Synthetic Pictures has taken on commercialmakiing and branded content representation in the U.S. for docu-style storytelling director Jeff Feuerzeig, winner of Sundance’s top documentary directing honors for the feature The Devil and Daniel Johnston.
“As a company with such strong Austin roots, it makes sense that Jeff is now working with Synthetic,” said Allison R. Smith, executive producer at Synthetic Pictures. “Jeff has directed so many exciting projects, but he is forever linked to Austin’s indie rock legend Daniel Johnston.” Feuerzeig also collaborated on another project with Austin’s own Mike Judge on his series Mike Judge Presents: Tales from the Tour Bus, which even further strengthened Feuerzeig’s ties to the creative hub.
“They really get me as a director,” said Feuerzeig of Synthetic’s creative leadership. He and company founder Justin Corsbie cemented the partnership over strip mall Thai noodles at one of Anthony Bourdain and Jonathan Gold’s favorite haunts on L.A.’s eastside. “I came out of the early punk and indie music underground, inspired by The Maysles, D.A. Pennebaker, and the American Indie Film movement. It was obvious they have a shared love of that indie ethos that makes for an instant creative shorthand.”
Feuerzeig has directed notable branded campaigns for clients such as Google, HBO, Nokia, VICE, Samsung, IBM, and RBC Bank. He’s also amassed an impressive list of entertainment directing credits including: AUTHOR: The JT LeRoy Story acquired by Amazon Studios, released theatrically, and nominated in 2017 by the Writers Guild of America for Best Nonfiction Screenplay; The Real Rocky for ESPN’s acclaimed “30 for 30” series; and HBO Presents Backstories, an animated nonfiction series profiling the creators of HBO hit shows Game of Thrones, The Righteous Gemstones and Barry.
Smith said, “Jeff is a creative force. We believe his talents are most fully realized when he gets involved early, collaborating with creatives during the concepting phase developing ideas around his unique creative approach of blending visual and audio media.” Feuerzeig has become known for his docu-style narratives that often mix live action, 2D and 3D animation, still photography, sound design, and other art forms to create a kaleidoscope of storytelling and imagery.
Feuerzeig was formerly with Reverie Content and prior to that, Green Dot Films. His new home, Synthetic Pictures is an award-winning production house specializing in commercials, branded content, and filmed entertainment. The company has worked with clients including Ford, Nissan, Starbucks, Shell, Amazon, Samsung, Infiniti, Dairy Queen, Burger King, P&G, Kellogg’s, and Vegas Tourism. Synthetic’s indie feature film Hard Luck Love Song was released in theaters nationwide in fall 2021 by Roadside Attractions and Lionsgate. Founded in 2002, Synthetic Pictures has offices in Los Angeles and Austin. Feuerzeig joins Synthetic’s diverse roster of live action directors, accompanied by visual effects division SP/FX.
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