Minted Content, the company under the aegis of owner/executive producer Lance O’Connor, continues to grow its roster, the most recent addition being comedy director Declan Lowney. Handled by Minted Content in the U.S., Lowney continues to be repped in the U.K. by Another Picture Company, with his latest work being for Halifax. His credits include humorous ads for Warburtons, Thatchers and Tic Tac.
Lowney is additionally known for his TV comedy show work in the U.K., with BAFTA TV Award wins for Help and Father Ted, and a BAFTA Best Comedy Program nomination for Little Britain. Lowney’s feature film Alpha Papa with Steve Coogan has also garnered critical acclaim.
Lowney comes aboard a Minted Content directorial lineup for spots, branded content and music videos which includes:
- Danny Cannon who’s had a creative hand in such shows as CSI, Nikita and Gotham, directed over 100 TV episodes, and with movie credits that include Judge Dredd and I Still Know What You Did Last Summer.
- Jason Farrrand, showrunner and director of the series Head Case. Farrand has directed assorted commercials over the years for such brands as Degree, Kellogg’s, Aspen Dental, Wawanesa, Domino’s, Nintendo
- Dan Gifford who’s helmed high-end spots for adidas, Mercedes, Sony, Nike, Heineken, UNICEF and CNN, garnering Gold Promax Awards as well as Cannes Lions and Grand Prix honors.
- Jabuka whose work has earned Cannes Lions and Gold at the New York Festival. His spotmaking credits span such clients as Gillette (starring Neymar), Coca-Cola, Toyota, Volkswagen, Mercedes, Wella, and Kopenhagen. He also helmed the 3D concert for Fernando & Sorocaba–the DVD was nominated for a Latin Emmy.
- David Leitch whose feature film directorial credits include Atomic Blond (Charlize Theron) and Deadpool 2 (Ryan Reynolds). Leitch is also slated to direct Hobbs and Shaw, starring Dwayne Johnson, Jason Statham
- James Mangold has directed such features as Walk the Line, 3:10 to Yuma, The Wolverine and Logan. For the latter, he, Scott Frank and Michael Green earned a Best Adapted Screenplay Oscar nomination earlier this year. Mangold is currently directing a movie titled Ford v. Ferrari (starring Christian Bale and Matt Damon), and will be helming the new Star Wars film. His commercialmaking includes clients such as Northrop Grumman, Call of Duty, Duralast, Samsung, Universal Studios, RAM, and the American Cancer Society.
- Yann Secouet who’s directed spots for brands including Experian, Heinz, Hyundai, Kellogg’s and Toyota.
- And Nigel Simpkiss whose TV credits include Top Gear (more than 300 million viewers in 80-plus countries). He has turned out commercials for such brands as Audi, BMW, Cadillac, Jaguar, Lexus, Land Rover, Honda, and Aston Martin.
Minted team
Minted Content opened its doors a year ago but maintained a low profile until its recent official launch. O’Connor is supported by a pair of EPs–John McGarty and Edina Sallay. O’Connor founded Minted Content to bring feature film-level directorial talent and visionary filmmaking to a broader audience, crafting a roster for commercials, branded content and music videos.
O’Connor has been an industry mainstay, co-launching the agency American Rogue and then co-founding the production company Aero Film. O’Connor has helped realize work for numerous brands over the years, from adidas to PlayStation, Heineken and the U.S. Marine Corps. Along the way, he’s collected honors that include multiple PromaxBDA Awards, Gold and Silver Cannes Lions, and an Emmy.
EP McGarty brings more than 20 years of industry experience to bear at Minted Content. Before joining the company, he served as EP and director of live action production at CP+B / Plus Productions. He has also held posts at top production companies, from Hungry Man to MJZ.
Sallay, who’s been upped from head of production to EP at Minted Content, has produced features and TV all around the world.
Recent Minted projects include Celine Dion’s “Ashes” music video for Deadpool 2 (both the film and the video were directed by the action-savant Leitch), and CNN promos with James Earl Jones (directed by Gifford).
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