Director Lena Tsodykovskaya–a.k.a. Lena–has signed with ContagiousLA (CLA) for exclusive spot and branded longform representation in the U.S.
Originally from Moscow, Lena (whose last name is pronounced SOH-DEE-COV-SKY-YA) already has amassed a list of international spot directing credits, working with brands like McDonald’s, Coca-Cola, Adidas, L’Oreal, and agencies BBDO, DDB, McCann Erickson and TBWA, among many others. In the Russian market, her commercial for Rostelekom, entitled “Phone,” won Best Directorial Debut at the 25th Frame Advertising Festival. CLA is the first stateside roost for Lena, who is represented in Europe by Suprette.
Lena’s commercialmaking is complemented by a host of longform projects. Sometimes, the two intersect. Such was the case with her webseries, “Life’s Complicated,” for Raiffeisen Bank. The series premiered to over 7 million views on YouTube Russia in its first three days of release and remained in the Top 10 most popular videos for the following week. The connective tissue in Lena’s work is a blend of visual panache, empathy and a touch of the absurd. A perfect example is Rostelekom’s aforementioned “Phone,” a tender, humorous story in which the two main characters are a boy and the landline he outgrows during his lifetime.
“When I saw Lena’s work, I was in the middle of preparing for a long trip to Asia, and dropped everything to meet her right before I left,” said CLA co-founder/executive producer Natalie Sakai. “Her work is visceral and unexpected, sucks you in and doesn’t let go. It’s addictive to watch, and a touch reminiscent of the ‘80s which I love.”
Lena shared, “I love anything with great characters, and the chance to give common situations a unique spin.” Raiffeisen Bank’s “Cinderella’s Shoe” for Raiffeisen Bank, created via MullenLowe, is another highlight, offering an edgy, stylized approach to the classic fable. “I was restrained at first, because this is for a bank, but they wanted me to push it, and we were all thrilled with the finished spot.” Lena appreciates the creative freedom many clients and agencies provide, but noted, “I’m a team player, first and foremost–I’m respectful of their vision and hope to bring something to the process that helps fulfill that.”
After graduating from Columbia University in 2016 with her short, “Mother’s Day,” nominated for an HBO Production Grant, Lena made her U.S. debut in advertising, which garnered the ASCAP Best Collaboration with Musicians Award.
As a writer/director, Lena has a new short film shooting in September–a comedy about two high school girls desperately looking for a fight–and a second, dramatic film that is moody and visual. Her writing partner is scripting the director’s feature debut, all part of a Pandora’s Box of endless plans. “I never sit around. I always want to do more and show more,” Lena explained. Regarding CLA, she concluded, “I’m so excited for our first project together, whatever it may be.”
Lena joins a CLA directorial roster which includes Andrew Laurich, Daniele Anastasion, Brandon Bray, Jeff Jenkins, Erik Anderson, and Ben Ketai.
Carrie Coon Relishes Being Part Of An Ensemble–From “The Gilded Age” To “His Three Daughters”
It can be hard to catch Carrie Coon on her own.
She is far more likely to be found in the thick of an ensemble. That could be on TV, in "The Gilded Age," for which she was just Emmy nominated, or in the upcoming season of "The White Lotus," which she recently shot in Thailand. Or it could be in films, most relevantly, Azazel Jacobs' new drama, "His Three Daughters," in which Coon stars alongside Natasha Lyonne and Elizabeth Olsen as sisters caring for their dying father.
But on a recent, bright late-summer morning, Coon is sitting on a bench in the bucolic northeast Westchester town of Pound Ridge. A few years back, she and her husband, the playwright Tracy Letts, moved near here with their two young children, drawn by the long rows of stone walls and a particularly good BLT from a nearby cafe that Letts, after biting into, declared must be within 15 miles of where they lived.
In a few days, they would both fly to Los Angeles for the Emmys (Letts was nominated for his performance in "Winning Time" ). But Coon, 43, was then largely enmeshed in the day-to-day life of raising a family, along with their nightly movie viewings, which Letts pulls from his extensive DVD collection. The previous night's choice: "Once Around," with Holly Hunter and Richard Dreyfus.
Coon met Letts during her breakthrough performance in "Who's Afraid of Virginia Wolfe?" on Broadway in 2012. She played the heavy-drinking housewife Honey. It was the first role that Coon read and knew, viscerally, she had to play. Immediately after saying this, Coon sighs.
"It sounds like something some diva would say in a movie from the '50s," Coon says. "I just walked around in my apartment in my slip and I had pearls and a little brandy. I made a grocery list and I just did... Read More