Allison Hayes has joined Carmichael Lynch as its newest creative director.
Hayes comes over from Venables Bell & Partners in San Francisco, where she was the creative lead on clients including 23&Me, Audi, Massage Envy, 76 and Phillips 66. She’s also spent time at 72andSunny, where she worked on Samsung and Sonos, and Arnold Worldwide in Boston.
Over her career, Hayes has helped create such notable work as Audi’s timely Super Bowl commercial, “Daughter,” which aired in the wake of the presidential election, and Samsung’s “Next Big Thing with Jay Z,” an exclusive album launch with the iconic artist. Her work has been recognized by numerous international award shows including Cannes, the AICP Show, the One Show and others.
Of her new roost, Hayes said, “I was attracted to their collaborative culture, creative storytelling and willingness to adapt in our changing industry. Marty [Senn, Carmichael Lynch’s CCO] has built an impressive team and I’m excited to be a part of the continued evolution of this company.”
An art director by trade, Hayes also writes and maintains a fair-trade fashion brand, called The & Collection, which champions artisans in India.
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