Caruso Company has signed Doug Walker for exclusive representation as a director for commercials, branded content and other projects. Walker, who is also an editor and co-founder of the editorial and post house 1606 Studio, has collaborated frequently with San Francisco-based Caruso Company on directing projects as an independent, most recently on an image campaign for the University of Arizona Health Sciences via San Francisco agency Novio. Past collaborations include work for Almond Breeze, Intel, Facebook, Wells Fargo and Norton Utilities.
Signing Walker marks a shift in business strategy and the beginning of a growth initiative for Caruso Company. Executive producer and company founder Robert Caruso said he plans to build a roster of directors who share the company’s creative focus and work ethic, and make a long-term commitment to their career growth. “Our goal is to complement our pool of curated director talent with a select roster of like-minded filmmakers” Caruso explained.
Caruso Company is also broadening its sales reach and has secured West Coast and Midwest representation via Doug Sherin and Kimberly Griswold of Los Angeles-based indie firm Options.
Walker said that his alliance with Caruso Company allows him to pursue directing and editing opportunities in tandem. “I’ve got a great relationship with Robert and it’s allowed me work on projects as both director and editor,” he said. “For me, there is nothing better than to take a project through production as the director and then edit it, sharing the vision with the creative team instantly. That’s something unique that I have to offer.”
Walker’s new work for University of Arizona Health Sciences includes a two-minute brand film that seeks to capture the uniqueness of the medical school by highlighting its surroundings and people. It features a blend of panoramic landscape imagery with emotionally-rich lifestyle vignettes.
The campaign is a testament to how Walker’s work as a director has evolved and matured, according to Caruso. “He finds the truth in the story,” Caruso observed. “He has an eye for authenticity that is in tune with a lot of great advertising and branded media today. He is very good at casting and directing real people and an excellent storyteller. His background as an editor has sharpened his eye as a director and it gives him a singular perspective. He also has the experience of working with A-list directors and has learned a lot from studying their approaches and processes.”
Caruso Company’s scope extends to broadcast advertising, digital advertising, branded content, corporate media and original content. Caruso himself is an award-winning director and producer of hundreds of advertising and marketing projects. He has been honored at the Clio Awards, London International Advertising Awards, Anicom Animation Awards, MTV Awards and Grammy Awards. His background includes work with Industrial Light & Magic, HKM Films and Rhythm and Hues, and he has helmed projects for major ad agencies, Hollywood studios, record companies, Fortune 500 marketing teams and A-list celebrities.
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