By Ric Anello
Editor’s Note: After 28 years in advertising—the last 11 at D’Arcy Masius Benton & Bow-les—Ric Anello is retiring from the agency business. Here he reflects on his experiences and shares some observations.
About getting that first job: Tough.
About getting out of the business: Even tougher. I believe people turn a corner after four years and advertising becomes part of their DNA.
About an advertising creative career: Very few other occupations offer the opportunity to engage in illustration, photography, music and film production. And then you get to see your contributions lift off the page and come to life.
About creative partners: It’s amazing what a difference the right partner can make. I’m guessing it must be something like cop teams. I know that while most of the art directors I have worked with have been talented, four have helped shape, if not change, my life.
About selling your work: In retrospect, probably some of the most valuable learning came from the flame-outs, but it never felt like it at the time.
About production: To paraphrase someone else—It’s not life and death, it’s much more important than that.
About account people: The best (unfortunately my own list is way too short) are critical to success, and the bad ones … usually are most responsible for failures.
About film directors: Ironically, same as with account people (except my best list here is much longer).
About clients: Very interesting relationship dynamics: Some were like parents. Others, like buddies. And one was even like one of my kids. But with everyone connected to great work—there was a relationship.
About the P.O.V. triangle among account service, creatives and clients: Well, the account people usually think the glass is half-empty. The creatives think it’s half-full. And the clients think the agency bought too big a glass.
About the ad journey: I end it feeling happy, appreciative and proud. But, most of all, I feel lucky to have been able to hang out with such cool fellow travelers along the way.
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