Bicoastal production company Honor Society has signed directing team Jetpacks Go!–consisting of Alden Ford, Justin Tyler and Bobby Webster–for U.S. commercial representation. The directorial trio is known for its character-driven comedy work for such brands as Oral-B, Trident, Sprint, Ruffles, HP and Wiser’s Whiskey.
“Justin, Bobby and Alden’s background at UCB [Upright Citizens Brigade] gives them strong improv comedy experience as well as access to some of the best young comedy talent in the country,” noted Honor Society exec producer Megan Kelly. “Their most recent project for Subway also illustrates their ability to get natural comedic performances out of real people. The non traditional perspective of a directing trio allows them to cover more ground while shooting, enabling them to create dynamic content.”
Ford and Tyler of Jetpacks Go! have been collaborating as writers and comedians for nearly a decade out of the famed Upright Citizens Brigade Theater, having written and directed both scripted and non-scripted television for the likes of Comedy Central, MTV, MTV2, FUSE, Nickelodeon and Fox Sports1. Webster brings a background in film to the trio, having written and directed shorts and commercials, as well as shooting independent feature films and the Oscar-winning short film “God of Love.” As a team, Jetpacks Go! has upcoming work for Honeywell, Stonyfield and Subway.
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