting. They're welcomed in by Mr. Reed (Grant), an initially charming man who tests their faith in theological debate, and then, in much worse things.
After decades in romantic comedies, Grant has spent the last few years playing narcissists, weirdos and murders, often to the greatest acclaim of his career. But in "Heretic," a horror thriller from A24, Grant's turn to the dark side reaches a new extreme. The actor who once charmingly stammered in "Four Weddings and a Funeral" and who danced to the Pointer Sisters in "Love Actually" is now doing heinous things to young people in a basement.
"It was a challenge," Grant says. "I think human beings need challenges. It makes your beer taste better in the evening if you've climbed a mountain. He was just so wonderfully (expletive)-up."
"Heretic," which opens in theaters Friday, is directed by Scott Beck and Bryan Woods, co-writers of "A Quiet Place." In Grant's hands, Mr. Reed is a divinely good baddie — a scholarly creep whose wry monologues pull from a wide range of references, including, fittingly, Radiohead's "Creep."
In an interview, Grant spoke about these and other facets of his character, his journey... Read More