Merritt Duff, an award-winner well-known for his Progressive campaigns via Arnold Boston with director Brendan Gibbons (including last month’s acclaimed “Progressive Halftime Show”), has joined bicoastal Union as partner/editor. His recent work includes Frontier (Hill Holliday), directed by The Perlorian Brothers, and a Gibbons-directed Mastercard project with PGA Tour golfers Justin Rose and Tom Watson (McCann NY). Duff has earned considerable acclaim for his work, including One Show Pencils, a Cannes Lion, multiple AICE Award nominations, numerous Hatch Awards, a Clio, and the 2016 Super Clio for the Jeep spot, “Portraits.” He has twice been honored by the Primetime Emmy Awards for his contributions to NBC’s Saturday Night Live, on which he served as an associate producer. Duff comes over from Beast.
Duff’s collaborations with the likes of directors Gibbons, The Perlorians, Steve Miller, Randy Krallman, Tim Godsall, Eric Wareheim and others have their roots in a six-year stint at SNL, where the Colby College grad was immersed in every aspect of his craft, from pre-production through postproduction, working primarily on the series’ much-lauded commercial parodies. Turning his focus to editing, Duff joined the newly launched boutique editing house Cutting Room in 2005, where his gift for comedic storytelling was quickly recognized, precipitating his rise to a senior editorial position. After 11 years working with clients such as ESPN, FedEx, Adidas, Lowes, and Progressive, Duff joined Beast’s New York office in 2016, focusing on commercial projects for additional high-profile brands such as BMW, GE, Mastercard, Toyota, AT&T, and Bank of America, while also taking enormous satisfaction in mentoring younger staff members and nurturing their talent.
Duff has additionally cut national spots for Subway, E-trade, Verizon, Tide, Band-Aid, Johnnie Walker, Smart Car, Wendy’s, Pizza Hut, Arby’s, Comcast, Campbell’s Soup, Progresso, Dole, Nestle, Newcastle, Crest, Mucinex, Planet Fitness, USTA, NBA, New York Lottery, Match.com, Avis, HBO, and Footlocker, among others.
“I’m so thankful every day that I found my way to commercial editing,” said Duff. “It’s a special niche that we’re in, so I strive to provide a suitably special environment for creatives and producers who walk through the door – one in which every detail is attended to with an earnest and open mind as well as a healthy dose of humor.”
Union is under the aegis of partner/managing director Michael Raimondi and partner/executive producer Caryn Maclean.
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