Director Anthony Pellino has come aboard the roster of Alkemy X for exclusive representation for advertising and branded content. His credits span such brands as Nike, Reebok, Lexus and Uber. Pellino’s most recent effort is a spot for Peloton in which a trainer describes her passionate approach toward working with athletes.
Alkemy X director of production Jim Huie said of Pellino, “His sports imagery is authentic and exhilarating, and he makes brilliant use of lighting and camera movement to draw the viewer into each shot.”
Pellino launched his directorial career in 2017 shortly after graduating from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts. A few months later, he was included in SHOOT’s New Directors Showcase largely on the strength of a web video for Spalding. Centering on Portland Trailblazers basketball star Damian Lillard, the piece looks past the stereotypical way professional athletes are portrayed in the media to reveal the immense effort and dedication that fuels their success. “My approach is to grab the viewer from the opening moment with exciting and invigorating images,” Pellino noted. “I believe it’s essential to latch onto people from the get-go.”
A more recent project is "No Limitations," a PSA from Saatchi & Saatchi, New York, for the National Down Syndrome Society. Produced by Curfew, Pellino’s roost prior to joining Alkemy X, the public service work features moving portraits of individuals with Down syndrome who have accomplished incredible feats. Pellino also directed the pilot episode for an at-home video series for Rumble Boxing, slated to debut next year.
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