Director Christopher Gruse has joined NY-based Washington Square Films for U.S representation. His credits include campaigns for such automotive brands as Infiniti, Acura, Honda, Ford, Lincoln and Chevy. The director’s “Speed Dating” spot for Mustang made a major viral mark, amassing more than 13 million views and garnering an Effie Award and a Shorty Award.
In addition to his commercials, Gruse recently directed a documentary Dare to Struggle, Dare to Win that focuses on the STRESS unit of the Detroit police department in the 1970s, and is slated to be released this summer.
Gruse noted, “What attracted me to WSF was the diversity within their roster, and the company itself, from commercials to feature films. Their integrity and focus is what made this decision really simple and I think I bring a new element to the roster, coming from a car background.”
Gruse found his way behind the camera through his passion for music. A lifelong drummer, he formed creative collaborations through tour pals which led to the formation of production and post shop The Work in 2011. Handling entire productions in-house all the way through post, the Detroit-based shop quickly grew to become a studio generating work for some of the city’s leading car brands. The Work turned out the aforementioned “Speed Dating.”
Gruse was earlier represented under The Work moniker by Native Pictures.
Jonathan Schwartz, managing director of Washington Square Films, said, “Christopher is incredibly sharp and brings a high attention to detail in all of his work. He is great with the movement and action of car work, but generally brings a distinct sense of humanity, narrative storytelling and performance that transcends the genre.”
After 20 Years of Acting, Megan Park Finds Her Groove In The Director’s Chair On “My Old Ass”
Megan Park feels a little bad that her movie is making so many people cry. It's not just a single tear either — more like full body sobs.
She didn't set out to make a tearjerker with "My Old Ass," now streaming on Prime Video. She just wanted to tell a story about a young woman in conversation with her older self. The film is quite funny (the dialogue between 18-year-old and almost 40-year-old Elliott happens because of a mushroom trip that includes a Justin Bieber cover), but it packs an emotional punch, too.
Writing, Park said, is often her way of working through things. When she put pen to paper on "My Old Ass," she was a new mom and staying in her childhood bedroom during the pandemic. One night, she and her whole nuclear family slept under the same roof. She didn't know it then, but it would be the last time, and she started wondering what it would be like to have known that.
In the film, older Elliott ( Aubrey Plaza ) advises younger Elliott ( Maisy Stella ) to not be so eager to leave her provincial town, her younger brothers and her parents and to slow down and appreciate things as they are. She also tells her to stay away from a guy named Chad who she meets the next day and discovers that, unfortunately, he's quite cute.
At 38, Park is just getting started as a filmmaker. Her first, "The Fallout," in which Jenna Ortega plays a teen in the aftermath of a school shooting, had one of those pandemic releases that didn't even feel real. But it did get the attention of Margot Robbie 's production company LuckyChap Entertainment, who reached out to Park to see what other ideas she had brewing.
"They were very instrumental in encouraging me to go with it," Park said. "They're just really even-keeled, good people, which makes... Read More