Director Steve Ayson has signed with MJZ for representation and management in the U.S., U.K. France and Amsterdam. He continues to be handled by The Sweet Shop in the Southern Hemisphere. The Sweet Shop had represented Ayson worldwide since 2009, and prior to that he had been handled in the U.S. by Smuggler and in the U.K. by Academy Films.
Known for his smart, offbeat comedy, intuitive eye for casting and penchant for storytelling, Ayson’s recent credits include a comedic spot for the Melbourne International Film Festival, with a cameo by Oscar-winning actor Geoffrey Rush, and Speight’s Summit commercial “Man Like Natural” which show male’s primal instincts.
Over the years, Ayson has helmed commercials for such clients as Heineken, Volkswagen, MTV, Toohey’s and Folgers. For the latter he directed the classic viral piece Shiny Happy People for Saatchi & Saatchi, New York. Ayson’s work has garnered recognition at Adfest, the Caanz Axis, Spikes, Clio and One Show competitions.
He brings a balance of both art and commerce to MJZ. Ayson made his first industry mark as an agency creative, serving as an art director and hybrid writer/art director at several New Zealand ad agencies, including the former Mojo and Bates shops.
Oscar Nominees Delve Into The Art Of Editing At ACE Session
You couldn’t miss Sean Baker at this past Sunday’s Oscar ceremony where he won for Best Picture, Directing, Original Screenplay and Editing on the strength of Anora. However, earlier that weekend he was in transit from the Cesar Awards in Paris and thus couldn’t attend the American Cinema Editors (ACE) 25th annual panel of Academy Award-nominated film editors held at the Regal LA Live Auditorium on Saturday (3/1) in Los Angeles. While the eventual Oscar winner in the editing category was missed by those who turned out for the ACE “Invisible Art, Visible Artists” session, three of Baker’s fellow nominees were on hand--Dávid Jancsó, HSE for The Brutalist; Nick Emerson for Conclave; and Myron Kerstein, ACE for Wicked. Additionally, Juliette Welfling, who couldn’t appear in person due to the Cesar Awards, was present via an earlier recorded video interview to discuss her work on Emilia Pérez. The interview was conducted by ACE president and editor Sabrina Plisco, ACE who also moderated the live panel discussion. Kerstein said that he was the beneficiary of brilliant and generous collaborators, citing, among others, director Jon M. Chu, cinematographer Alice Brooks, and visual effects supervisor Pablo Helman. The editor added it always helps to have stellar acting performances, noting that hearing Cynthia Erivo, for example, sing live was a revelation. Kerstein recalled meeting Chu some eight years ago on a “blind Skype date” and it was an instant “bromance”--which began on Crazy Rich Asians, and then continued on such projects as the streaming series Home Before Dark and the feature In The Heights. Kerstein observed that Chu is expert in providing collaborators with... Read More