Victoria Venantini has joined global entertainment company Alkemy X as VP of business development. She will oversee business development for Alkemy X’s expanding animation and design work, building upon the growth in 2020 spurred by the hire of award-winning creative director Rupert Cresswell, formerly of MPC. In addition to continuing to grow Alkemy X’s agency work, Vanantini will further the company’s offerings in the brand-direct and gaming spaces. Venantini is based in Los Angeles, but will cover national business development, drawing from her extensive experience in both the East and West Coast markets. Alkemy X maintains offices in Philadelphia, L.A., NY and Amsterdam. Prior to joining Alkemy X, Venantini was a business development exec at Two Fresh Creative. Earlier she helped lead the expansion of Mill+ to the West Coast. She has handled business development both in-house and as an independent rep for top industry shops including Beast Editorial, RSA Films, Smoke & Mirrors and Moxie Pictures. Coming from a family steeped in the film and television industries, Venantini was drawn to the production business from a young age. Learning the ropes of production hands-on, she immersed herself in the process of creating commercials, music videos and longer form content while working as a director’s assistant. She organically shifted to the business development side of the industry, playing an instrumental role in the launch of PS260, handling sales and marketing strategies. She expanded to the independent sales representation space with CAM MGMT and Holbrook MGMT before spending four years with RSA Films handling the production company’s East Coast sales. She joined Free Agents in 2016 as an executive sales agent focusing on live action and content-driven opportunities across all media platforms. After parting ways with Free Agents, she reconnected with former client The Mill, relocating to Los Angeles to lead brand strategy, business development and direct-to-brand partnerships for Mill+….
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