Cleveland-based independent agency Marcus Thomas LLC has promoted Jamie Venorsky to chief creative officer, a new position at the shop. He reports to chief idea officer Joanne Kim who leads creative innovation for the agency. Venorsky joined Marcus Thomas in 1999 as an art director and most recently served as executive creative director. Venorsky has been responsible for leading the daily operations of the creative team and elevating the creative product across the agency for accounts including KraftMaid, Troy-Bilt, Ohio Lottery, Behr and KeyBank. His special talent for bringing a variety of marketing and communication disciplines together to address client challenges has resulted in numerous awards including ADDYs, One Show, AME, Webby, Communication Arts, Effie Shortlist and Content Marketing Awards. Additionally, Marcus Thomas has upped creative directors Jim Sollisch and Stephanie Burris to co-executive creative directors….
COMPULSORY has added photographer and filmmaker Filmawi to its directorial roster. The former agency creative joins the production company for U.K. representation in commercials, music videos and creative direction. Filmawi is an accomplished photographer with a portfolio that boasts clients in both advertising and music. He has photographed such artists as Chance the Rapper, Stormzy, Dizzee Rascal, Pusha T, J Hus, and Slowthai. His talent for directing has been recognized by numerous awards in the advertising and creative industries. His short films Rebirth and Tragedy were awarded D&AD New Blood Awards in 2016. Commercially, Filmawi’s experience spans across both the production and agency sides of the industry. One of his first projects, “Open Cinema,” was awarded the prestigious AdCan award in 2014. Following early success, Filmawi then chose to work on the agency side in order to further develop his craft for brands. Working as an art director at AMV BBDO, he helmed projects for Pepsi, Dewar’s, National Lottery, and Smart Energy…..
Jennifer Kent On Why Her Feature Directing Debut, “The Babadook,” Continues To Haunt Us
"The Babadook," when it was released 10 years ago, didn't seem to portend a cultural sensation.
It was the first film by a little-known Australian filmmaker, Jennifer Kent. It had that strange name. On opening weekend, it played in two theaters.
But with time, the long shadows of "The Babadook" continued to envelop moviegoers. Its rerelease this weekend in theaters, a decade later, is less of a reminder of a sleeper 2014 indie hit than it is a chance to revisit a horror milestone that continues to cast a dark spell.
Not many small-budget, first-feature films can be fairly said to have shifted cinema but Kent's directorial debut may be one of them. It was at the nexus of that much-debated term "elevated horror." But regardless of that label, it helped kicked off a wave of challenging, filmmaker-driven genre movies like "It Follows," "Get Out" and "Hereditary."
Kent, 55, has watched all of this — and those many "Babadook" memes — unfold over the years with a mix of elation and confusion. Her film was inspired in part by the death of her father, and its horror elements likewise arise out of the suppression of emotions. A single mother (Essie Davis) is struggling with raising her young son (Noah Wiseman) years after the tragic death of her husband. A figure from a pop-up children's book begins to appear. As things grow more intense, his name is drawn out in three chilling syllables — "Bah-Bah-Doooook" — an incantation of unprocessed grief.
Kent recently spoke from her native Australia to reflect on the origins and continuing life of "The Babadook."
Q: Given that you didn't set out to in any way "change" horror, how have you regarded the unique afterlife of "The... Read More