Bicoastal production company m ss ng p eces has added artist and director Ivan Cash to its roster of talent. Combining backgrounds in both art and technology, Cash is known for developing creative experiences that engage a mass audience and impact culture. Alongside experiential and independent projects, he has worked with high-profile brands, including Google, Coca-Cola, Facebook, and MTV to orchestrate memorable creative campaigns. Among his directorial credits are Airbnb’s “Drawing Strangers,” Silent Circle’s “App Permissions,” Toyota’s “Father’s Day Reunion” and L’Oreal’s “Inspiration from San Francisco.” He had previously been helming projects independently; now m ss ng p eces becomes the first production company to formally represent him as a director.
Several of Cash’s creative endeavors have evolved into global viral sensations, including interactive letter-writing experiment Snail Mail My Email, collaborative art project Selfless Portraits, economic disparity social activation Occupy George, and the street curated “Last Photo” Project. His work has been featured in The New York Times, MSNBC, TIME, CNN, Wired, NPR and more, as well as in the permanent collection of the V&A Museum in London. In 2016, Cash was included in Forbes’ “30 Under 30” list of emerging entrepreneurs and young game-changers.
Cash was recognized as an Art Directors Club “Young Gun” in 2013. He previously worked as an art director at Wieden+Kennedy Amsterdam and Venables Bell & Partners in San Francisco.
“Ivan encapsulates the zeitgeist in whip smart ideas,” said Kate Oppenheim, partner and executive producer at m ss ng p eces. “All of the accolades and press attention he’s earned have been by getting out in the world and creating films and experiences that engage and delight people. We’re excited to bring that creative energy and passion into shaping unique brand experiences for our clients.”
“Joining up with m ss ng p eces makes perfect sense; it’s a place that’s well established, yet nimble enough to provide an environment that allows for the creation of unconventional production efforts,” said Cash. “My approach is very multidisciplinary, combining digital, social, websites, live action and stunts, always created with the intention of connecting strangers and making the world feel a little bit smaller.”
Review: Writer-Directors Scott Beck and Bryan Wood’s “Heretic”
"Heretic" opens with an unusual table setter: Two young missionaries from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are discussing condoms and why some are labeled as large even though they're all pretty much a standard size. "What else do we believe because of marketing?" one asks the other.
That line will echo through the movie, a stimulating discussion of religion that emerges from a horror movie wrapper. Despite a second-half slide and feeling unbalanced, this is the rare movie that combines lots of squirting blood and elevated discussion of the ancient Egyptian god Horus.
Our two church members — played fiercely by Sophie Thatcher and Chloe East — are wandering around trying to covert souls when they knock on the door of a sweet-looking cottage. Its owner, Mr. Reed, offers a hearty "Good afternoon!" He welcomes them in, brings them drinks and promises a blueberry pie. He's also interested in learning more about the church. So far, so good.
Mr. Reed is, of course, if you've seen the poster, the baddie and he's played by Hugh Grant, who doesn't go the snarling, dead-eyed Hannibal Lecter route in "Heretic." Grant is the slightly bumbling, bashful and self-mocking character we fell in love with in "Four Weddings and a Funeral," but with a smear of menace. He gradually reveals that he actually knows quite a bit about the Mormon religion — and all religions.
"It's good to be religious," he says jauntily and promises his wife will join them soon, a requirement for the church. Homey touches in his home include a framed "Bless This Mess" needlepoint on a wall, but there are also oddities, like his lights are on a timer and there's metal in the walls and ceilings.
Writer-directors Scott Beck and Bryan Wood — who also... Read More