Durable Goods has signed director and producer Sam Ciaramitaro for U.S. commercial representation.
Ciaramitaro has helmed spots for such brands as Coca-Cola, Delta, Ford Motor Company, Hyundai, Kellogg’s, McDonald’s, Morgan Stanley, Nationwide, Porsche, Toyota and U.S. Army. He has placed his work at the forefront of social issues and conversations, with projects like his “Take me OUT to the Ballgame” spot for the Chicago White Sox–a bold statement in support of gay rights and inclusion within the White Sox fan community.
Ciaramitaro's work over the years has been awarded several Cannes Lions, earning his first win–a Cyber Lion–with a campaign for the U.S. Army, “Basic Training: The Making of an Army of One,” which tells a powerful story gleaned through his integration into basic training for the U.S. Army. Ciaramitaro also directed the Silver Lion-winning “Fibre cycle” for Kellogg’s, and garnered a Bronze Lion as a producer for S.C. Johnson/Glade’s “Scenting the Hope of Change." He additionally wrote, produced and directed a six-part docuseries for MLB that follows the American dream of six young athletes following their sport ambitions all the way to the major leagues.
Ciaramitaro’s experience has spanned the agency, production and client sides of the commercial and television business, fusing big picture brand perspectives with a nuanced creative approach.
Ciaramitaro launched his career as a producer at Leo Burnett, spending seven years producing culture-defining work for the agency, while expanding into directing for top client campaigns. Additional posts include VP/exec producer at FCB Chicago, and EP, director at Digitas Atlanta/NYC. He has worked as a producer and director on six continents, developing a global perspective that continues to inform and evolve his work. With extensive agency experience, Ciaramitaro harnesses a unique skill set that allows him to deliver resonant brand stories for scopes and screens of all sizes.
Prior to joining Durable Goods, Ciaramitaro was repped as a spot director by above + beyond films.
EP Rebecca Wray of Durable Goods said, “Sam’s work and attitude grabbed me from the start. He has a very thoughtful approach to presentation and pitching which comes from his agency and client background. Having been on the other side, he has extensive knowledge about how to pitch and win jobs and his work proves that.”
Ciaramitaro added, “Rebecca has built a dynamic team at Durable Goods and I’m looking forward to complementing the tremendous talent they’ve already assembled, as well as expand their offerings with my experience both in directing and producing.”
Review: Writer-Director Coralie Fargeat’s “The Substance”
In its first two hours, "The Substance" is a well-made, entertaining movie. Writer-director Coralie Fargeat treats audiences to a heavy dose of biting social commentary on ageism and sexism in Hollywood, with a spoonful of sugar- and sparkle-doused body horror.
But the film's deliciously unhinged, blood-soaked and inevitably polarizing third act is what makes it unforgettable.
What begins as a dread-inducing but still relatively palatable sci-fi flick spirals deeper into absurdism and violence, eventually erupting — quite literally — into a full-blown monster movie. Let the viewer decide who the monster is.
Fargeat — who won best screenplay at this year's Cannes Film Festival — has been vocal about her reverence for "The Fly" director David Cronenberg, and fans of the godfather of body horror will see his unmistakable influence. But "The Substance" is also wholly unique and benefits from Fargeat's perspective, which, according to the French filmmaker, has involved extensive grappling with her own relationship to her body and society's scrutiny.
"The Substance" tells the story of Elisabeth Sparkle, a famed aerobics instructor with a televised show, played by a powerfully vulnerable Demi Moore. Sparkle is fired on her 50th birthday by a ruthless executive — a perfectly cast Dennis Quaid, who nails sleazy and gross.
Feeling rejected by a town that once loved her and despairing over her bygone star power, Sparkle learns from a handsome young nurse about a black-market drug that promises to create a "younger, more beautiful, more perfect" version of its user. Though she initially tosses the phone number in the trash, she soon fishes it out in a desperate panic and places an order.
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