The Mill has added Zack Kortright as an executive producer in its New York studio.
Kortright joins The Mill with a wealth of production experience from Hornet, where he was an EP and head of business development. Kortright has collaborated with brands such as Amazon, Facebook, Google, Sqaurespace and Spotify across Hornet, Passion Pictures and Not to Scale, and his work has garnered recognition from the AICP Show, CLIO, The One Show, Cannes Lions, SXSW and Sundance.
Barry Parkhill, managing director of The Mill NY, stated, “As The Mill continues to diversify the profile of work we create and the roster of clients we partner with, I’m excited to have Zack–with his extensive experience and unique understanding of the ever-evolving needs of clients–join our exceptional Executive Producer team to continue to extend our reach across brands, agencies and production companies.”
Eleanor Adds Director Candice Vernon To Its Roster For Spots and Branded Content
Director Candice Vernon has joined production house Eleanor for U.S. representation spanning commercials and branded content. She has already wrapped several jobs at Eleanor, which waited to announce her until they had a body of work together.
Via Eleanor, Vernon made history as the first Black director on a Febreze commercial. The “Small Spaces” campaign marks a major departure from Febreze’s typical blue-and-white world. The home of the “Revolving Door” commercial is a beautiful array of bold sunset hues, African prints, and African art.
Vernon said, “I asked myself, what feels right to me? What feels new? I wanted to bring an essence of not just Black Americans but the full diaspora. I wanted to make a statement that we’re not a monolith.”
Following the success of the “Small Spaces” campaign, Febreze brought Vernon back for a comedy-infused trifecta exploring the hilarious situations that call for an air freshening hero.
Febreze Brand VP Angelica Matthews said, “About two years ago, we realized the consumers that were the most loyal to Febreze were the African American consumers. And the more we learned, the more we realized the richness that we were really missing. So we said we have to go beyond just Black casting, we need to get Black directors that truly understand the culture that truly understand how to bring authentic performances out on screen. We really looked around the industry and noticed there’s actually a shortage of African American directors who have experience doing commercials. When we all saw Candice’s reel, we could all tell the passion for the craft, passion for really trying to help us from where we are to where we’re trying to go.”
Vernon brings a unique lens to... Read More