The management team at bicoastal/international Chelsea Pictures—president Steve Wax, managing director Allison Amon and executive producer Lisa Mehling—has reached an agreement to acquire what’s described as a "significant" ownership stake in the company from publicly held, Minneapolis-headquartered iNTELEFILM Corp. The deal takes Chelsea Pictures off of the sales block; earlier this year, iNTELEFILM had announced that it was considering selling its commercial production house subsidiaries, including Chelsea Pictures (SHOOT, 5/4, p. 1)….San Francisco-headquartered interactive firm Red Sky has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy and plans to reorganize. According to a Red Sky spokesperson, Seneca Investments LLC, an e-services holding company, will purchase Red Sky’s assets pending approval by a U.S. Bankruptcy Court judge in New York. Seneca is a joint venture between Omnicom Group and Pegasus Partners II, an investment company based in Greenwich, Conn. The Red Sky spokesperson said that the company’s entertainment division—which was formed last fall after Red Sky acquired animation/effects/live-action studio Olive Jar, Boston and Burbank, and multimedia outfit White Noise, Los Angeles—would continue to operate….New York-headquartered Shooting Gallery is likely to file for bankruptcy protection, according to its parent company, Toronto-headquartered itemus, which is potentially liable for $10 million in Shooting Gallery debt. Virtually all of Shooting Gallery’s staffers were laid off at the end of June, some two months after itemus finalized its deal to acquire Shooting Gallery. Among the casualties was Shooting Gallery’s commercial and music video arm, Shooting Gallery Productions (SGP), which closed on June 26, despite having been a profitable operation (SHOOT, 7/6, p. 1)….Jeanine Pepler has joined bicoastal First Look Media as executive producer of the company’s commercial and Internet divisions: First Look Artists and First Look Internet, respectively. She replaces Linda Ross, who left First Look to pursue another opportunity….Director David Wagreich has joined Santa Monica-based Omaha Pictures. He was formerly represented by bicoastal/international @radical.media….The Directors Network, headquartered in Studio City, Calif., has signed directors Ron Ames and Allen Weiss to work in that freelance-director venue created by company founder/directors’ agent Steve Lewis. Ames and Weiss come over, respectively, from now defunct Crash Films and SGP….Writer/director/actor Alan Cumming has signed with bicoastal Zooma Zooma for spot representation. Cumming most recently co-produced, co-wrote and co-directed the feature The Anniversary Party with Jennifer Jason Leigh….Los Angeles-headquartered A Band Apart has signed director Simon Brand and entered into an alliance with his Miami-based production house, Kree8….Director/cameraman Serge Roman has joined Metro Pictures, Marina del Rey, Calif., for exclusive spot representation in the U.S….Chicago-based commercial music/sound design house Catfish Music has signed composer/musician Alex Kemp as a staff composer….In other Chicago news, post boutique Spots BME has added editor Mike Buhrow….Freelance agency producer Jane Jacobsen will become head of broadcast at Sedgwick Rd. (formerly McCann-Erickson), Seattle, effective Oct. 1….
“A Complete Unknown,” “The Brutalist,” “Gladiator II,” “Wicked” Among ADG Excellence in Production Design Award Nominees
The Art Directors Guild (ADG, IATSE Local 800) has unveiled the nominees for its 29th Annual Excellence in Production Design Awards. The ceremony, hosted by actress and comedian Rachael Harris, will take place on Feb. 15, at the InterContinental Los Angeles Downtown.
Among the motion picture nominees are the production designers on A Complete Unknown, The Brutalist, Gladiator II, Nosferatu and Saturday Night in the Period Feature Film category; and Alien: Romulus, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, Dune: Part Two, Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga and Wicked in the Fantasy Feature Film category.
Television nominations span the likes of Bridgerton, Fallout, House of the Dragon, The Lord of the Rings: Pachinko, Rings of Power, Ripley and Shogun.
The ADG Awards celebrate excellence in production design across theatrical motion pictures, television, commercials, music videos, and animated feature films. The 2025 Cinematic Imagery Award will be presented to Academy Award®-nominated director and filmmaker Jason Reitman, whose body of work includes Juno, Up in the Air and Saturday Night.
“This year’s nominees showcase the incredible artistry and vision that define our craft and our industry. We’re thrilled to bring the Guild together to celebrate the achievements of these incredible production designers and their art departments,” shared award show producers Michael Allen Glover, ADG, and Megan Elizabeth Bell, ADG, in a joint statement.
In addition, the ADG will honor Lisa Frazza, Barbara Mesney, Dan Sweetman, and J. Dennis Washington with Lifetime Achievement Awards. Legendary production designer Carl Jules Weyl will be inducted into the ADG Hall of Fame as part of the... Read More