Giovanni Messner has come aboard the directorial roster of brother, the bicoastal production company headed by EP Rich Carter and director Ted Melfi (whose new feature Hidden Figures is generating considerable Oscar buzz).
Messner’s background includes serving for five-plus years as creative director at The Zizo Group, a new media agency and production company where he created digital content for major brands. His notable work there included following soldiers as they returned to their families after a 15-month tour of duty (Walmart/USO), documenting the neo-natal intensive care unit with the parents of a baby born four months early (Pampers), and making over 40 short films in 17 countries for the 2012 and 2014 Olympic Games (Procter & Gamble).
Messner has directed commercials for Levi’s, Gerber, eBay, Dupont, Comcast, Hallmark, Pampers, Merck, Electrolux and a series of Tide ads starring Jeremy Maguire (Modern Family) that premiered during the 2016 Oscar telecast and generated millions of views online.
Messner’s mesh of authentic storytelling and cinematic imagery has won awards ranging from Clios to multiple Tellys and a Catalyst, in addition to being shortlisted for the YouTube Young Lions at the Cannes Advertising Festival. His series Raising an Olympian was nominated for Best Documentary Series at the International Academy of Web Television Awards.
Messner had earlier been handled by The Famous Group for spots and branded content. He said that among the factors drawing him to brother was the opportunity to work with Carter and Melfi who “bring a tremendous amount of experience in the commercial and film worlds that I expect I’ll learn a great deal from."
An “Unstoppable” Premiere At The Toronto Film Festival
A few hours before the film about his life, "Unstoppable," was to premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival, Anthony Robles, sitting alongside the actor who plays him, Jharrel Jerome, was remembering the moment he won the NCAA wrestling national title.
He had done something that was, by any measure, extraordinary. Robles was born without his right leg. Through grit and determination, Robles had risen to be the best 125-pound wrestler in the country. But the last thing on his mind at that moment was Hollywood.
"I was sitting there showering off after the match," Robles says. "I was excited and then I was like, 'I gotta find a job. I gotta start getting my resume together.' I never got into any of this for the attention."
"Unstoppable," which premiered Friday night in Toronto, was one of the most-anticipated premieres of the festival partly because of outside drama. The film is produced by Ben Affleck and Matt Damon and co-stars Jennifer Lopez as Robles' mom, Judy. But if all the talk going in was about who would turn up between Affleck and Lopez (Lopez did), the talk after the movie belonged to Robles and Jerome.
The film, directed by the Oscar-winning editor William Goldenberg ("Argo," "Heat") and which Amazon MGM will release in December, is in many ways a conventional sports drama, with an uplifting message and terrific supporting performances from Lopez, Don Cheadle, Michael Peña and Bobby Cannavale. But it also, rather than building toward one big challenge, takes a more naturalistic path. Robles, as played by Jerome, doesn't face a hurdle or two. He faces continual adversity, at home and on the mat.
"That's honestly how I felt going through my life," says Robles, who redshirted as a freshman at Arizona State... Read More