Director Joe Stevens has joined Kaboom productions for his first national representation in spots and branded content.
As content director for experimental optics label Shwood Eyewear, Stevens brought the brand’s ethos to life, both in the fashion world and in support of original makers and brand ambassadors with stories of style and substance. This view from the inside has helped make Stevens an astute partner for brands looking to develop an original voice through filmed narratives. Recent clients include Adidas, Union Wine Co., The James Brand, Louisville Slugger, Pendleton Woolen Mills, Genesis Archery, Widmer Brothers Brewing, Iron & Resin, Lund International, and Progressive Motorcycle Insurance.
In addition to directing, Stevens enjoys shooting, editing, and designing. Even when he’s not employing all disciplines, his work is informed by this wide-ranging skill set, holistic vantage point, and sharp eye.
Kaboom owner/EP Lauren Schwartz initially met Stevens through a twist of fate. She didn't intend to explore the possibility of bringing the Portland-based director onto the company roster. But their conversation quickly expanded to a dialogue about the industry, brand collaborations, and ultimately to working together. They struck up a rapport and Schwartz was impressed by Stevens’ work and work ethic. Schwartz assessed, “Joe directs with the beautiful visuals of a DP while weaving brands and stories effortlessly. He’s the real deal–that so-called millennial voice who is also grounded, engaged, and loves to create.”
Stevens recalled that he was “immediately taken with Lauren’s candor and enthusiasm. The more we dug into what it means to work in the industry today, it just made sense to join forces and see what we could create together.”
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