The Ridley Scott Creative Group has opened its first office in Amsterdam. The creation of Ridley Scott Creative BV Amsterdam comes as the global transmedia group looks to explore creative opportunities in the Netherlands and Europe, building on recent successes and capitalizing on commercial growth in the region.
Established in 2018 to gather the collective of RSA Films, Scott Free, Black Dog Films, and Darling Films, the Ridley Scott Creative Group spans commercial, content, and entertainment production with a director roster encompassing moving image, photography, animation, illustration, and creative direction. The Creative Group will aim to strengthen agency relationships in Europe and create opportunities for new and existing European and global clients, helping brands to penetrate culture through entertainment content. The Group will continue to be headquartered in London, with offices in L.A., New York, Hong Kong, and Shanghai.
Former Wieden+Kennedy executive producer Ross Plummer will assume the role of managing director in Amsterdam. During his time across Wieden+Kennedy Amsterdam and Portland, Plummer produced iconic, global campaigns for Coca-Cola, Honda, Under Armour, EA, ESPN, Netflix, Heineken, and Nike. “I’m hugely excited to be returning to Amsterdam with the Ridley Scott Creative Group,” said Plummer. “The industry in this city aligns with our focus on creativity and entertainment and provides the perfect location for our European office. I’m really looking forward to working with everyone, across the Group.”
Plummer will be joined by business director Bart Hendrikx who has previous experience building satellite offices for MassiveMusic in London and Parasol Island in Berlin, and in roles at 20th Century Fox, VH1, Fox Television, and Endemol. Hendrikx brings international expertise in the fields of advertising, television, feature film, and digital communication. “The Ridley Scott Creative Group has been defining storytelling over the past fifty years,” said Hendrikx. “And I am very much looking forward to working with the Creative Group companies and all my friends and colleagues in Europe to make some outstanding branded entertainment.”
Ridley Scott commented, “Last year we brought together our talent, capabilities, and creative resources under the Ridley Scott Creative Group. Now I’m delighted to open a new home for the Group in Amsterdam. I have every confidence in the great team we’ve assembled, and I’m looking forward to exploring all the possible partnerships and creative opportunities available to us throughout Amsterdam and the rest of Europe.”
Ridley Scott Creative Group CEO Luke Scott said, “Some of our most exciting recent projects have come through our partnerships with agencies in Europe. And whilst our team continues with the excellent work in our respective global offices, we’re thrilled to be in a position to further promote our production capabilities throughout Europe.”
Jennifer Kent On Why Her Feature Directing Debut, “The Babadook,” Continues To Haunt Us
"The Babadook," when it was released 10 years ago, didn't seem to portend a cultural sensation.
It was the first film by a little-known Australian filmmaker, Jennifer Kent. It had that strange name. On opening weekend, it played in two theaters.
But with time, the long shadows of "The Babadook" continued to envelop moviegoers. Its rerelease this weekend in theaters, a decade later, is less of a reminder of a sleeper 2014 indie hit than it is a chance to revisit a horror milestone that continues to cast a dark spell.
Not many small-budget, first-feature films can be fairly said to have shifted cinema but Kent's directorial debut may be one of them. It was at the nexus of that much-debated term "elevated horror." But regardless of that label, it helped kicked off a wave of challenging, filmmaker-driven genre movies like "It Follows," "Get Out" and "Hereditary."
Kent, 55, has watched all of this — and those many "Babadook" memes — unfold over the years with a mix of elation and confusion. Her film was inspired in part by the death of her father, and its horror elements likewise arise out of the suppression of emotions. A single mother (Essie Davis) is struggling with raising her young son (Noah Wiseman) years after the tragic death of her husband. A figure from a pop-up children's book begins to appear. As things grow more intense, his name is drawn out in three chilling syllables — "Bah-Bah-Doooook" — an incantation of unprocessed grief.
Kent recently spoke from her native Australia to reflect on the origins and continuing life of "The Babadook."
Q: Given that you didn't set out to in any way "change" horror, how have you regarded the unique afterlife of "The... Read More