Tom Weissferdt, a former partner/exec producer at Caviar, has launched Slim Pictures in Venice, Calif. The new venture opens with a directorial roster that consists of ZCDC (Zack Canepari and Drea Cooper), Stephen Blackman, Karen Cunningham, Nicolas Caicoya, Charley Stadler and Brad Morrison. Zlim is repped by Andrew Hall on the West Coast, Anya Zander and Emilia Ferreira of The House of Cards on the East Coast, and Rich Newman in the Midwest….Envision Media Arts, a Los Angeles-based producer spanning commercials, film and TV, has hired David Buelow as president of Film & TV, and Andrew Halpern as president of commercial production. Buelow comes over from Brookwell McNamara Entertainment (BME), where he served as president and produced such films as Bring it On: Fight to the Finish, Into the Blue 2: The Reef and Legally Blondes, the sequel to the successful Legally Blonde franchise. Halpern's repping and producing career had him working with commercial production houses that included RSA Films, MJZ, Chelsea and Plum. Lee Nelson is president of the overall Envison Media Arts which was founded as XOVR (pronounced Crossover) in 2002. Envision Media Arts has producd spots for Macy's, Ferrero Rocher, Ford and T-Com, among others. In 2010 Nelson executive produced and Envision supplied financing for the feature Janie Jones, starring Abigail Breslin and Alessandro Nivola. The film recently premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival. Envision currently is in pre-production on WACO, the first narrative feature film to explore the events of the ATF raid on Mt. Carmel, Texas, the 51-day siege that followed, and the devastating fire that resulted in the deaths of 81 civilians. Set to star Academy Award winner Adrien Brody, Kurt Russell, Sharon Stone and John Leguizamo, WACO will be directed by Rupert Wainwright (Stigmata)….Framestore's London office has promoted Helen Hughes to its top commercials production role, head of production. The appointment is a precursor to a period of growth that will see Framestore's production department increase with imminent new hirings. Hughes joined Framestore as a senior producer in August 2010. Since working for Framestore, she has produced such work as Audi's “Goodnight Moon” with director Daniel Kleinman, and EA Sports' “FIFA 11” and Special Olympics “Omar” with director Johnny Green. She is currently working with director Tom Kuntz on a soon-to-be-released project. Hughes joined Framestore from Method Studios in LA where she was a director of production. Hughes was previously at The Mill, firstly in the London office between 2000 and 2006 where she became deputy head of production before transferring to the USA to establish The Mill's LA studio. Hughes' production career began as an agency producer at Ogilvy and a production company producer at Outsider Films….
Actor Steve Guttenberg Returns To L.A. Neighborhood Now Charred By Devastating Wildfire
Steve Guttenberg awoke Thursday morning to a grim reality: The treacherous wildfire that tore through the Pacific Palisades had left his once-lush neighborhood charred and unrecognizable.
With homes smoldered, streets emptied and friends scattered by evacuation orders, Guttenberg counted himself among the fortunate. His property was miraculously spared. But the actor-producer still struggled to reconcile his relief with the haunting sight of his ravaged, once lavish community.
"Just this morning, I woke up and I was really conscious of my mental state and my mental health, because the last three days, I've seen so much tragedy," said Guttenberg, pacing through the ruins of his neighborhood. He said his home has electricity but no running water.
Guttenberg thanked God that his block was safe, but he said about 20 homes were burned "pretty bad" in his 80-home community after wind-whipped fires tore across Los Angeles, destroying homes, clogging roadways as tens of thousands fled as the fires burned uncontained Wednesday. He said the fires are the worst he's ever seen in his 66-years.
The wildfires have burned the homes of several celebrities including Billy Crystal, Carey Elwes and Paris Hilton.
Guttenberg said he never expected all of this to happen.
"It's like when someone dies suddenly," he said. "It's like when someone gets hit by a car. You never expect that to happen. That's how shocking it was."
During Guttenberg's stroll, it was an eerie scene with scorched palm trees, homes reduced to ash and rubble, and the daytime skies casted an ominous twilight over the devastation.
"I've seen people scared, people in wheelchairs, mothers and fathers trying to find their kids, people having anxiety and panic... Read More