Industry veterans Phyllis Koenig and Steve Wi have launched Hollywood-based production company R A U C O U S Content. Koenig and Wi had previously been at Über Content as, respectively, co-founder/exec producer and sr. EP/managing director.
The R A U C O U S roster of directors includes Ben Callner, Ryan Ebner, Keith Ehrlich, Adam Gunser, Chris Hooper, Paul Iannacchino, Rachel McDonald, Matt Shakman and Daniel Strange. The production house’s endeavors will include high-end spots and longer format films.
R A U C O U S is represented by Lisa Houck of Salon Reps on the West Coast, Katy Richter and Heather Guillen of The Standard Society in the Midwest, and Jared Shapiro of Moustache on the East Coast.
Koenig and Wi bring to their new venture a track record of collaboration with leading ad agencies including Wieden+Kennedy, Deutsch, Droga5, The Martin Agency, BBDO, 72andSunny, and Periera & O’Dell.
“At R A U C O U S, we’re building a culture where our directors are encouraged to be collaborative with one another,” said Koenig. “My focus is on the fusion of idea and execution in content, with the goal always of being more entertaining, more thoughtful and relevant, and ultimately more compassionate in our larger views.”
Jennifer Kent On Why Her Feature Directing Debut, “The Babadook,” Continues To Haunt Us
"The Babadook," when it was released 10 years ago, didn't seem to portend a cultural sensation.
It was the first film by a little-known Australian filmmaker, Jennifer Kent. It had that strange name. On opening weekend, it played in two theaters.
But with time, the long shadows of "The Babadook" continued to envelop moviegoers. Its rerelease this weekend in theaters, a decade later, is less of a reminder of a sleeper 2014 indie hit than it is a chance to revisit a horror milestone that continues to cast a dark spell.
Not many small-budget, first-feature films can be fairly said to have shifted cinema but Kent's directorial debut may be one of them. It was at the nexus of that much-debated term "elevated horror." But regardless of that label, it helped kicked off a wave of challenging, filmmaker-driven genre movies like "It Follows," "Get Out" and "Hereditary."
Kent, 55, has watched all of this — and those many "Babadook" memes — unfold over the years with a mix of elation and confusion. Her film was inspired in part by the death of her father, and its horror elements likewise arise out of the suppression of emotions. A single mother (Essie Davis) is struggling with raising her young son (Noah Wiseman) years after the tragic death of her husband. A figure from a pop-up children's book begins to appear. As things grow more intense, his name is drawn out in three chilling syllables — "Bah-Bah-Doooook" — an incantation of unprocessed grief.
Kent recently spoke from her native Australia to reflect on the origins and continuing life of "The Babadook."
Q: Given that you didn't set out to in any way "change" horror, how have you regarded the unique afterlife of "The... Read More