By Robert Goldrich
Jimmy Smith, an accomplished agency creative who currently serves as partner, chairman and CCO of Amusement Park Entertainment, recalled years ago awarding a young filmmaker with his first commercial. That director went on to a stellar career in spots and features. But today, Smith laughed, he can’t get a return phone call from the director—such is life.
Smith related this story on stage as a member of a panel discussing diversity—or the lack thereof—during the first ever Commercial Directors Diversity Program (CDDP) Showcase last month at the DGA Theater in L.A. In the context of that event, Smith and others are hopeful that the young female and ethnic minority directors who get a jump start from the CDDP exposure don’t forget the opportunities they received early on—and once they’re established, they will have empathy for other aspiring directors, including women and minorities, who show promise and can add to the diversity of the industry talent pool.
That dynamic of extending opportunities to—and helping to mentor—others can play a key role in fostering diversity.
A good step in that direction is being taken in the form of the CDDP, an initiative born out of contract talks between the Association of Independent Commercial Producers (AICP) and the Directors Guild of America. A lineup of 13 Showcase directors was selected by a blue-ribbon panel of judges who viewed and assessed the work of 122 entrants. Screened for Showcase attendees at the DGA Theater was a piece of work from each of the 13 directors. Many of the 13 directors submitted as many as three pieces. The industry at large can now see this work and much more online at cddprogram.org. Via the site, the directors can also be contacted by production companies interested in exploring a working relationship. CDDP is designed to help gain production house representation for these directors.
Matt Miller, AICP president and CEO, said that this is the first of what he hopes will be perhaps as many as three CDDP Showcases during the course of the year with more to come beyond that, exposing the work of women and minority talent to the production community.
The timing of the CDDP launch is fortuitous as we’re at a juncture, said Miller, when awareness and momentum are steadily building “to make something positive happen.”
A TV as big as a bed? With the holidays approaching, stores stock more supersize sets
For some television viewers, size apparently does matter.
Forget the 65-inch TVs that were considered bigger than average a decade ago. In time for the holidays, manufacturers and retailers are rolling out more XXL screens measuring more than 8 feet across. That's wider than a standard three-seat sofa or a king-size bed.
Supersize televisions only accounted for 1.7% of revenue from all TV set sales in the U.S. during the first nine months of the year, according to market research firm Circana. But companies preparing for shoppers to go big for Christmas, Hanukkah and Kwanzaa have reason to think the growing ultra category will be a bright spot in an otherwise tepid television market, according to analysts.
The 38.1 million televisions sold with a width of at least 97 inches between January and September represented a tenfold increase from the same period last year, Circana said. Best Buy, the nation's largest consumer electronics chain, doubled the assortment of hefty TVs — the 19 models range in price from $2,000 to $25,000 — and introduced displays in roughly 70% of its stores.
"It's really taken off this year," Blake Hampton, Best Buy's senior vice president of merchandising, said.
Analysts credit the emerging demand to improved technology and much lower prices. So far this year, the average price for TVs spanning at least 97 inches was $3,113 compared to $6,662 last year, according to Circana. South Korean electronics manufacturer Samsung introduced its first 98-inch TV in 2019 with a hefty price tag of $99,000; it now has four versions starting at $4,000, the company said.
Anthony Ash, a 42-year-old owner of a wood pallet and recycling business, recently bought a 98-inch Sony for his 14,000-square-foot house in... Read More