Commercial production company Institute has added Ray Neutron to its directorial roster. Based in Atlanta, Neutron is an inquisitive storyteller working across both photography and video. This marks his first commercialmaking representation.
As a multi-talented creator, Neutron’s work resonates through authentically ephemeral human moments and timeless cinematic artistry. His visuals are informed by his professional background spanning portrait photography, audio engineering, and graphic design. He has been represented for photography through Institute’s sister company, Institute Artist, since 2020, with print clients including Airbnb, Apple, Oakley, Crown Royal, Pepsi, ESPN and Under Armour. He has recently been delving into a variety of motion work as well, with great success. Neutron directed the #Creators4BIPOC brand film for Logitech, the MLK Day short film for fashion brand Kith featuring Martin Luther King III, and both print and video ad campaigns for Atlanta’s Portrait Coffee. He has also directed numerous music videos, including Saint Cassius’ “Brown Skin Girls,” Natalie Lauren’s “Something Something,” and Luke James’ “Go Girl.” He recently directed the kaleidoscopic “Spread the Opps” music video for hip-hop artist Lecrae, which was produced by Institute. Additionally, he has served as creative director on multiple projects with artist Samora Pinderhughes, who recently received a rare $1 million grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.
“Ray’s talent is undeniable, and as part of the broader Institute family we’ve been fortunate to have a front-row seat as his career has evolved to encompass new mediums and more ambitious projects,” said Tori Palmatier, managing director at Institute. “We’re thrilled to officially welcome Ray to the Institute roster, and we look forward to a close collaboration across both Institute and Institute Artist on future projects.”
“I am super excited to be expanding our representation of Ray, now on our commercial roster at Institute, as he continues to grow as an multi-platform artist. The sky’s the limit with talent such as Ray,” said Frank Evers, president of Institute and Institute Artist.
“Working with Institute on the Lecrae video last year was such a seamless and supportive process, so when the opportunity came up for me to formally join the directing roster, I didn’t have to think twice,” shared Neutron. “As my career has grown and I’ve had more exposure to different parts of the creative process, I’m more empowered to create narratives that I would actually want to see on television, things that are surprising and stop the viewer in their tracks. Institute shares that ethos and it means a lot to know that Tori and the whole team want to support my vision and my work no matter what form it may take.”
Carrie Coon Relishes Being Part Of An Ensemble–From “The Gilded Age” To “His Three Daughters”
It can be hard to catch Carrie Coon on her own.
She is far more likely to be found in the thick of an ensemble. That could be on TV, in "The Gilded Age," for which she was just Emmy nominated, or in the upcoming season of "The White Lotus," which she recently shot in Thailand. Or it could be in films, most relevantly, Azazel Jacobs' new drama, "His Three Daughters," in which Coon stars alongside Natasha Lyonne and Elizabeth Olsen as sisters caring for their dying father.
But on a recent, bright late-summer morning, Coon is sitting on a bench in the bucolic northeast Westchester town of Pound Ridge. A few years back, she and her husband, the playwright Tracy Letts, moved near here with their two young children, drawn by the long rows of stone walls and a particularly good BLT from a nearby cafe that Letts, after biting into, declared must be within 15 miles of where they lived.
In a few days, they would both fly to Los Angeles for the Emmys (Letts was nominated for his performance in "Winning Time" ). But Coon, 43, was then largely enmeshed in the day-to-day life of raising a family, along with their nightly movie viewings, which Letts pulls from his extensive DVD collection. The previous night's choice: "Once Around," with Holly Hunter and Richard Dreyfus.
Coon met Letts during her breakthrough performance in "Who's Afraid of Virginia Wolfe?" on Broadway in 2012. She played the heavy-drinking housewife Honey. It was the first role that Coon read and knew, viscerally, she had to play. Immediately after saying this, Coon sighs.
"It sounds like something some diva would say in a movie from the '50s," Coon says. "I just walked around in my apartment in my slip and I had pearls and a little brandy. I made a grocery list and I just did... Read More