Filmmaking Duo Tusk Signs with m ss ng p eces

Production company m ss ng p eces has announced the addition of directing duo Tusk to the company’s directorial roster. Tusk, comprised of Kerry Furrh and Olivia Mitchell, is best known for imbuing every project with bold, art-directed exuberance and nuanced character development.

Popping with wild ambition, optimistic oddballs, and hopeful dreamscapes, Tusk’s commercial work includes clients like Sony, Google, Truly, the Met Gala, and Harper Wilde. Their hilariously insane ad for Liquid Death featured Puritans, pitchforks, and a tallboy of canned water burning at the stake, set to an ’80s pop song. Liquid Death’s 'F**k Whoever Started This Shit' was named in Fast Company’s Top 5 Ads of 2023, Adweek’s 20 Best Spots of 2023, and Ad Age’s 40 Best Ads of 2023. They have integrated brands such as Maybelline, Beats by Dre, and Essentia into videos for pop star Tate McRae and collaborated with other musical artists, including Alessia Cara, Brandy, and Camila Cabello. In 2024, Tusk was featured as one of Adweek’s Creative 100. 

Tusk’s recent short film Ripe! premiered at Tribeca Festival, where it won Best Narrative Short. A queer coming-of-age story set in Spain, the music, lushly-coloured scenes, and grainy film stock uniquely express the feelings of a first, all-consuming crush. Ripe! was executive produced by soccer star Kelley O’Hara and won accolades at the Provincetown, SCAD, and Frameline film festivals, among many others. The film is currently on the Variety Oscars Prediction list for Best Narrative Short.

Partners in both work and life, Kerry and Olivia first met as students at the University of Southern California and bonded over their mutual belief in the transformative magic of storytelling. Kerry graduated from USC’s film school with a background in direction, cinematography, and editing, while Olivia graduated from its music school, focused on composition and production. Inspired by the powerful intersection between music and film, they created their first short, Girl Band, which premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival in 2016 and was later sold to Freeform. 

“The joyful, radiant energy that permeates Kerry and Olivia's work is only matched by the exuberance you find when you meet them,” said Kate Oppenheim, managing partner at m ss ng p eces. “Hilarious, delicious and a little pointy - their work pushes all the right buttons and I'm so excited to help write their next chapter at m ss ng p eces.”

“We were struck by m ss ng p eces’ ethos,” said Tusk. “They genuinely care about and prioritize storytelling, and we believe so much of what makes art great has to do with the people behind the work. m ss ng p eces’ advocacy for bringing new storytellers to the forefront is very inspiring. We’re very happy to be embarking on this next phase of our journey with them.”