Recent successes include “Back to the 90s” video which has generated 60 million views thus far on Facebook
Having helmed the recently debuted, much watched, buzz-generating comedy-meets-hip-hop video “Back to the 90s” featuring himself and Jensen Reed, director and social media influencer Ben Giroux has joined Superlounge for exclusive commercial representation in the U.S. Superlounge is director Giroux’s first spotmaking roost.
“Back to the 90s” debuted May 1 on Facebook, racking up 1 million views in 10 hours, earning 60 million views on the platform to date. That video is just the latest success for Giroux, whose prolific comedy career spans content creation for networks like FML, FailBlog and FRED, roles on NICK, Disney and more, and work in which he learned from some of the most acclaimed directors in the business, including The Farrelly Brothers, Christopher Guest, and David O. Russell.
“Ben has the background to support whatever platform or medium we might be engaged in,” said Vicki Williams, Superlounge executive producer, national sales. “One look at his work in TV, musical comedy and the viral space, and it’s clear that he is the right director at the right time to make a big splash in our industry.”
“You want to align yourself with people who not only get work, but who attract work in the same creative space,” said Giroux of his decision to join Superlounge, which is overseen by Williams, EP Dave Farrell and director/partner Jordan Brady. Giroux was cast years ago in a Brady-directed Build-A-Bear spot. “So much of Jordan’s work appeals to me as a comedian, both in terms of sensibility and quality,” Giroux said. “And if I can say a word about Jordan, Dave and Vicki, I’ll simply say that when you’ve been in this town for a while, the cream rises to the top and stands out. These are really creative and amazing people, with whom I’m honored to be joining forces.”
As a social media influencer, Giroux’s viral digital content has collectively amassed over 100 million views globally. Most recently, after “Back to the 90s” charted at #11 on Billboard, Giroux and Reed hooked up with the Backstreet Boys in Las Vegas. Giroux has directed short films with Oscar-winner J.K. Simmons and Seinfeld-alum Danny Woodburn, in addition to creating viral comedy content for multiple YouTube mega brands. On camera, Giroux has recurred and guest-starred on dozens of television series and national commercial campaigns, in addition to voicing hundreds of television and radio advertisements over the last decade.
“I have always felt like a director, even when I’ve been on set as an actor,” Giroux recalled. “I’d observe the process, learning from these great directors. It was a hat that I couldn’t take off even if I wasn’t wearing it.”
“Ben’s expertise–from directing kids to telling stories with more edgy humor–is impressively broad,” Williams noted. Giroux observed that his grown-up fans tend to be on Facebook while his youth-oriented fan base follows him on Instagram (he currently stars as Mikey Munroe in Nickelodeon’s animated series Bunsen Is A Beast, with recurring roles on numerous networks).
Asked about acting in branded projects given the visibility of “Back to the 90s” (which was covered on KROQ, BuzzFeed, Just Jared, Perez Hilton, Splitsider and more), Giroux said, “My interest is in staying behind the camera, but naturally there are some really exciting opportunities to leverage the Jensen Reed/Ben Giroux personas for musically comedic stuff for a brand.” He concluded, “For me, as a filmmaker and comedy devotee, I want to utilize whatever serves the comedy the best.”
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