London Alley has hired Sandy Haddad as executive producer. A 20-plus year industry vet, Haddad comes over from Chromista where she was a partner and executive producer. In her new role at London Alley, Haddad will work directly with commercial executive producer Matthew Kauth to further elevate the company and bring in new talent.
Haddad spent the past 10 years at Chromista. Her work for The New York Times, 2K, Amazon Games, GrubHub and P&G has won assorted awards, including Cannes Gold Lions, D&AD and The One Show honors.
“I believe that creativity and culture are at the heart of successful work, and the London Alley team is cemented in these values,” said Haddad. “Knowing that we share so many of the same ideals makes the decision to join forces with London Alley an easy one. Their vision is limitless and I want to be a part of that.”
Haddad’s love for filmmaking began when she was a young girl roaming the aisles of her parents’ video store. The store gave her access to a vast library of incredible movies that cultivated a fascination with storytelling at an early age. This unique background has inspired her work and her passion ever since, and she is currently developing a script about her family’s experience as Arab immigrants. Haddad attended film school and landed her first job as an assistant at A Band Apart, which she describes as a life changing springboard. Haddad’s relationship with London Alley blossomed via a friendship with London Alley founder/owner Brandon Bonfiglio and London Alley director Hannah Lux Davis. Given Haddad’s strong ties with the company, joining the team is a natural next step.
“We’ve long admired Sandy’s work and work style,” said Bonfiglio. “Sandy has been a friend and mentor for 15 years so this partnership has always felt written in the stars. As we grow London Alley, it’s important that we work with people who share our vision and are capable of bringing impactful and imaginative work to life, Sandy is that person.”
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