Stept Studios has brought Olivier Agostini aboard as head of creative. He will lead Stept’s creative division–home to a growing team of creative directors, copywriters and art directors–which has recently completed projects for clients including Nike, Juneshine and Chipotle.
A writer, director, and creative director, Agostini most recently served as ROSEWOOD Creative’s executive creative director where he led global campaigns for brands like Apple, Beats By Dre, Netflix and Robinhood. He has directed brand funded films for Lululemon, led TikTok campaigns for ECOS, and was behind an award-winning campaign for Greenpeace International.
Prior to ROSEWOOD, Agostini held roles at 72andSunny, SapientNitro, and BuzzFeed; where he worked on global creative for Google, Coors Light, and Bank of America. He has been selected for the Young Directors Award (Cannes Lions), earned inclusion into the 2013 SHOOT New Directors Showcase, and his campaign for Vitamin Water was a Webby honoree.
Agostini said he was drawn to Stept founder and director Nick Martini as well as the company’s “passion for developing content that creates such strong emotional connections, something that audiences are actively seeking out right now. They’re one of the most forward-thinking companies and truly understand the value of smart, thoughtful storytelling.”
“Olivier’s experience and his perspective on creativity fits so well within the Stept ethos,” said Martini. “We are not a traditional production company, and we are excited to have Olivier continue to expand on our innovative approach to creative, entertainment, and brand solutions. We like to think outside of the box, and his experience is a perfect match for the company.
Creative and production studio Stept maintains operations in Los Angeles and Jackson Hole, Wyoming.
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