By Carolyn Giardina
DETROIT—The Association of Independent Creative Editors (AICE) has launched a chapter in Detroit. The new entity joins a lineup of AICE chapters in Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, New York and San Francisco.
Stewart Shevin, editor at Mad River Post, Detroit, will serve as the chapter president. (Mad River also maintains shops in New York, Santa Monica, San Francisco and Dallas.) He heads a slate of chapter officers consisting of VP Terry King, STS Editorial; treasurer Etta Menlo, Universal Images; and secretary Nick Hrycyk, Shadowbox New Media Group. Shevin and King will additionally serve on the AICE national board, which is made up of two members from each chapter.
"Detroit is a significant market, and there is a desire to be connected to our comrades in the other markets because the business has become more national and global," said Shevin. "It makes a lot of sense to be communicating with them inside this professional forum."
In addition to reaching out, the group also intends to focus on the local market. At the top of the chapter’s agenda, said Shevin, is "developing an atmosphere in Detroit that encourages our clientele to utilize more Detroit editors to do more Detroit-based creative." In other words, according to Shevin, the group plans on increasing the local community’s visibility through involvement in local advertising events, and possibly hosting a client party.
While the group is still in the early stages of setting its full agenda, in general terms, Shevin said it intends to "come together to improve the common business interests that we all have as creative editors, so we can speak with one voice to vendors and suppliers when it is in the mutual interest of everyone to do that." Education about technology and business will also be a prime goal.
"I’m thrilled," said national AICE president Steve McCoy, who is president of Filmcore, Santa Monica and San Francisco. "It’s a great move for Detroit, which is an important market. I think it will improve communication among the local companies … and nationally."
National VP Richard Gillespie, who is president of Dallas-based Fast Cuts Edits, traveled to Detroit with Fast Cuts producer Julie Koellner to assist in the new chapter’s formation. Gillespie emphasized the "cooperative spirit" of the group. "To me, the neatest thing is to have communication with companies that normally never talk," he said.
"It’s always good to have a broader reach into the national scope of our organization," Gillespie continued. "A benefit is that we all use the same equipment. If there’s a problem with a vendor, speaking as a group can give us more clout."
First-Time Feature Directors Make Major Splash At AFI Fest, Generate Oscar Buzz
Two first-time feature directors who are generating Oscar buzz this awards season were front and center this past weekend at AFI Fest in Hollywood. Rachel Morrison, who made history as the first woman nominated for a Best Cinematography Oscar---on the strength of Mudbound in 2018--brought her feature directorial debut, The Fire Inside (Amazon MGM Studios), to the festival on Sunday (10/27), and shared insights into the film during a conversation session immediately following the screening. This came a day after William Goldenberg, an Oscar-winning editor for Argo in 2013, had his initial foray into feature directing, Unstoppable (Amazon MGM Studios), showcased at the AFI proceedings. He too spoke after the screening during a panel discussion. The Fire Inside--which made its world premiere at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival--tells the story of Claressa “T-Rex” Shields (portrayed by Ryan Destiny), a Black boxer from Flint, Mich., who trained to become the first woman in U.S. history to win an Olympic Gold Medal in the sport. She achieved this feat--with the help of coach Jason Crutchfield (Brian Tyree Henry)--only to find that her victory at the Summer Games came with relatively little fanfare and no endorsement deals. So much for the hope that the historic accomplishment would be a ticket out of socioeconomic purgatory for Shields and her family. It seemed like yet another setback in a cycle of adversity throughout Shields’ life but she persevered, going on to win her second Gold Medal at the next Olympics and becoming a champion for gender equality and equitable pay for women in sports. Shields has served as a source of inspiration for woman athletes worldwide--as well as to the community of... Read More