Bicoastal production company Honor Society has added Cary Murnion as executive creative producer. In this new role, he will oversee all in-house creative direction, partner with roster directors on concepts for branded and entertainment projects, as well as serve as executive producer at Honor Society’s Los Angeles office. The multifaceted position is fitting for Murnion, who has spent his career between production and creative roles. He will also continue to be represented as a director on Honor Society’s roster as part of the directing duo Cary & Jon, having created branded content for the likes of Nike, Target, Visa, Cheetos, Hertz, Tylenol, Mountain Dew and Ford.
Honor Society founder/executive producer Megan Kelly has been collaborating with Murnion for over 15 years, having represented him as a director at Honor Society and previous production shops.
Murnion has directed, written and produced content for a wide range of entertainment studios and networks, including Lionsgate, Warner Brothers, XYZ Films, CBS, MTV, Nickelodeon, Logo, Bravo, and Comedy Central. He has managed both large and small teams of creatives and production crews ranging from teams of 150 down to strategic teams of five. He has extensive expertise in the process of creative development for TV, film and the many digital platforms. He co-founded the award-winning integrated studio HONEST in 1999, partnering with agencies and clients to create digital and interactive experiences for a nearly two-decade tenure.
Murnion and his directing partner Jon Milott work together as directors and creators of feature films, commercials, and digital media. Their second feature film, Bushwick, starring Dave Bautista and Brittany Snow, premiered at the 2017 Sundance Film Festival and at Cannes Directors’ Fortnight. Cary & Jon’s directorial feature debut, Cooties, premiered at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival and was distributed by Lionsgate. Cary & Jon’s work has been recognized by Sundance Film Festival, SXSW, Cannes, Webby Awards and FWA.
First-Time Feature Directors Make Major Splash At AFI Fest, Generate Oscar Buzz
Two first-time feature directors who are generating Oscar buzz this awards season were front and center this past weekend at AFI Fest in Hollywood. Rachel Morrison, who made history as the first woman nominated for a Best Cinematography Oscar---on the strength of Mudbound in 2018--brought her feature directorial debut, The Fire Inside (Amazon MGM Studios), to the festival on Sunday (10/27), and shared insights into the film during a conversation session immediately following the screening. This came a day after William Goldenberg, an Oscar-winning editor for Argo in 2013, had his initial foray into feature directing, Unstoppable (Amazon MGM Studios), showcased at the AFI proceedings. He too spoke after the screening during a panel discussion. The Fire Inside--which made its world premiere at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival--tells the story of Claressa “T-Rex” Shields (portrayed by Ryan Destiny), a Black boxer from Flint, Mich., who trained to become the first woman in U.S. history to win an Olympic Gold Medal in the sport. She achieved this feat--with the help of coach Jason Crutchfield (Brian Tyree Henry)--only to find that her victory at the Summer Games came with relatively little fanfare and no endorsement deals. So much for the hope that the historic accomplishment would be a ticket out of socioeconomic purgatory for Shields and her family. It seemed like yet another setback in a cycle of adversity throughout Shields’ life but she persevered, going on to win her second Gold Medal at the next Olympics and becoming a champion for gender equality and equitable pay for women in sports. Shields has served as a source of inspiration for woman athletes worldwide--as well as to the community of... Read More