Filmmaker John Poliquin has joined Superlounge for exclusive spot representation in the U.S. His clientele spans brands, networks and agencies including Digitas, FCB, GQ, Honda, Interscope Records, L’Oreal, MTV, and NBC Universal. He was previously repped by Derby Content.
Equally at ease with dialogue and visually-driven material, the director frequently weaves live action, visual effects and engaging performances into his storytelling. “We Are All Made of Stars,” Poliquin’s client-direct campaign for S’well, won this year’s Communicator Award for Excellence. His “Hydration Magic” (which won in 2016) blends beauty and humor, as an art installation becomes a water balloon fight. Further, eBay’s “Dad” (via Digitas/San Francisco) shows Poliquin’s ability to perfectly calibrate dialogue and sentiment.
Born in Vancouver. Canada, Poliquin moved his way clockwise to Toronto, then New York City and has finally landed in Los Angeles. He has shot around the world, from Moscow to the Canary Islands, across Asia, Europe and South America. Poliquin has directed, written and produced feature films, television, commercials, music videos and branded films. He received The One Club’s "One To Watch" honor in 2015 and is the recipient of numerous iHeartRadio MuchMusic Video Awards (MMVA), including Video of the Year for 2014’s Hedley “Anything” and Best EDM/Dance Video with Grand Theft's “Quit This City” in 2016.
“I love working with talent, choreographing and blocking scenes, and designing shots with previs software,” said Poliquin of the many hats he wears as a director. His heavy postproduction and visual effects background led to the creation of his own boutique visual effects shop, Digital Interference. “Storytelling begins with a great concept, but it ends in post.”
“John’s work is markedly original, dynamic, and inspiring,” said executive producer Vicki Williams, who presides over Superlounge alongside EP Dave Farrell.
Poliquin related, “Dave and Vicki are industry veterans with a great perspective on today’s landscape. Superlounge has an intimate vibe, with a roster of top-notch talent.” The director noted that while the company’s directors lean toward comedy, “I feel we complement one another stylistically.”
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