Commercial production company Institute has added director Sergii Shevtsov to its roster for U.S. representation. Born in Kyrgyzstan, raised in Ukraine, and now based in North America, Shevtsov brings over a decade of agency-side experience to his craft and has quickly made a name for himself internationally since launching his directing career in 2020. Shevtsov’s joining Institute marks his first career commercial representation in the American market.
“Sergii understands the art of smart and concise storytelling that isn’t afraid to be bold, sincere, and sometimes absurd,” said Tori Palmatier, managing director at Institute, a company that’s taken a leadership position in uplifting underrepresented talent behind the camera. “He has a distinct and beautifully cinematic visual style that allows him to thrive across genres. He brings his experience as a creative director to his work, and we’re incredibly lucky to be working with him.”
Over the course of Shevtsov’s agency career, working his way up from copywriter to creative director, he fine-tuned his storytelling instincts and learned about production and postproduction firsthand. Shevtsov’s exposure to the processes of developing treatments, casting, running a set, and shepherding a project through post, all inspired him to get behind the camera himself. His most recent agency roost was the Ukraine agency Shots. Embarking upon a directing career, he quickly built up a portfolio working with Ukrainian clients including The Hockey Federation of Ukraine and DTEK Energy, as well as international brands such as Burger King and McDonald’s. His work is notable for its smart visual comedy and pacing, with cinematic compositions that often bring an element of surprise to the viewer.
“Production was always the most engaging part of the advertising process for me, so it’s been very rewarding to be able to successfully transition to directing and to tap into my creativity in a new way,” shared Shevtsov. “It’s a huge milestone to be entering the U.S. market, and I’m thrilled to be partnering with Institute to take this next step in my career. I can’t wait to see what we’ll accomplish together.”
Shevtsov joins a directorial lineup at Institute–the shop founded by filmmaker and photographer Lauren Greenfield, and producer/entrepreneur Frank Evers–which includes Bao Truong, Barbara Kopple, Catherine Hardwicke, Courtney Brookes, Dawn Porter, Jackie and Madeleine, Juliana Curi, Karyn Kusama, Greenfield, Liz Unna, Mikayla Gamble, Pamela Adlon, Ray Neutron, Sandra Winther, and Tash Tung.
Carrie Coon Relishes Being Part Of An Ensemble–From “The Gilded Age” To “His Three Daughters”
It can be hard to catch Carrie Coon on her own.
She is far more likely to be found in the thick of an ensemble. That could be on TV, in "The Gilded Age," for which she was just Emmy nominated, or in the upcoming season of "The White Lotus," which she recently shot in Thailand. Or it could be in films, most relevantly, Azazel Jacobs' new drama, "His Three Daughters," in which Coon stars alongside Natasha Lyonne and Elizabeth Olsen as sisters caring for their dying father.
But on a recent, bright late-summer morning, Coon is sitting on a bench in the bucolic northeast Westchester town of Pound Ridge. A few years back, she and her husband, the playwright Tracy Letts, moved near here with their two young children, drawn by the long rows of stone walls and a particularly good BLT from a nearby cafe that Letts, after biting into, declared must be within 15 miles of where they lived.
In a few days, they would both fly to Los Angeles for the Emmys (Letts was nominated for his performance in "Winning Time" ). But Coon, 43, was then largely enmeshed in the day-to-day life of raising a family, along with their nightly movie viewings, which Letts pulls from his extensive DVD collection. The previous night's choice: "Once Around," with Holly Hunter and Richard Dreyfus.
Coon met Letts during her breakthrough performance in "Who's Afraid of Virginia Wolfe?" on Broadway in 2012. She played the heavy-drinking housewife Honey. It was the first role that Coon read and knew, viscerally, she had to play. Immediately after saying this, Coon sighs.
"It sounds like something some diva would say in a movie from the '50s," Coon says. "I just walked around in my apartment in my slip and I had pearls and a little brandy. I made a grocery list and I just did... Read More