Production company Supply&Demand–with bases of operation in Venice, Calif., and Manhattan–has added director Ben Briand to its roster for U.S. representation spanning commercials and branded content. His commercial work has won a Cannes Silver Lion, B&T Award, and multiple Clio awards, among other honors.
Vogue China and Woolmark commissioned Briand to write and direct the romantic thriller Amour to launch their Vogue Film publication. His branded content film The Journey chronicles the life and career of Brazilian ballet dancer Ingrid Silva. The Activia-sponsored short film won a Cannes Lion.
Briand directed “First Dance” for Apple, marking the brand’s first commercial shot in Australia and celebrating the country’s legalization of same-sex marriage equality. He most recently completed the first national brand campaign for Strength to Give, part of The Australian Bone Marrow Donor Registry, which aims to encourage the next generation of stem cell donors in Australia. His commercial work also includes spots for Audi, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Nespresso, Schweppes, Valspar, and celebrity collaborations with Gal Gadot and Rose Byrne.
Briand wrote and directed the TV film Hammer Bay and is currently developing a project with Jon Chu (Wicked, Crazy Rich Asians) producing. Briand is slated to direct the Chu-produced project. Briand’s acclaimed narrative short films include the viral Apricot and Blood Pulls a Gun, which premiered at SXSW Film Festival. Briand recently finished shooting his next campaign for Audi.
Prior to joining Supply&Demand, Briand had most recently been repped in the U.S. market by Stink. He is currently handled by Collider for representation in Australia and New Zealand, and Dillinger for representation in France.
Briand remarked, “When Tim [Case, founder/EP of Supply&Demand] first reached out to me, he’d done his homework. It was very impressive. And it wasn’t all sugar-coated, which I really respected. His take on the material and his vision for where it could go captured my imagination. I am thrilled to partner with the whole S&D team.”
Case said of Briand: “I saw the work, I fell in love with it, I fought for it, and we won. I am mesmerized by Ben’s work. And I love Ben. Matt [Zion-Basile, S&D EP of new business] Charleen [Manca, EP/managing director], and I have huge expectations for him in the American market.”
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