Tool of North America has added live-action directors Rudi Schwab and Sasha Levinson to its roster for commercial and branded content representation in the U.S.
Schwab began his career as a photographer, eventually moving on to direct commercials, including Gillette’s “Handle With Care” which won seven Cannes Lions and four Gold Clio Awards. With a knack for capturing the emotional and inspiring elements of a story, he has collaborated with brands including Google, Hewlett-Packard, Disney and Samsung. Schwab has garnered assorted awards for his work, including Emmys, Cannes Lions, Clio Awards and Golden Pencils.
Levinson, who is best known for co-writing and directing short films for the Las Vegas Convention and Tourism Authority, all of which went viral, garnering a dramatic global response, perhaps most notably with the viral spot “Now and Then” receiving a nomination for YouTube Ad of the Year. She began her career in the electric music video scene, receiving an MTV nomination for her work on Cake’s “Short Skirt, Long Jacket.” Levinson has directed commercials for brands such as Microsoft, Starbucks, Samsung and McDonald’s.
Prior to joining Tool, Schwab and Levinson had most recently been repped by Humble.
“As seasoned filmmakers with strong points of view, both directors have the great gift of crafting powerful and emotional stories,” said Nancy Hacohen, managing director of live action at Tool. “Working with HP and Gillette, Schwab has combined clear and confident storytelling with breath-taking visuals. Additionally, Sasha has broken new creative ground by presenting a refreshing, unique, and modern female perspective.”
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