Production house Slash Dynamic, under the aegis of managing director Tanya Cohen, has paired its comedic director Kiran (aka Kiran Koshy) with car specialist Christian Uka to form The Chads. The directorial duo shares a passion for automotive advertising and is being positioned to uniquely meet the changing production needs of brands in that sector. Already The Chads have wrapped a pair of spots via Slash Dynamic–Nissan’s “The Meter” and Infiniti’s “Kevin.” This marks the first time Uka has been repped as a director.
When Uka (who’s African American) and Kiran (who was born in India) first met, the subject of diversity, or the lack thereof, in the advertising and production world came up. There’s a dearth of directors of color within the saturated world of commercial directors. They mused that they should perhaps give their collective a very white name, maybe the whitest name possible and use it to cheekily announce their extensive combined skill set. The Chads moniker rose to the top (The Cardigan Brothers came in second).
Kiran and Uka provide a blend of complementary, diverse skill sets as a team. An alum of SHOOT’s 2017 New Directors Showcase, Kiran comes from an agency background as a creative director, focused on humor, storytelling, performance and art direction, building a body of work as a solo director. Meanwhile Uka comes from a more technical/product/design orientation, having been on the brand side while gaining recognition for his talent as a photographer. His recent tenure at TBWAChiatDay as a product specialist sparked a passion for automotive photography, after working on hundreds of commercials, print shoots and custom vehicle projects.
“We are in an extremely competitive business. We want to present the most precise solutions to achieving the client and brand’s creative vision. The Chads’ unique background allowed us to do that. Obviously early on we discussed the huge lack of diversity in the business, which is why the moniker made so much sense,” said Slash Dynamic’s Cohen. “It was an amusing way to call out the lack of diversity in filmmaking. Kiran and I recently had deep and meaningful conversations about implicit bias and unconscious discrimination in marketing, and how it sometimes directly affected the decision-making process in advertising. We had been analyzing some of the projects we had bid, based on feedback from the clients and our interpretation of some interactions. Did they not want to give an Americana beer ad to someone they thought was culturally different? Lots of questions started coming up, and the answers were disheartening.”
This conversation takes on deeper meaning given current events as a massive global movement has taken hold with people demanding equality and embracing inclusiveness while at the same time dealing with the virus pandemic. As a female-owned business, Slash Dynamic is hopeful that its partnership with The Chads will help positively impact the ad arena not only in terms of creating standout work but helping to bring more diverse voices to the community.
“Heretic” and “Maria” Set As Red Carpet Premieres At AFI Fest
The American Film Institute (AFI) has announced that Heretic, the psychological thriller starring Hugh Grant, and Maria, based on the life of opera singer Maria Callas starring Angelina Jolie, will round out the Red Carpet Premieres section at this year’s AFI Fest. The Heretic Gala Screening will take place on Thursday, October 24, and the Maria Gala Screening will be held on Saturday, October 26. The complete Red Carpet Premieres section includes the world premieres of Music By John Williams, Robert Zemeckis’ Here, Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl and Clint Eastwood’s Juror #2. All Red Carpet Premieres will take place at the historic TCL Chinese Theatre. The full lineup for AFI Fest 2024 will be unveiled on October 1.
“At the heart of AFI Fest is an unwavering dedication to celebrating the best in global cinema--together,” said Bob Gazzale, AFI president and CEO. “We look forward to uniting artists and audiences once again to be inspired by the art form in a powerful sense of community.”
Heretic follows two young missionaries (Sophie Thatcher and Chloe East) who are forced to prove their faith when they knock on the wrong door and are greeted by a diabolical Mr. Reed (portrayed by Grant), becoming ensnared in his deadly game of cat-and-mouse. The film is directed by Scott Beck and Bryan Woods and produced by Stacey Sher, Beck, Woods, Julia Glausi and Jeanette Volturno. The film will be released nationwide by A24 on November 8.
Directed by Pablo Larraín, Maria presents a tumultuous and beautiful depiction of one of the world’s most renowned artists and reimagines the legendary soprano in her final days in Paris, as Callas (Jolie)... Read More