The Traveling Picture Show Company (TPSC) has signed comedy director Chad Einbinder for exclusive representation. He has multiple ADDY Awards under his belt for directing and co-writing a string of Del Taco webisodes; other credits include spots and brand work for Auto MD and clients like Microsoft, Sirius-XM Radio and ESPN.
Einbinder hails from a wide-ranging comedic background as an improviser, writer-performer, and live-action branded content director. He got his start with the prominent comedy troupe the Groundlings, and later as an opening stand-up act for the band Three Dog Night. He has worked with and directed actor-comedians like Sarah Silverman and celebrity sport talents like Stanley Cup Champions, the Chicago Blackhawks. Einbinder earned inclusion into SHOOT’s 2007 New Directors Showcase.
Einbinder’s passion for comedy takes him to clubs two to three nights a week. “I’m always on the look out for new talent that my agency clients might never get a chance to see otherwise,” said Einbinder. “Casting is not only an extremely important part of the process, but it is also one of my favorites.” Exceptional casting is the basis from which Einbinder is able to cajole supremely comical performances. “With my background as a both an on-stage and on-camera performer I understand what the actors face and what they need in order to pull out those simple hysterical, relatable moments that seal the deal from the first to the final laugh.”
With a passion for clever dialogue, visual gags, and a wealth of production experience, Einbinder complements TPSC’s growing roster with his well-tuned aptitude for comedy. “He’s a funny and talented guy, and a triple threat to boot–an actor, writer, and director,” said TPSC executive producer/partner John Noble. “Chad’s got that classic comedic training, from the Groundlings to doing stand-up. He brings a lot of credible experience to the directing craft; he can be a savior on set when it comes to comedic problem solving. His funny ‘solution switch’ always seems to be in the ‘on’ position.”
Jennifer Kent On Why Her Feature Directing Debut, “The Babadook,” Continues To Haunt Us
"The Babadook," when it was released 10 years ago, didn't seem to portend a cultural sensation.
It was the first film by a little-known Australian filmmaker, Jennifer Kent. It had that strange name. On opening weekend, it played in two theaters.
But with time, the long shadows of "The Babadook" continued to envelop moviegoers. Its rerelease this weekend in theaters, a decade later, is less of a reminder of a sleeper 2014 indie hit than it is a chance to revisit a horror milestone that continues to cast a dark spell.
Not many small-budget, first-feature films can be fairly said to have shifted cinema but Kent's directorial debut may be one of them. It was at the nexus of that much-debated term "elevated horror." But regardless of that label, it helped kicked off a wave of challenging, filmmaker-driven genre movies like "It Follows," "Get Out" and "Hereditary."
Kent, 55, has watched all of this — and those many "Babadook" memes — unfold over the years with a mix of elation and confusion. Her film was inspired in part by the death of her father, and its horror elements likewise arise out of the suppression of emotions. A single mother (Essie Davis) is struggling with raising her young son (Noah Wiseman) years after the tragic death of her husband. A figure from a pop-up children's book begins to appear. As things grow more intense, his name is drawn out in three chilling syllables — "Bah-Bah-Doooook" — an incantation of unprocessed grief.
Kent recently spoke from her native Australia to reflect on the origins and continuing life of "The Babadook."
Q: Given that you didn't set out to in any way "change" horror, how have you regarded the unique afterlife of "The... Read More