Merman has added directors Ben Liam Jones and Olly Williams to its U.K. roster. Liam Jones’ work spans such brands as Sky, Cadbury, Arthritis UK, Land Rover and Centerparcs. His short film for Childline–It Follows Me Around–earned a Cannes Lion, Best New Director at the Kinsale Sharks and inclusion in the Saatchi & Saatchi New Directors Showcase. Williams made his name as one of the most sought after and ambitious production designers in the U.K. before venturing into commercials as a director. His clever, innovative set design and styling is clear in his campaigns for the likes of MoneySuperMarket, B&Q, O2 & Doritos. He has a flair for storytelling, comedy timing and performance, particularly evident in his work for Cancer Research and National Express. He often combines his experience and talent in visual design to seamlessly blend in-camera tricks with post and to create worlds with a combination of set builds and CGI. Along with his commercial work, Williams has had success with his short film The Fly picking up numerous awards at the Plymouth Film Festival. On top of this, he has directed memorable music videos for Maximo Park, Jack Pinate and Robbie Williams to name a few….
Anne Skopas has joined Scholar’s NY office as its managing director and executive producer. She had most recently been at Hornet where she helped foster its directorial roster. This followed a tenure at Buck where Skopas played a key role in the development of that company’s design and animation department. Scholar maintains studios in L.A. and NYC. Skopas’ managing director and EP counterpart at Scholar in L.A. is Jo Arghiris….
Austin Stowell Gets Emotional About Portraying Stoic Jethro Gibbs In “NCIS: Origins”
Once again, Austin Stowell is having the best day ever — all thanks to him winning the role of legendary TV character Leroy Jethro Gibbs in "NCIS: Origins."
"Since I got this job, it has just been day after day after day of the greatest day of my life," says Stowell, smiling.
The actor has his shoulders back and chest up to portray the ex-Marine-turned-naval investigator, set 25 years before audiences first met "NCIS" star Mark Harmon.
Harmon and his son Sean are behind the idea of this origin story of the special agent, who was on-screen for 19 seasons from 2003 to 2021, solving crimes for the Naval Criminal Investigative Service in Virginia.
Stowell says he'll be doing his best to live up to the role Harmon made famous and give viewers a new perspective on "how the hero was born."
Harmon, who narrates and pops up occasionally in the show, has been very supportive of Stowell, making himself available to chat about life, visiting the set and even texting (something technophobic Gibbs would never).
"Mark and I talk a lot about what it means to be the leader of a team, about what it means to be a leader of this set and crew," he says. "Those conversations have been invaluable to me because I don't know what it's like. I've never been No. 1 on a TV show before."
The lessons he's learned: be on time, be kind, respectful and professional.
He's also studied up on the "NCIS" universe, something he knew about but wasn't yet a super fan.
In a pop quiz Stowell correctly names all the franchise's four spin-off shows and only stumbles when it comes to rule three of Gibbs' famous guidelines: "Never believe what you are told."
(He keeps the full list to read from time to time.)
As for the enduring... Read More