Director, producer and actress Elizabeth Banks has joined harvest films’ directorial roster for commercials and branded content.
Banks is one of a select group of actresses to successfully transition to the other side of the camera. She optioned, developed and produced the blockbuster cult classic Pitch Perfect and returned to the series in 2015 adding director to her many credits for Pitch Perfect 2. The film bowed to strong reviews, taking the #1 slot in box office sales (beating Mad Max: Fury Road and Avengers: Age of Ultron) and setting a record for a first-time movie director. Banks is also slated to direct the upcoming feature film reboot of Charlie’s Angels as well as an upcoming TV movie The Greater Good for 20th Century Fox Television.
Leslie Owens, Banks’ longtime producer, said, “Not only is she a champion of women, Elizabeth is an incredibly smart and gifted director and business woman. Harvest is a top-notch, well-respected and accomplished boutique production company with an array of awards to back that up. As a producer, I’m excited to be a part of this collaboration.”
Banks graduated Magna cum Laude from the University of Pennsylvania and began acting in 1998. Her breakthrough performance came in 2002 as secretary Betty Brant in Sam Raimi’s Spider Man. Since then, Banks has starred in an array of movie roles including The 40-Year-Old Virgin, Zack and Miri Make a Porno, Seabiscuit, The Hunger Games film series, Love and Mercy, as well as the upcoming Power Rangers. Her TV credits include regular roles on Modern Family (Emmy nomination, 2015), Scrubs, Wet Hot American Summer and NBC’s 30 Rock for which she earned two Emmy nominations for her role as Avery Jessup in 2011 and 2012.
Most recently, Banks launched WhoHaHa, a comedy website that puts funny women at center stage. No stranger to the small screen, Banks has directed shorts for Funny or Die, the award-winning Just A Little Heart Attack for The American Heart Association, as well as amusing ads for Annie’s Homegrown and Lucy’s Activewear.
Principals in harvest films are executive producer Bonnie Goldfarb and DGA Award-winning director Baker Smith who founded the company in the spring of 2001.
Droga5 Appoints Emma Montgomery As Global Chief Strategy Officer
Creative agency network Droga5 has appointed Emma Montgomery as global chief strategy officer. She is the third global appointment for the agency this year, with Pelle Sjoenell named worldwide chief creative officer this past March, and global CEO Mark Green recently appointed this fall. Montgomery will be responsible for connecting and supercharging Droga5’s strategy and creative offerings globally. She will be based in its headquarters in New York City.
“Emma is a world-class strategic leader and authority that I’ve long admired and dreamt of being partners-in-crime with,” said Sjoenell. “Her work inspires the creativity that connects people and brands in ways that move business and culture forward, so I’m excited to finally be able to work with her alongside Mark, and to see her lead and further strengthen our leadership and strategy teams around the world.”
Montgomery joins Droga5 after serving as CEO of DDB Chicago. She’s been in the industry for over 20 years, and has served in several high-level leadership positions throughout her career, including as president and CSO of Leo Burnett Chicago, global CSO of TBWA, and CEO of Leo Burnett Australia. She’s also worked across a breadth of categories and multiple global clients such as Kraft, Aldi, Diageo and Molson Coors, among many others, including challenger brands and startups.
“I’m excited to join Droga5 and have the opportunity to help carve out a new path for the brand globally, building on its tremendous legacy of creative leadership,” said Montgomery. “The potential of Droga5, combined with the possibilities of Accenture Song, was too exciting to pass up. No other agency has what they have, and as marketing shifts, the chance to make creativity a genuine... Read More