Beast New York, has hired Helena Lee as its executive producer. Lee honed her skills at leading post houses Red Car and Rock Paper Scissors, and previously worked as a freelance producer for such top creative agencies as Berlin Cameron, TBWAChiatDay and Crispin Porter + Bogusky.
Additionally Beast has secured Lisa Houck as a key member of its sales team. Houck, founder and president of Salon, will work out of Beast’s L.A. offices as West Coast outside sales representative covering the Los Angeles, Austin and San Francisco regions. Her production skills were polished in the development of Method Studios’ Method Labs as she led the acclaimed visual effects group.
Beast is the editorial component of Deluxe’s award-winning global Creative Services Group, which also includes feature and commercial post specialist Company 3 and VFX house Method Studios.
Beast has offices in Santa Monica, New York, Austin, Detroit, Chicago, Atlanta and San Francisco.
“A Different Man” Surprisingly Triumphs At Gotham Awards
In a surprise that stunned the audience of Hollywood’s first big awards-season bash, “A Different Man,” a dark comedy about doppelgängers, deformity and authenticity in acting, won best feature film at the 34th Gotham Awards on Monday night. Much can be unpredictable at the Gotham Awards, which uses small juries of insiders and film industry veterans to pick nominees and winners. But as the “A Different Man” ensemble, including Sebastian Stan and Adam Pearson, took the stage, writer-director Aaron Schimberg was in obvious disbelief. “I don’t think I’m the only person in this room who’s totally stunned,” said Schimberg. “Considering the other nominees, I thought it would be hubris to prepare a speech.” At a starry Gothams that drew Zendaya, Timothée Chalamet and Angelina Jolie, most were expecting triumph for Sean Baker’s “Anora,” a comedy about a sex worker who marries the son of a Russian oligarch. It came in the lead nominee, the Cannes Palme d’Or winner, and maybe a top best-picture contender at the Oscars, but went home empty-handed. Instead, the night belonged to the A24 release “A Different Man,” which stars Stan as a man with facial deformities who’s healed of them. He’s then upstaged by the character played by Pearson, who genuinely has neurofibromatosis, a condition that covers much of his face with benign skin tumors. The Gothams aren’t an Oscar bellwether, though several of its recent top winners – including last year’s winner “Past Lives,” as well as “Everything Everywhere All at Once” and “Nomadland” – have gone on to be nominated for best picture at the Academy Awards, with “Everything Everywhere” and “Nomadland” winning. Whether any of the winners Monday night —... Read More