Peter Billingsley, a noted producer, director and former child actor, has joined the directorial roster of Committee LA, the hybrid production company/creative content development studio led by directors Frank Samuel and Jeff Reed, and EP Lauren Bayer.
Billingsley, whose work as a director includes the 2009 comedy Couples Retreat starring Jason Bateman and Vince Vaughn and more recently the TBS series Sullivan & Son, for which Billingsley directed six episodes over its three season run, is currently co-creator/executive producer/showrunner for the new series Undeniable with Joe Buck. The show, which premiered November 18 on DirecTV’s Audience Network, features in-depth interviews with some of the biggest names in sports including Derek Jeter, Michael Phelps, and Abby Wambach.
No newcomer to the ad world, Billingsley began his prolific career as a child actor working on numerous commercials before he landed the role he is perhaps best remembered for–Ralphie in the perennial Christmas classic A Christmas Story (1983). More recently he’s focused on working behind the camera as both a director, and a producer/executive producer on a wide range of films including the blockbuster Iron Man (2008), The Break-Up (2006), Four Christmas (2008) and the Emmy-nominated series Dinner For Five, which aired for four seasons starting in 2001 on IFC.
“I’ve known Frank [Samuel] for many years and his vision for Committee LA as a company that approaches content creation differently is indicative of changes within the entire creative industry–-whether entertainment or advertising,” Billingsley said. “A lot of brands know who they are, who their consumers are and how to talk to them. What they really need are smart creative partners to come up with a strategy and to execute it efficiently in a way that elevates the concept. That’s what Committee LA does so well.”
For Samuel, bringing Billingsley aboard represents another step forward in the evolution of Committee LA. Back in September, the company added DGA Award-winning director David Cornell to its roster.
“Peter is an enormously talented filmmaker, producer and actor with an immense understanding of branding and real-world experience making creative content people want to see.” Samuel said, citing Billingsley’s “sure hand with comedy, dialogue and ability to collaborate.”
After 20 Years of Acting, Megan Park Finds Her Groove In The Director’s Chair On “My Old Ass”
Megan Park feels a little bad that her movie is making so many people cry. It's not just a single tear either — more like full body sobs.
She didn't set out to make a tearjerker with "My Old Ass," now streaming on Prime Video. She just wanted to tell a story about a young woman in conversation with her older self. The film is quite funny (the dialogue between 18-year-old and almost 40-year-old Elliott happens because of a mushroom trip that includes a Justin Bieber cover), but it packs an emotional punch, too.
Writing, Park said, is often her way of working through things. When she put pen to paper on "My Old Ass," she was a new mom and staying in her childhood bedroom during the pandemic. One night, she and her whole nuclear family slept under the same roof. She didn't know it then, but it would be the last time, and she started wondering what it would be like to have known that.
In the film, older Elliott ( Aubrey Plaza ) advises younger Elliott ( Maisy Stella ) to not be so eager to leave her provincial town, her younger brothers and her parents and to slow down and appreciate things as they are. She also tells her to stay away from a guy named Chad who she meets the next day and discovers that, unfortunately, he's quite cute.
At 38, Park is just getting started as a filmmaker. Her first, "The Fallout," in which Jenna Ortega plays a teen in the aftermath of a school shooting, had one of those pandemic releases that didn't even feel real. But it did get the attention of Margot Robbie 's production company LuckyChap Entertainment, who reached out to Park to see what other ideas she had brewing.
"They were very instrumental in encouraging me to go with it," Park said. "They're just really even-keeled, good people, which makes... Read More