Cross-cultural agency the community has brought on Anomaly alumnus Matthew Kline as its new executive director, growth & partnerships. In this role, he will oversee all areas of business development and public relations, spearheading pitches and fostering new partnerships for the agency. Even though this appointment has been in the works for several months, his onboarding will occur virtually in light of COVID-19. Based in New York, Kline will report directly to president Luis Montero.
“At the community, we set out to help our clients stay ahead of the ever-changing commercial and cultural landscapes, a goal that remains more important now than ever before. Matt has a history of helping brands become more commercial by listening to consumers,” said Montero. “His cultural sensibility undoubtedly aligns with our agency’s ethos and will serve as an invaluable tool in the weeks ahead.”
With 15-plus years of experience in business development and client services, Kline has a proven track record of ushering in effective partnerships. During his time at Anomaly, he contributed to new business wins including NBCUniversal’s Peacock, Microsoft, Huda Beauty, and Abbott Diabetes Care , while also building partnerships with organizations like the ANA and AdColor. Prior to that, Kline oversaw new business at Zambezi, helping the agency double its size over the course of his tenure by building and growing relationships with the likes of Foot Locker, Adidas, and Cox Automotive. He has a background in talent representation, having started his career at Todd Shemarya Artists and Creative Artists Agency in Los Angeles where he developed commercial brand partnerships.
“The community embodies a constantly-evolving notion of culture. I’ve always admired how it moves seamlessly between multicultural and general market, breaking down the distinction between those two spheres,” said Kline. “I look forward to working with the team to help brands reflect and resonate with the fluidity of today’s audiences.”
Since opening its doors in 2001, the community has delivered lauded creative work for brands including Verizon, Mondelez, and Corona. Kline will begin expanding and deepening the global creative agency’s client roster immediately.
Jennifer Kent On Why Her Feature Directing Debut, “The Babadook,” Continues To Haunt Us
"The Babadook," when it was released 10 years ago, didn't seem to portend a cultural sensation.
It was the first film by a little-known Australian filmmaker, Jennifer Kent. It had that strange name. On opening weekend, it played in two theaters.
But with time, the long shadows of "The Babadook" continued to envelop moviegoers. Its rerelease this weekend in theaters, a decade later, is less of a reminder of a sleeper 2014 indie hit than it is a chance to revisit a horror milestone that continues to cast a dark spell.
Not many small-budget, first-feature films can be fairly said to have shifted cinema but Kent's directorial debut may be one of them. It was at the nexus of that much-debated term "elevated horror." But regardless of that label, it helped kicked off a wave of challenging, filmmaker-driven genre movies like "It Follows," "Get Out" and "Hereditary."
Kent, 55, has watched all of this — and those many "Babadook" memes — unfold over the years with a mix of elation and confusion. Her film was inspired in part by the death of her father, and its horror elements likewise arise out of the suppression of emotions. A single mother (Essie Davis) is struggling with raising her young son (Noah Wiseman) years after the tragic death of her husband. A figure from a pop-up children's book begins to appear. As things grow more intense, his name is drawn out in three chilling syllables — "Bah-Bah-Doooook" — an incantation of unprocessed grief.
Kent recently spoke from her native Australia to reflect on the origins and continuing life of "The Babadook."
Q: Given that you didn't set out to in any way "change" horror, how have you regarded the unique afterlife of "The... Read More