John X. Carey–who was nominated for the DGA Award as Best Commercial Director of 2013 on the strength of Real Beauty Sketches, a short film viral sensation for Dove out of Ogilvy & Mather, Sao Paulo–has joined Anonymous Content. Carey had formerly been handled by Tool of North America. He directed Real Beauty Sketches while at Paranoid US (his roost prior to Tool). The short went on to become the most viewed commercial of all time, the third most shared commercial, and winner of the Cannes Lions Titanium Grand Prix.
In the lauded short, a forensic sketch artist draws women based on self-descriptions and how others describe them. The differences are striking, underscoring that women’s self-image falls short of capturing their true beauty, as more accurately reflected through the eyes of others. The artist never actually sees the women he sketches. His drawings are based solely on the verbal descriptions given to him.
Since the major splash made by Real Beauty Sketches, Carey has continued to direct ambitious ad fare. This year alone his work includes: the Cannes Lion Grand Prix Pharma winner, Phillips’ “Breathless Choir”; University of Phoenix’s “Voicemail” featuring NFL star receiver Larry Fitzgerald remembering his late mother; and “Dillan’s Voice” for Apple, sharing the moving triumph of an autistic teen who learns to express himself through using an iPad.
Carey’s work over the years has garnered 50 wins and nominations at commercial award competitions such as One Show, AICP Show, D&AD, Clios, and Cannes Lions.
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