Amy Crilly, formerly Senior Producer, has been elevated to Executive Producer. She will be responsible for driving future growth for Squeak E Clean by expanding opportunities for the company and recruiting both creative and production talent. Crilly, a music industry veteran, brings close to a decade of production experience to the role. She’s overseen music on a number of award-winning campaigns, including “Swagger Wagon” for Toyota, “Hum” for Prius and “Gas Powered Everything” for Nissan. Her credits also include work for major brands, such as Apple, Samsung, Lexus, Lincoln, McDonald’s and Target.
Rob Barbato, formerly Associate Creative Director, has been promoted to the role of West Coast Creative Director. He will help Squeak E Clean galvanize the way it works with its clients by positioning the studio as more of a partner in creative collaborations right from the start of a project, while also making more authentic, original music with bands and artists to have on reserve. Barbato is a celebrated award-winning composer, producer and musician. He’s toured and recorded as a side-man of the critically acclaimed singer-songwriter Cass McCombs, and was a member of the seminal UK post-punk band The Fall. He’s produced records for artists such as Bleached, Kevin Morby and La Sera, and composed music for Nickelodeon’s Sanjay and Craig, and IFC’s Maron. Barbato garnered an Emmy and Silver Lion at Cannes for his work arranging “Beautiful Dreamer” for Canon’s “Inspired” spot via Grey New York, and has a commercial portfolio that also includes original compositions for brands such as Facebook, Honda, Target and Under Armour.
"Nothing’s better than making great stuff with great people,” says Sam Spiegel, Founder, Squeak E Clean. “Our work and our squad have never been stronger. We have some more exciting stuff coming out in the next couple of months, and i’m excited to see what the next year will bring.”
The studio is coming off a very successful performance at the Cannes Lions where it was awarded three Lions for its original compositor for Adidas called “Your Future Is Not Mine,” which was composed by Squeak E Clean Creative Director and veteran composer Justin Hori. The score won two Golds, one for Best Use of Original Music, and another for Best Music/Brand Partnership in conjunction with Johannes Leonardo. It also won a Bronze for for Music Video – Brand and/or Product Integration (Entertainment for Music).
Other recent Squeak E Clean projects include providing the musical arrangement for Kia’s “The World Needs More Soul” campaign, being creative and music partners for Intel’s “1 in 7 Billion” spot featuring singer-songwriter Rob Cantor, and creating the music for Cadillac’s “Dare Greatly” campaign.
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