Creative content company Chromista has promoted Adina Birnbaum to partner. Birnbaum first joined the company, which maintains bases of operation in L.A. and New York, in late 2021 as EP of new business development. As partner, Birnbaum will play a pivotal role in amplifying and supporting Chromista’s roster of creatives.
Throughout Birnbaum’s career, she has paired her passion for championing emerging talent and underrepresented voices, with her longstanding love of innovative storytelling and filmmaking. Her previous roles include financial analyst, agency producer, head of production, executive producer at VFX company MPC, and freelance brand/agency executive producer at companies including Instagram, Squarespace, Chobani, Martin Agency, and Johannes Leonardo. This unexpected and gratifying production journey informs her approach to every project. Her brand work includes campaigns and identities for Adidas, The Atlantic, Hermès, Quaker, Kate Spade and Wrigley.
Since joining Chromista in 2021, Birnbaum has helped to bring dynamic new voices and perspectives to the company. Six new directors joined the content company’s roster last year: Candice Vernon, best known for her high-profile celebrity, comedy, and documentary content; Emmy-nominated director and editor Jess Brunetto; comedic director Andrew DeYoung, known for I Love that For You, Shrill, and Gotham Award-nominated Vimeo series 555; award-winning feature film and television filmmaker Patricia Riggin; award-winning writer and director Ella Jones; and multi-talented creative duo The Vortex.
Ted Robbins, partner/executive producer at Chromista, said, “Adina instantly became a vital part of Chromista after joining as EP last year. Her resume was outstanding, but seeing Adina in action–building Chromista to new levels with her connections, experience, and knowledge–was exhilarating. With Adina now a Partner, Chromista’s future has greater potential because of the spirit she brings to the company and her genuine love of creative and respect for diverse voices that deserve to be heard.“
“I am honored to be made a partner at such an extraordinary company, during such a significant time of growth,” said Birnbaum. “Chromista’s artistry and commitment to telling beautiful narratives and visual stories in unique ways continue to inspire me every day as does the dynamic collaboration between my partners and amongst all the artists across our roster. I love who we are as a company and how we support our directors and our clients. I’m looking forward to continuing the expansion of the Chromista team and its presence within the industry.”
Review: Malcolm Washington Makes His Feature Directing Debut With “The Piano Lesson”
An heirloom piano takes on immense significance for one family in 1936 Pittsburgh in August Wilson's "The Piano Lesson." Generational ties also permeate the film adaptation, in which Malcolm Washington follows in his father Denzel Washington's footsteps in helping to bring the entirety of The Pittsburgh Cycle — a series of 10 plays — to the screen.
Malcolm Washington did not start from scratch in his accomplished feature filmmaking debut. He enlisted much of the cast from the recent Broadway revival with Samuel L. Jackson (Doaker Charles), his brother, John David Washington (Boy Willie), Ray Fisher (Lymon) and Michael Potts (Whining Boy). Berniece, played by Danielle Brooks in the play, is now beautifully portrayed by Danielle Deadwyler. With such rich material and a cast for whom it's second nature, it would be hard, one imagines, to go wrong. Jackson's own history with the play goes back to its original run in 1987 when he was Boy Willie.
It's not the simplest thing to make a play feel cinematic, but Malcolm Washington was up to the task. His film opens up the world of the Charles family beyond the living room. In fact, this adaptation, which Washington co-wrote with "Mudbound" screenwriter Virgil Williams, goes beyond Wilson's text and shows us the past and the origins of the intricately engraved piano that's central to all the fuss. It even opens on a big, action-filled set piece in 1911, during which the piano is stolen from a white family's home. Another fleshes out Doaker's monologue in which he explains to the uninitiated, Fisher's Lymon, and the audience, the tortured history of the thing. While it might have been nice to keep the camera on Jackson, such a great, grounding presence throughout, the good news is that he really makes... Read More