Executive Producers Simon Wallon and Don Block have launched international production and new media company, The Devil You Know, with directors, Ben Younger, Bo Mirosseni, Alex Hanson and Brett Easton Ellis. The new company will be a sister company to GARTNER and Kiss & Kill, which Block and Wallon will continue to run respectively. The company will be engaged in traditional production and as well as new media content, series and long form projects.
Wallon, a native of Paris is the founder and Executive Producer of Kiss & Kill which launched two years ago with a roster of new talent and has produced award winning commercials, short films and music videos. “Coming from a directorial background, I am extremely attentive to the way things are done from both a producing and creative point of view. This is what allowed Kiss & Kill to succeed as a new company. And this is what – combined with Don’s great vision and experience – should contribute to The Devil You Know’s success.”
Block, who is currently the Owner/Executive Producer of production house GARTNER has had a long track record of establishing great companies with outstanding talent. “Our organization has been a venture studio pretty much since its inception and has helped catapult and incubate many great companies such as MJZ, Rock Paper Scissors & A52 which have gone on to become the very best in the industry. The directors, designers, creative directors as well as my partner Simon bring all of the elements that I have found are right for an exceptional company.”
Ben Younger, the writer and director wunderkind of cult thriller, Boiler Room, and Meryl Streep starrer Prime, continues to direct edgy cinematic fare, culminating in his latest feature, Bleed for This, which stars Miles Teller as world champion fighter Vinny Pazienza and Aaron Eckhart as the trainer who helped Pazienza come back to the ring after a near fatal car crash left him with a broken neck. The film is produced by Raging Bull’s Martin Scorsese and American Beauty and Silver Linings Playbook’s Bruce Cohen, and after a bidding war at Cannes is abuzz with award season potential. Ben came up in the commercial ranks as a grip and cameraman, and began his commercial directing career at Chelsea Pictures. At The Devil You Know, Ben will pursue authentic storytelling akin to the grit and edge of his feature body of work and his diverse passion for adventure; he is an avid motorcycle road-racer, surfer, and recently received his pilot’s license.
Bo Mirosseni is one of the new generation of character-driven storytellers. Bo started his film career interning at MTV in New York where he got hands on experience. From there Bo begin making skate videos which then led to him directing music videos. As a follow up, he directed a commercial for Virgin Mobile, which was nominated at the Cannes Young Director Showcase. That buzz helped him garner attention and he was signed to Partizan. Since then, Bo has had his work featured in numerous festivals all over the world, received Vimeo Staff Picks, and his work has been featured on Huffington Post, Slate, Salon and other notable press. Bo's music video for Disclosure was selected for the top 10 best music videos of 2014 on Buzzfeed, Huffington Post, Stereogum, IMVDB and Video Static. Bo work includes spots for Desperados, Bouygues, KFC and he recently wrapped up two films for Mercedes-Benz. https://www.mercedes-benz.com/en/mercedes-benz/lifestyle/fashion/fashion-creatives/fashion-creatives-episode-2-director-bo-mirosseni/
Bo is also finishing two scripts for a feature film slated for 2016 and continues to direct content that is compelling, has a comedic twist and celebrates the eccentric and visually odd.
Alex Hanson was originally trained as a classical musician from the ripe age of three. He studied graphic design at the prestigious Rhode Island School of Design, leading him to begin his career as a lead designer at Prologue Films, where he created imagery for high profile films under the mentorship of iconoclasts Kyle Cooper and Danny Yount. Later joining Psyop as a commercial director, he came into his own as a filmmaker, crafting a unique sense of graphic staging unified with storytelling. His work includes spots for Toyota, Whirlpool, Jim Bean and Carl’s Jr. Alex is both comfortable behind the camera as well as responsible for the detailed vision of his spots, believing that a successful piece of work is not only the result of a great idea but the process of collaboration. His biggest joy is working with sincere people who have a sincere story, and his goal is to bring that sensitivity to everything he does.
Bret Easton Ellis is a worldwide acclaimed writer, whose provocative literary work includes Less Than Zero, American Psycho, Glamorama, Lunar Park and Imperial Bedrooms. Over the past few years he has also been involved in numerous feature film projects as a screenwriter including the experimental thriller The Canyons, directed by Paul Schrader. In the last year, Ellis has embarked on a directorial career. After completing a series of short films at Prettybird, Ellis wrote and directed a short brand film for Persol out of Publicis Paris and L’Ecurie for Wallon and Kiss & Kill. Ellis is currently working on creative for his next branded short.
Oritte Bendory, Head of Sales and NY Executive Producer for Gartner will oversee the marketing, sales, and development of the Devil roster, working with Kelly Flint of Strike Media in the dedicated sales role. Says Bendory, “I’m thrilled about The Devil You Know’s new roster of talent, which expands and diversifies the pallet of established live action directors whom I shepherd at GARTNER.”
The Devil You Know will be represented by Jen Giles/Scout Creative Representation in the Mid West and is in discussions for sales on the West Coast.
The Devil You Know is already engaged in multiple non-broadcast projects including a pilot for an original TDYK series, several long form projects and several short content films and will continue to build on its current roster of outstanding talent.
