215 McCann has hired Aaron McGuire as creative technologist and Mandi Holdorf as executive producer.
McGuire becomes the shops first creative technologist, a role which 215 McCann’s chief creative officer Scott Duchon describes as “sitting between the creative and production departments to bring innovative ideas and new technology to life in real time.
Prior to joining 215 McCann, McGuire held positions at Hello Elephant, Argonaut, Evolution Bureau, and Crispin Porter + Bogusky. At CP+B, McGuire led groundbreaking digital projects for Volkswagen, Burger King and Domino’s, including the first tracking system to allow people to track their pizza at every stage of its creation and delivery. He was among the first external technologists that Facebook tapped during their IPO.
Holdorf joins 215 with nearly a decade of experience from Venables Bell & Partners where she led production for Audi of America and also directly produced campaigns for Conoco Phillips, Intel and eBay.
215 McCann, operating at the intersection of entertainment and technology, is a unit of McCann Worldgroup.
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