Toronto-based director, producer, and photographer Leo Zuckerman has joined Golden LA for his first U.S. representation. His storytelling range is reflected in the lightning pace of his Toyota “Fun to Drive” spot and the nuanced touch of his documentary-style film for Indian Motorcycles featuring motocross legend Carey Hart. A passion for engineering and design is reflected in the precision of Zuckerman’s work. It was also the spark to an early affinity for editing, a process he understands fluently and weighs on markedly in his directorial approach.
For his “Letters” spot out of Team One, Zuckerman brings to life a visualization of the gratitude of Lexus customers, balancing the theme of human connection with artistry and technology. In the film, Leo captures the process of perceptual artist Michael Murphy as he transforms 2,000 thank you notes into a 3-D origami art installation, which from one side resembles a sedan, and from the other, the Lexus logo.
Originally hailing from Montreal, Zuckerman got his start making skate videos, using the first iterations of digital point-and-shoot video cameras. His interest matured and led him to film school, earning his BFA in Film Production from the University of British Columbia in Vancouver. Living at the foothills of the epic Coastal mountains fueled a deep love for the outdoors and pushed Leo into the world of big-mountain action sports filmmaking. Three of his early films, Elixir, Restless, and Above the Dust went on to become Vimeo Staff Picks.
In the wake, Zuckerman was courted by DDB Vancouver to direct his first award-winning ad campaign, “Dear Mum,” for the Canadian Tourism Commission, while he was still at university. Signing to Soft Citizen (where he continues to be repped in Canada), Zuckerman went on to make a name for himself in commercial advertising circles, creating captivating work for global brands including Hyundai, Samsung, Nike, Subaru, and Adidas.
Matthew Marquis, managing director at Golden, said, “Leo has the ability to ideate and conceive–to think of projects holistically. More and more in our market, we’re seeing boards that are a blend of genres and styles: one-third narrative, one-third automobile, one-third action sports. This hybrid of work is what Golden is all about. It’s also what Leo brilliantly delivers on. His approach to filmmaking breaks the traditional molds and propels us into the future.”
While his magnetism to the planet’s farthest reaches and most epic locations continues to power ongoing work for brands like Patagonia and Trek Bicycles, Zuckerman has seen his interests evolve to include a focus on narrative storytelling. “I’ve become fascinated with the interaction between humanity and technology.” A new long-format project, shared Zuckerman, is in the works. “It’s something I’m very excited about. An expression of an idea that’s been churning for a long time.”
The Golden LA studio is based in Venice.
Carrie Coon Relishes Being Part Of An Ensemble–From “The Gilded Age” To “His Three Daughters”
It can be hard to catch Carrie Coon on her own.
She is far more likely to be found in the thick of an ensemble. That could be on TV, in "The Gilded Age," for which she was just Emmy nominated, or in the upcoming season of "The White Lotus," which she recently shot in Thailand. Or it could be in films, most relevantly, Azazel Jacobs' new drama, "His Three Daughters," in which Coon stars alongside Natasha Lyonne and Elizabeth Olsen as sisters caring for their dying father.
But on a recent, bright late-summer morning, Coon is sitting on a bench in the bucolic northeast Westchester town of Pound Ridge. A few years back, she and her husband, the playwright Tracy Letts, moved near here with their two young children, drawn by the long rows of stone walls and a particularly good BLT from a nearby cafe that Letts, after biting into, declared must be within 15 miles of where they lived.
In a few days, they would both fly to Los Angeles for the Emmys (Letts was nominated for his performance in "Winning Time" ). But Coon, 43, was then largely enmeshed in the day-to-day life of raising a family, along with their nightly movie viewings, which Letts pulls from his extensive DVD collection. The previous night's choice: "Once Around," with Holly Hunter and Richard Dreyfus.
Coon met Letts during her breakthrough performance in "Who's Afraid of Virginia Wolfe?" on Broadway in 2012. She played the heavy-drinking housewife Honey. It was the first role that Coon read and knew, viscerally, she had to play. Immediately after saying this, Coon sighs.
"It sounds like something some diva would say in a movie from the '50s," Coon says. "I just walked around in my apartment in my slip and I had pearls and a little brandy. I made a grocery list and I just did... Read More