In asking others to reflect on the career and contributions of production veteran Chuck Sloan, who passed away last month at the age of 71, I found myself hearkening back to when I first got to know Chuck in 1981 when he and director/cameraman Eric Saarinen teamed to form Plum Productions, beginning what was to be a successful 26-year company run.
I knew Chuck only by reputation at his previous roosts, The Film Consortium and prior to that Wakeford/Orloff. I remember finding it curious that after serving at these two major companies with full-service operations, Chuck was opening a small boutique in rather modest trappings, a converted garage space in Los Angeles.
Yet that initial impression melted away when I saw the enthusiasm he had for the venture and the promising early spotmaking exploits of Saarinen. Yes, the production house ambience was unassuming, but you couldn’t help walking away with the feeling that Plum was destined to be a player and that Chuck would help steer Saarinen to stardom. Over the years, I’ve been at countless interview sessions with execs launching companies but I can only recall a handful of times knowing for sure that an upstart shop would go on to prominence. It’s a feeling that goes beyond educated guesswork and analytical insight. Plum was one of those instances.
It was good for a chuckle when Plum was deemed an overnight success by some when the classic Saarinen-directed Jeep “Snow Covered” commercial won the Grand Prix at the Cannes International Advertising Festival in ’94. By this time, Plum was ensconced in much nicer Santa Monica quarters but Chuck struck me as remarkably the same as when I first met him in that quasi-office garage space. He was straight forward, unassuming yet opinionated and forceful when certain issues both in and outside the scope of the commercialmaking business arose. He was unpretentious, had a self-deprecating sense of humor and was a dynamic positive influence on others, qualities that reminded me of the late Frank Tuttle, an exec who was a professional mentor to me and best known for his tenures at Wakeford/Orloff and The Film Tree. I didn’t know until later that Chuck regarded Frank as his mentor, describing him as “a great executive, a man of personal and professional integrity, and he taught me so much.”
That description is strikingly similar to those used to characterize Chuck by his colleagues upon his recent passing (SHOOT, 4/15). It’s amazing to look back to see how many careers he positively influenced both within Plum and for assorted others outside of the company.
Shelby Sexton, partner/executive producer at Wild Plum, a production house that emerged after Plum’s closure in ’07, may have summed up Chuck’s sense of people best as she looked back at her big career break. Sexton had started in the business right out of college as a receptionist at Plum. “A year later one of the executive producers was leaving the company,” she recalled. “Chuck said ‘I’m going to make you the next executive producer.’ Chuck was the kind of guy who saw things in people. He saw something in me that I didn’t even see in myself at the time.”
Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt Reach Divorce Settlement After 8 Years
Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt have reached a divorce settlement, ending one of the longest and most contentious divorces in Hollywood history but not every legal issue between the two.
Jolie and Pitt signed off on a default declaration filed in Los Angeles Superior Court on Monday, saying they have entered into a written agreement on their marital and property rights. The settlement was first reported by People magazine.
"More than eight years ago, Angelina filed for divorce from Mr. Pitt," Jolie's attorney, James Simon, said in a statement. "She and the children left all of the properties they had shared with Mr. Pitt, and since that time she has focused on finding peace and healing for their family. This is just one part of a long ongoing process that started eight years ago. Frankly, Angelina is exhausted, but she is relieved this one part is over."
The filing says they give up the right to any future spousal financial support, but gives no other details. A judge will need to sign off on the agreement. An email late Monday night to Pitt's attorney seeking comment was not immediately answered.
Jolie, 49, and Pitt, 61, were among Hollywood's most prominent pairings for 12 years, two of them as a married couple. The Oscar winners have six children together.
Jolie filed for divorce in 2016, after a private jet flight from Europe during which she said Pitt physically abused her and their children. The FBI and child services officials investigated Pitt's actions on the flight. Two months later, the FBI released a statement saying it would not investigate further, and the U.S. attorney did not bring charges.
A heavily redacted FBI report obtained by The Associated Press in 2022 said that an agent provided a probable cause... Read More