Director Leonardo Ricagni has signed with A Band Apart, Los Angeles, for commercial and music video representation. Sister company Bikini Films, London, will also represent the director. Additionally, in conjunction with Mojo Film, Montevideo, Uruguay, a company in which Ricagni is a partner, A Band Apart is launching a Hispanic division called Mojo/A Band Apart. Nicolas Aznarez, executive producer of Mojo Film, will relocate to Los Angeles to help run the division. Meanwhile, Mojo Film will maintain its operation in Uruguay….Ogilvy & Mather (O&M), Chicago, has upped Monna O’Brien to executive director of broadcast. She was formerly director of broadcast production at the agency. O’Brien has been an O&M staffer for 18-plus years. She joined there as a producer in ’85. In her new capacity, O’Brien will work closely with Joe Sciarrotta, co-managing director/executive creative director of O&M Chicago, as well as with the shop’s group creative directors….Director Reginald Hudlin has signed with Zero 2 Sixty Productions, New York, for exclusive spot representation. Hudlin’s feature credits include House Party and Boomerang….Director Paul Fuentes, formerly of Huge, New York, has joined The Firm, New York….Blue Room Music, New York, has added composer Gabrielis Kaye to its roster….Editor Nick Lofting has moved stateside from the U.K., joining Chrome, a Santa Monica-based editorial boutique. He will be handled worldwide by Chrome for spots, music videos and longform….Sparks Productions, Toronto, has added director Gord McWatters to its roster. He had been with Apple Box Productions, which recently closed….Director Farhad Mann of Farhad Mann Productions, Los Angeles, has signed with Toronto-based commercial production company ‘ello Luv for representation in Canada….James L. McDowell, VP of marketing for BMW of North America, will be the keynote speaker at the inaugural AICP Brand Integration Honors, slated for the morning of June 9 in New York. Later that evening, the 12th annual AICP Show will be presented….The industry is mourning the death of Chris Petersen, 82. Petersen headed the now defunct The Petersen Co., a commercial production house that was a spawning ground for filmmaking talent for three decades (’60s, ’70s, ’80s). Petersen passed away on May 9 after a yearlong struggle with health problems….
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