Bicoastal/international production company Savage has added director Melissa Silverman to its roster for representation in the U.S. and Europe. She was previously with Slim Pictures.
Her clients include Starz/DirecTv, McDonald’s, Tuborg Beer and Revlon while awards from D&AD, PromaxBDA and Telly Awards combine with an Emmy nomination for Nickelodeon.
Silverman cut her teeth directing and conceptualizing for On Air Promotions at MTV. She quickly gained recognition for her subtle situational comedy, often writing and directing on high profile campaigns with celebrities including Madonna, Conan O’Brien, Donald Trump and The Foo Fighters. She then branched out, directing spots while still at MTV, helming projects in the U.S. and Europe for clients including Tuborg Beer and technology company Siminn.
“I quickly realized that the look of my work at MTV matched up nicely with branding,” she said of her spot directing endeavors. “With comedy it’s down to subtlety, even in ridiculous scenes. I am drawn to performance and humor that is not necessarily bold, but humor that aptly underlines the moment.”
Queried on changes in advertising since moving on from MTV, Silverman replied that “the expectation is to deliver more in the same amount of time; at MTV we didn’t have the luxury of time and money–but we did have creativity. That taught me to be resourceful and to create quality work under all kinds of situations.”
Silverman is currently in post on work for non-profit organization United Way through McCann, New York. She recently finished new campaigns for Consumer’s Energy through Lowe Campbell Ewald, Detroit, and West Coast Cooler through Brando, Dublin.
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