Independent rep firm Reber/Covington–headed by Rebecca Reber and Brooke Covington–has taken on West Coast representation for U.K.-based digital shop UNIT9, which includes film, gaming and VR arms. UNIT9’s creators collaborate with brands such as Nissan, Fendi, Axe and Reebok. Reber/Covington is now also handling the West Coast for design/VFX house Timber, which was launched by sister company Arcade. Creative directors/partners Jonah Hall and Kevin Lau are at the helm of Santa Monica-based Timber. Additionally, Reber/Covington has brought on board jr. rep Samantha Addy, who hits the ground running in San Francisco after relocating from NY….
Production agent Marie Perry has joined Gersh as head of its Commercial/Music Video/Branded Content department. Perry previously spent 12 years repping cinematographers and production designers at The Skouras Agency….
Toward the end of Netflix's "Joy," the muffled cry of a newborn baby prompts a man and woman in a hospital to embrace out of pure bliss. They aren't the parents, but they had as much to do with the birth as the mom and dad.
This charming and winning movie charts the decade-long true story of how the world's first IVF baby was born in England in 1978 — a 5-pound, 12-ounce girl who paved the way for millions more. It's an upbeat, very English affair, mixing sober discussion of endometriosis with chocolate biscuits.
The couple embracing that day were pioneering scientist Robert Edwards and Jean Purdy, a young nurse and embryologist. Together with surgeon Patrick Steptoe, the trio succeeded with in vitro fertilization, a method of treating infertility. Edwards would go on to win the Nobel Prize.
"Joy" has been birthed at a time when science is under threat in America — even IVF — so it's downright inspiring to see plucky, smart scientists working hard to change the world. "What we're doing, it matters," says Steptoe, played with quiet economy by Bill Nighy.
"Joy" is the personal stories of the three scientists — mostly through the eyes of Purdy, a polite lab-coated warrior. "If I hear a commotion, I'm not very good at staying out of it," she says. Perfectly played by Thomasin McKenzie, Purdy is both vulnerable and strong, learning through the process to be a better human. James Norton plays Edwards with charm, self-doubt and calm spirit.
Jack Thorne's script nicely explains the massive pressure the trio faced. IVF may have become common and uncontroversial over the last decades, but back in the late '70s it was experimental and shunned. The Anglican church called it a sin, the newspapers labeled it Frankenstein-ish and other... Read More
