Steam Films has added director, writer, and actor Nora Kirkpatrick to its roster of filmmakers for commercial representation in Canada. Kirkpatrick joining the Toronto Shop marks the extension of a longstanding relationship between Steam Films and Furlined, a production house which reps her in the U.S. and U.K. The signing also has the distinction  of being Kirkpatrick’s first spot representation in the Canadian market. Kirkpatrick grew up in rural Iowa before graduating from UCLA’s School of Theater, Film, and Television. Upon graduation, Kirkpatrick did what her parents told her not to do and joined a band, Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros, which went on to have a platinum-selling record and win a Grammy, among other awards. With the band, Kirkpatrick toured the world, playing at festivals such as Coachella, Bonnaroo, Glastonbury, and SXSW. While on tour, Kirkpatrick honed her writing skills. Upon leaving the band in 2014, she hit the ground running, selling several TV shows and embarking on a career as an actor, writer, and director. Collaborations with Will Ferrell, Olivia Wilde, and SNL alum Mike O’Brien spawned several comedic series, which Kirkpatrick has written and/or directed, including Assisted Living (CBS), Virtually Mike and Nora (Hulu), Best Seller (Comedy Central), and The Coop (Eko and FunnyOrDie). She is a writer on two Amazon series, the forthcoming Daisy Jones and The Six, produced by Reese Witherspoon and starring Riley Keough, and Rodeo Queens starring Dakota Johnson. As an actor, Kirkpatrick has played many roles in film and television, including Esther, Dwight’s girlfriend on The Office. The acclaimed short film Kirkpatrick wrote and directed, Long Time Listener, First Time Caller, is a tragicomic portrait of a woman in search of answers to life’s existential questions. The short garnered her “Best Female Director” at the Prague International Film Festival. Kirkpatrick’s commercial career debuted with a BudLight Seltzer campaign out of Wieden+Kennedy New York, earning her the distinction of being the first woman ever to direct a campaign for Bud Light. Since then, she has directed films for brands including Nestle, Duracell, Peloton, and Uber....

Director Niki Lindroth von Bahr has signed with Scandinavian production company Bacon for representation. Her body of work includes last year’s critically acclaimed Netflix special The House, and the international festival phenom The Burden from 2017. Like the rest of her filmography, both pieces are confident, clever, and carefully crafted stop-motion projects featuring talking animals. Singing pajama-clad fish and tap dancing mice in fast food uniforms highlight the combination of absurd humor and razor-sharp social commentary that has helped build an impressive resume for the Swedish filmmaker who also has to her credit Save Ralph for the Humane Society International.....