Reed Morano, best known for helming the first three episodes of The Handmaid’s Tale and making history in the process, has signed with Caviar to direct commercials for brands worldwide.
For “Offred,” the very first episode of The Handmaid’s Tale, Morano became the first woman to win the Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series Emmy and the Directors Guild Award in the same year of competition. The Emmy came in 2017, making Morano at that time the first female to earn the TV Academy honor for directing a drama series in 22 years. (Mimi Leder won the Emmy back in 1995 for ER.)
Morano, who’s also an accomplished cinematographer, writer and producer, made her directorial debut with the critically acclaimed Meadowland, which she also shot, garnering a Best Cinematography nomination at the Film Independent Spirit Awards in 2016. Among Morano’s other credits are the Sundance Special Jury Prize winner I Think We’re Alone Now, and The Rhythm Section, HBO’s Vinyl, Beyonce’s “Lemonade,” as well as Sundance Grand Prize Winner and Academy Award-nominated Frozen River. Reed’s upcoming slate includes directing and producing The Memory Police, a feature adaptation of Yōko Ogawa’s distinguished novel, and written for the screen by Oscar-winner Charlie Kaufman.
“Morano represents some of the most modern and creative work of this decade,” said Tova Dann, executive producer of Caviar. “For the past nearly 20 years, we’ve been dedicated to telling stories that inspire consumers around the globe and championing inventive talent. The addition of her innovative stance in filmmaking to the Caviar roster will provide our clients with the best storytelling in branded content and commercials.”
Caviar is the first company that Morano has signed with for representation in the commercialmaking market. But she is no stranger to the advertising arena, having directed notable spots via Pulse Films, such as a National Geographic campaign for agency 72andSunny, a short film for Armani starring Ryan Reynolds, and an emotionally moving public service short for CoorDown, Italy’s national organization for people with Down syndrome. The latter out of Saatchi & Saatchi NY was selected as a SHOOT Top Spot and features a girl with Down syndrome named AnnaRose Rubright narrating the life she wants to have. And in this life, she’s played by actress (and now noted director) Olivia Wilde. This metaphor is aimed to ignite a conversation around how those living with Down syndrome see themselves and how they are often times disadvantaged when people pre-judge them based on their condition. People with Down syndrome are still too often victims of discrimination, and even more than what is said about them, the way other people look at them is a common indicator of this type of prejudice.
Caviar is an Academy Award-winning film studio and commercial production company with more than 50 Cannes Lions. Caviar has produced many independent films and TV series, most notably the two-time Oscar-winning film from Darius Marder, Sound of Metal (Amazon) starring Riz Ahmed; the Sundance darling docu feature Jawline (Hulu); Chloé Zhao’s sophomore feature The Rider (Sony Pictures Classics) which won the top prize Art Cinema Award in Cannes and was nominated for four Independent Spirit Awards; and the multi-award winning film The Diary of a Teenage Girl from writer/director Marielle Heller.
Established in 2005, Caviar maintains offices in Los Angeles, Brussels, London, Paris, and Amsterdam.
