Director Randy Hackett has joined bicoastal production house No Smoke. He comes over from The Joneses, his roost since late 2008. The move to No Smoke reunites the director with executive producer Andrew Swee; the two had worked together earlier at Open Frame Productions.
Known for story-driven comedy, Hackett has to his credit campaigns for such clients as Vonage, Volvo, Delta Airlines and Motel 6. He also has a track record of eliciting realistic and funny performances from celebs in projects for Major League Baseball, ESPN and ABC TV.
Hackett got his start as a copywriter. He later served as creative director at Neiman Group for four years and won numerous awards for his work, including Clios, One Show, New York Festivals, L.A. Art Director’s Club and ADDY honors. While there, he also began working behind the camera and developed his signature approach to humor.
Upon leaving the agency side of the business, Hackett turned to directing full time and established himself as a comic stylist and storyteller. In addition to his commercials, Hackett has helmed long-form integrated campaigns for Showtime and Microsoft as well as assorted network promos.
Hackett comes aboard a No Smoke directorial roster that includes Adam Jones, Lara Shapiro, Charlie Watson, Harve Wang, Jeth Weinrich, Josh Rothstein, Kenan Moran and Michael Graham.
Directing and Editing “Conclave”; Insights From Edward Berger and Nick Emerson
It’s been a bruising election year but this time we’re referring to a ballot box struggle that’s more adult than the one you’d typically first think of in 2024. Rather, on the industry awards front, the election being cited is that of the Pope which takes front and center stage in director Edward Berger’s Conclave (Focus Features), based on the 2016 novel of the same title by Robert Harris. Adapted by screenwriter Peter Straugham, Conclave stars Ralph Fiennes as the cardinal leading the conclave that has convened to select the next Pope. While part political thriller, full of backstabbing and behind-closed-door machinations, Conclave also registers as a thoughtful adult drama dealing with themes such as a crisis of faith, weighing the greater good, and engaging in a struggle that’s as much about spirituality as the attainment of power.
Conclave is Berger’s first feature after his heralded All Quiet on the Western Front, winner of four Oscars in 2023, including for Best International Feature Film. And while Conclave would on the surface seem to be quite a departure from that World War I drama, there’s a shared bond of humanity which courses through both films.
For Berger, the heightened awareness of humanity hit home for him by virtue of where he was--in Rome, primarily at the famed Cinecittà studio--to shoot Conclave, sans any involvement from the Vatican. He recalled waking up in Rome to “soak up” the city. While having his morning espresso, Berger recollected looking out a window and seeing a priest walking about with a cigarette in his mouth, a nun having a cup of coffee, an archbishop carrying a briefcase. It dawned on Berger that these were just people going to... Read More