Stink Films has signed director Will Mayer for global representation. He joins a company directorial roster which includes Eliot Rausch, Nicolas Winding Refn, Nacho Gayan, and Lauren Caris Cohan.
Mayer’s background in documentary filmmaking imbues his work with a sense of authenticity and human connection. He shared, “What I aim for above everything is emotion and honesty.” A recent collaboration with Wieden+Kennedy, Portland, Ore., for Samsung tells the story of Russell Westbrook and the community that drove him to become MVP of the NBA this past season. B-Reel, which was Mayer’s roost prior to joining Stink, loaned out the director to Freeride Entertainment for the Samsung short.
Mayer began directing for Vans at the age of 14, traveling the world with its professional snowboarders, skaters and surfers while still in high school. Through his work with Vans, Mayer met Stink Films director Rausch, who introduced him to commercial directing and became his mentor.
Now 23, Mayer is based in Los Angeles and has created work for clients including Vans, Google, Gatorade, Samsung, Skoda and Under Armour.
Said Jeff Baron, Stink Films’ managing director, “Will was introduced to me by Eliot Rausch. When he sent me his reel, I saw a small body of work that showed a maturity way beyond his years. He has the ability to drift between documentary films and narrative fiction. He has a keen eye and real sense of style. I’m really attracted to his potential more than anything. If he is doing this kind of work at this stage of his career, I can’t wait to see what the next few years will bring.”
Mayer stated, “Stink Films feels like the perfect team to collaborate and grow with. Their culture and community transcends the traditional director/production company relationship, and their roster is filled with close friends whose work I respect and admire.”
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