Director Peyton Wilson–whose work spans documentaries, branded content and commercials–has joined bicoastal Chelsea Pictures for exclusive representation in the U.S. She had previously been repped in the American ad market by production house O Positive which continues to handle her in Europe via its London office.
Wilson has brought her sensibilities as a documentary filmmaker to the branded content arena with work that includes: The Nature Conservancy’s Our Nature, a film narrated by Jessica Chastain about a woman’s first love—Nature; HP’s Making Zebras Dance web film (BBDO NY), a portrait of DreamWorks’ animator Rex Grignon; Special K’s “More Than A Number” (Leo Burnett Chicago), a hidden camera commercial and SHOOT Top Spot with real women who demonstrate that confidence and beauty go beyond the size of their waistlines; a campaign for U.S. Navy (Campbell-Ewald) featuring a reservist and chaplain whose poignant narratives unfold in authentically documented stories; and an integrated campaign for Nokia about TED Fellows (Wieden+Kennedy Amsterdam).
Wilson made her first major mark as a documentarian with the fighter pilot feature Speed and Angels, honored with screenings at the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum and across the festival circuit, earning Best in Fest and Best Documentary at the San Luis Obispo Film Festival and the Audience Award for Best Documentary at the San Diego Film Festival. Speed and Angels was broadcast on Discovery Channel.
Wilson additionally has to her credit The Bronzer, a documentary short about an offbeat traveling salesman, which enjoyed a successful festival run and became a Vimeo staff pick.
Recently, Wilson created the documentary series On Meaning. Featuring interviews with subjects ranging from prison inmates, to athletes, to musicians such as Moby, the series aims to examine the sources of meaning in the everyday.
Chelsea co-owners/EPs Allison Amon and Lisa Mehling have long been fans of Wilson’s work. Mehling said of the director, “Allison and I were drawn to the range of captivating films she has made, and how she consistently finds the human story. The composition and tone of her films are stunning in both her advertising as well as longform work. She is spot on for what agencies are looking for in a director.”
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