London-based Academy Films is opening an office in Los Angeles after nearly 40 years of developing director, photographer and artist talent, creating work that's earned Cannes Lions, Yellow & Black Pencils, AICPs, Clios and British Arrows.
The U.S. arm of Academy will be led by John Nguyen as managing director/EP. Having started his career producing commercials, documentaries and branded content, he has worked on both the creative agency and production company sides of the aisle. Most recently he served as executive producer at Hecho Studios, m ss ng p eces and RSA Films. Nguyen will be working alongside Medb Riordan and Simon Cooper, global managing directors and co-owners, to navigate this next phase in Academy’s already lauded history.
“It’s about time!” exclaimed Riordan. “Academy has spent so many years telling impeccable stories and breaking boundaries in filmmaking. We’ve never been limited to any specific creative output and we love that. The U.S. has been on our minds for so many years, and now with this roster of exciting, diverse and brilliant talent, and John Nguyen at the helm, we feel hungrier than ever to take on this new challenge and to work with some of the world’s greatest creative minds and brands in America.”
“Our relationship with the U.S. market has always been one-step removed, until now,” said Cooper. “We are immensely excited about the opportunity of working directly with U.S. agencies and brands and being able to bring Academy's passion and dedication to recognizing and developing new talent to the U.S. market.”
Nguyen added, “Academy has such a rich history for producing genre defining work as well as identifying and developing strong storytellers that have impeccable taste. I’m excited and honored to collaborate with Medb, Simon and Jon [director Glazer] as we bring forward the next generation of talent and chart the company’s next evolutionary phase in the U.S.”
Founded in 1985 by Lizie Gower, Academy’s guiding philosophy has always been to nurture and develop emerging young talent and this approach has led to their unrivaled reputation for launching stars of the future. Directors Jonathan Glazer, Kim Gehrig, Seb Edwards, Martin De Thurah, Frederic Planchon, Savanah Leaf, Nick Gordon and the directing duo Us all signed to Academy at the beginning of their careers. On top of developing emerging talent over the years, Academy has signed and worked with some of the biggest names in the industry including Ian Pons Jewell and Henry Schofield.
In 1999 Academy produced what is widely regarded as one of the best commercials ever made–Glazer’s “Surfer” for Guinness. The film won two D&AD Black Pencils and “Commercial of the Year” at almost every award show. The Times of London conducted a poll that voted “Surfer” as the most iconic ad of all time and the film continues to top ad polls inside and outside the industry.
“Opening Academy U.S. is arguably long overdue but how exciting to be here now,” said Glazer. “Building on Academy’s reputation in the UK, the new office translates that legacy into a U.S. based production hub where the creative opportunities remain as strong and exciting as ever. For our directing talent, this opens the doors for even more creative opportunities and sharing of ideas.”
As well as Glazer, Academy comes to the U.S. with a firmly established roster which includes:
- Sophia Ray has worked with Nike, Google, the BBC and recently directed the highly lauded “Sex X Cancer” campaign for BBH London. From a music video background, she has also worked with international music artists such as Little Mix, Sigrid and Years & Years.
- Jack Driscoll has worked on huge global campaigns for bet365, Gatorade, and Lays, with major sports stars like Messi and Jayson Taytum, and won numerous international awards.
- Novemba is the duo whose work crosses between high energy sports documentary to hard hitting, emotional storytelling, directing campaigns for Adidas, Amazon/Ad Council, Samsung and Uber. Their Frontline 19 Campaign, created with adam&eveDDB, won the agency its first D&AD Black Pencil. They are currently directing a huge TV doc series with Disney.
- Billy Boyd Cape, the highest awarded director at this year’s British Arrows, taking home nine awards over three spots for BBC, Alzheimers K and Justice & Care. BBC also won Best Of Show at the AICP Post Awards.
- Nadia, known for her sensitive casting, beautiful cinematography and after a successful 2022 campaign, she has recently shot the promo commercials for Netflix’s jewel The Crown, leading her to work with some of the industry’s most exciting acting talent.
Based in Los Angeles, the U.S office of Academy and its complete roster of directors, photographers and artists will be represented on the West Coast by 1961 Representation, and on the East Coast by Sasha Stern & Jamie Scalera of Miss Smith.
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