Director Ehsan Bhatti has joined The Corner Shop for U.S. representation. His credits span brands such as Louis Vuitton, Burberry, BMW, Porsche, Nike, Google, Samsung, and the NFL, creating an eclectic path from fashion-focused work to music videos, car campaigns and contemporary commercials, gaining recognition along the way at Cannes Lions, the Kinsale Shark Awards, Creative Circle Awards and Clio Awards.
Bhatti had previously been handled in the American ad market by production house Arts & Sciences. His coming aboard The Corner Shop roster reflects both a creative and cultural alignment. The Corner Shop was named by founder Anna Hashmi in 2013 as a reference to her British roots and South Asian heritage which are shared with the director who was born and raised in North London to South Asian parents.
To the disappointment of his parents, Bhatti chose DJ’ing over doctoring, touring on the European festival circuit after snagging a degree in architecture. Creative curiosity led him for round two of studies, in graphic design which opened his eyes to the world of filmmaking, with his first spot winning a YDA in Cannes.
Bhatti’s recent work for Google Speed Challenge, featuring Lil Yachty, Busta Rhymes and Lando Norris, illustrates a distinct filmmaking style celebrating street culture with authentic joy and playfulness. Bhatti’s efforts are geared to maximalist entertainment–fun, inclusive and reflective of his personality and view of the world. His Premier League spot, “No Room For Racism,” made for the U.K., not only shows the director’s multi-layered filmmaking style, but delivers a message of the importance of diversity in sports.
Hashmi said, “Ehsan’s talent and the personality he brings to his work are unsurpassed. He is an authentic voice whose passion and talent are infectious. His outlook and ambition to make great creative work, whilst bringing a different perspective and creating opportunities for people totally aligns with The Corner Shop culture and philosophy and I’m really excited to be representing him in the U.S. market.”
Ehsan shared, “Walking into The Corner Shop felt like a home. It’s a truly unique production company that practices what it preaches, and there’s no disguising my agenda as a filmmaker is to have impact both in front of, and behind the lens by giving a voice to the voiceless…without being too over sensitive or sentimental. In creating ‘fun’ entertainment, that can be surreal and somewhat silly, we can educate, inform and inspire a much wider audience, whatever the medium. So, naturally aligning with Anna and her band of merry directors, we’re filling a much needed brown-boy gap in the industry to make even more weird and wonderfully smiley films.”
The Corner Shop is represented by Ziegler Jakubowicz on the East Coast, Resource on the West Coast and Collective Management in the Midwest. Ehsan continues to be represented by Friend in the U.K., Spy Films in Canada, LoveBoat in France, Grayskull.tv in Spain, Represent in Germany, and Ransom Films in India.
After 20 Years of Acting, Megan Park Finds Her Groove In The Director’s Chair On “My Old Ass”
Megan Park feels a little bad that her movie is making so many people cry. It's not just a single tear either — more like full body sobs.
She didn't set out to make a tearjerker with "My Old Ass," now streaming on Prime Video. She just wanted to tell a story about a young woman in conversation with her older self. The film is quite funny (the dialogue between 18-year-old and almost 40-year-old Elliott happens because of a mushroom trip that includes a Justin Bieber cover), but it packs an emotional punch, too.
Writing, Park said, is often her way of working through things. When she put pen to paper on "My Old Ass," she was a new mom and staying in her childhood bedroom during the pandemic. One night, she and her whole nuclear family slept under the same roof. She didn't know it then, but it would be the last time, and she started wondering what it would be like to have known that.
In the film, older Elliott ( Aubrey Plaza ) advises younger Elliott ( Maisy Stella ) to not be so eager to leave her provincial town, her younger brothers and her parents and to slow down and appreciate things as they are. She also tells her to stay away from a guy named Chad who she meets the next day and discovers that, unfortunately, he's quite cute.
At 38, Park is just getting started as a filmmaker. Her first, "The Fallout," in which Jenna Ortega plays a teen in the aftermath of a school shooting, had one of those pandemic releases that didn't even feel real. But it did get the attention of Margot Robbie 's production company LuckyChap Entertainment, who reached out to Park to see what other ideas she had brewing.
"They were very instrumental in encouraging me to go with it," Park said. "They're just really even-keeled, good people, which makes... Read More