The organizers of the 61st Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, announced that the prestigious Lion of St. Mark award will this year be presented to director Joe Pytka in honor and celebration of his long and outstanding contribution to creativity in the advertising and communications industry.
“Director of some of the best and most well-known TV commercials, Joe Pytka’s prolific and accomplished work has had an enormous influence on TV advertising,” said Terry Savage, chairman of Lions Festivals. “Producing numerous award winning ads for many global brands, his creations have inspired and awed peers and audiences alike.”
Joe Pytka, director at production house PYTKA, began his career working evenings at WRS Motion Pictures before running a postproduction department for MGM Telestudios, after which he created a number of documentaries and dramatic films for WQED. His first production company with partner Rift Fournier specialized in creating independent documentaries and occasional commercials. Disenchanted with the lack of formality of the pure documentary form, Pykta turned his attention more to commercials. At the same time he experimented with early music video format in his documentary Maggie’s Farm and ‘High Flying Bird, a short film with Steve McQueen.
Pytka’s commercial career began to flourish, leading him to work with ad legends like Hal Riney to produce award winning work, and after breaking with Fournier, form an association with director Rick Levine before going out on his own.
His work with Riney included commercials for Blitz Weinhard Brewery, Gallo Winery’s Bartles and Jaymes Wine Coolers, and Perrier. At this time Pytka began working with BBDO’s Phil Dusenberry, producing award winning ads for Pepsi, General Electric, DuPont and FedEx. Pytka’s work with Wieden + Kennedy for Nike has been called ground-breaking and he’s been called ‘a genius’ for his IBM work with Steve Hayden. Pytka, the man behind many famous Super Bowl ads, has also become known for his work with celebrities including Madonna, Michael Jordan, Tom Hanks, Tiger Woods, Marlon Brando and President Obama to name a few. He’s also made two films and created videos for The Beatles, John Lennon and Michael Jackson.
As well as multiple Lions, Pytka has been awarded with two Cannes Lions Film Grand Prix – ‘Archaeology’ for Pepsi-Cola Company in 1985 and ‘Bill Heater’ for John Hancock Financial Services in 1986; seven Palme d’Or awards – 1979, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1993, 1994, 1995; and two Cannes 50th anniversary honorary Lions for best directing and best production.
Pytka said of the St. Mark award, “Cannes Lions has always been the benchmark by which great work is measured and has been the centre of my professional life. Vive Cannes Lions!”
Pytka will be presented with the Lion of St. Mark in Cannes, France, on Saturday, June 21. Previous recipients of the accolade are Lee Clow (2013), Dan Wieden (2012) and Sir John Hegarty (2011). The Lion of St. Mark trophy is based upon the original Lions awarded at the Festival which were modeled on the lion statue in St. Mark’s Square in Venice, location of the first Festival in 1954 and alternating host city with Cannes before Cannes became the Festival’s permanent home in 1984.
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