Rocket Film has added director and photographer Peggy Sirota to its roster for exclusive commercial representation in the U.S.
One of the best-known photographers in the entertainment industry, Sirota has photographed some of the most famous personalities in the world, including Madonna, Brad Pitt, Julia Roberts, President Obama, and the Dalai Lama. Sirota’s career began when she taught herself how to use a camera while working at a Fred Segal in Hollywood and started shooting headshots for her actor/model co-workers for a little extra cash. Known for creating evocative, authentic, emotional images that instantly connect you with her subject, Sirota’s portraits have graced the covers and pages of GQ, Rolling Stone, Vanity Fair, Esquire, Interview, ESPN, Vogue Italia, and many more. She has worked on campaigns for the likes of Apple, Nike, GAP, Adidas, Disney, Microsoft, Sony, Zegna, Barneys, Neiman Marcus, Patek Philippe, Toyota and Lincoln.
A creative groundbreaker in the advertising world, Sirota directed an iconic commercial for Volvo which gained much attention for infusing lifestyle imagery into automotive advertising. She started directing in 1994 for clients such as Amazon, L’Oreal, Target, Chrysler, Coca-Cola, Levi’s, Macy’s, and the widely celebrated Banana Republic and Clinique Happy spots.
Sirota said, “There’s an area in the advertising world that’s really interested in capturing very genuine, spontaneous filled moments. That spirit is very exciting to me and has always been a natural extension of the way I work.”
Sara Eolin, Rocket owner/managing director, said, “Peggy is a trailblazer. She continues to evolve her design aesthetic and keeps pushing new and innovative looks to her work, but somehow still stays true to quintessential Peggy Sirota style. Her work is sublime, and we’re thrilled to have such a master of her craft in our Rocket family.”
In 2000, Sirota released an interactive book of celebrity-in-disguise portraits, GUESS WHO? which challenges the reader to decipher the identity of her subjects, with all profits going to AIDS Project LA. A love of movement and instinctual awareness of body language is always at the core of her visual recipe. Prior to connecting with Rocket, Sirota had been handled by PRETTYBIRD for spot work.
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