Bicoastal Gartner has named Chicago-based independent rep Renee Case to cover the Midwest….Jolie Miller, formerly of Miller/Nadler, New York, has joined bicoastal MacGuffin Films, to cover the East Coast. Miller rounds out a sales force that includes Helen Blatt, who also handles the East Coast; Midwest rep Jay Anderson; and Grace Silverstein on the West Coast….Santa Monica-based commercial production house Fuse has secured Maureen Melvin of Maureen Melvin and Co., Los Angeles, and Stuart Sternbach of New York-based Pangea to serve as West Coast and East Coast reps, respectively. Elizabeth Mang continues to handle Fuse in the Midwest….Anne Bakoulis has joined Postworks, New York, as director of sales. She will handle national and international sales for the postproduction facility.…DP Robin Miller has signed with Sherry Rousso Associates, New York, for spot representation in the U.S….DP Ivan Bird has joined Tenth House/ The Geller Agency, Los Angeles, for exclusive representation in commercials, music videos and features….Production designer Jonathan Wellerstein is available exclusively through Lyons•Sheldon•Prosnit Agency, Los Angeles…. Santa Monica-based broadcast design and production studio Belief has hired Erin Davis as director of business development. Her focus is to pursue new business in the U.S. and Latin American markets….
Alec Baldwin Urges Judge To Stand By Dismissal Of Involuntary Manslaughter Case In “Rust” Shooting
Alec Baldwin urged a New Mexico judge on Friday to stand by her decision to skuttle his trial and dismiss an involuntary manslaughter charge against the actor in the fatal shooting of a cinematographer on the set of a Western movie.
State District Court Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer dismissed the case against Baldwin halfway through a trial in July based on the withholding of evidence by police and prosecutors from the defense in the 2021 shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of the film "Rust."
The charge against Baldwin was dismissed with prejudice, meaning it can't be revived once any appeals of the decision are exhausted.
Special prosecutor Kari Morrissey recently asked the judge to reconsider, arguing that there were insufficient facts and that Baldwin's due process rights had not been violated.
Baldwin, the lead actor and co-producer on "Rust," was pointing a gun at cinematographer Halyna Hutchins during a rehearsal when it went off, killing her and wounding director Joel Souza. Baldwin has said he pulled back the hammer — but not the trigger — and the revolver fired.
The case-ending evidence was ammunition that was brought into the sheriff's office in March by a man who said it could be related to Hutchins' killing. Prosecutors said they deemed the ammunition unrelated and unimportant, while Baldwin's lawyers alleged that they "buried" it and filed a successful motion to dismiss the case.
In her decision to dismiss the Baldwin case, Marlowe Sommer described "egregious discovery violations constituting misconduct" by law enforcement and prosecutors, as well as false testimony about physical evidence by a witness during the trial.
Defense counsel says that prosecutors tried to establish a link... Read More