Director/creative director Jake Banks, executive producer Matthew Marquis and head of VFX Guillaume Marien have teamed to form Golden, a production and post company based in Venice, Calif. Launching in response to the ever-changing industry model, Golden is a multi-disciplinary studio focused on the fusion of high-end live action production, design, animation and visual effects. Banks and Marquis earlier founded Stardust, a commercial production company where Banks served as owner and director. After nearly a decade at the helm of that company, Banks had a stint on the directorial roster of Prettybird. Marquis most recently prior to Golden worked at Logan where he helped launch the live action division Logan and Sons. Guillaume is the creator of Mathematic, a motion design studio devoted to creating cutting edge visuals with an innovative approach to postproduction…. Director and VFX artist Anders Rostad has joined the roster of DNA. Anders previously served as creative director and head of video production for RAM Magazine, and has been a freelance director and VFX artist since 2010. Rostad joins DNA after a string of successful projects including directing “Last Chance” for Grammy-nominated electronic artist Kaskade and an innovative series of network IDs for Hub for the 2012 and 2013 summer campaigns. He also designed a series of video billboards featured in Times Square for Aeropostale and JVC’s New Year’s campaigns….James Cunningham has joined Stink, serving as EP out of the company’s London office. He was most recently head of content at Academy Films. Cunningham began his career as an account man at TBWA, London and Mustoe Merriman Levy. He then moved to Cape Town, working at Suburban Films, where he was instrumental in setting up Film South Africa, a body designed to unify the country’s production industry under one global marketing strategy. After three years in South Africa, Cunningham returned to London and joined Academy Films as its head of content in 2008….NY-based Northern Lights has promoted Jon Simpson to editor. While working as an assistant editor since joining the company in 2010, he has contributed to a wide variety of campaigns for such top clients as USA Network, TruTV and Al Jazeera America. In 2013, he took home the top prize at the AICE Camp Kuleshov trailer editing contest for “Screwloose,” his horror take on a trailer for the 1980s dance musical Footloose….
Denzel Washington, Michael J. Fox and Bono Among Presidential Medal of Freedom Recipients
In the East Room of the White House on a particularly frigid Saturday afternoon, President Joe Biden bestowed the Presidential Medal of Freedom to 19 of the most famous names in politics, sports, entertainment, civil rights, LGBTQ+ advocacy and science.
Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton aroused a standing ovation from the crowd as she received her medal. Clinton was accompanied to the event by her husband former President Bill Clinton, daughter Chelsea Clinton and grandchildren. Democratic philanthropist George Soros and actor-director Denzel Washington were also awarded the nation's highest civilian honor in a White House ceremony.
"For the final time as president I have the honor bestowing the Medal of Freedom, our nation's highest civilian honor, on a group of extraordinary, truly extraordinary people, who gave their sacred effort, their sacred effort, to shape the culture and the cause of America," Biden said in his opening remarks.
"Let me just say to each of you, thank you, thank you, thank you for all you've done to help this country," Biden said Saturday.
Four medals were awarded posthumously. They went to George W. Romney, who served as both a Michigan governor and secretary of housing and urban development; former Attorney General and Sen. Robert F. Kennedy; Ash Carter, a former secretary of defense; and Fannie Lou Hamer, who founded the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party and laid the groundwork for the 1965 Voting Rights Act.
Kennedy is father to Robert F. Kennedy Jr., President-elect Donald Trump's nominee for health and human services secretary. Biden said, "Bobby is one of my true political heroes. I love and I miss him dearly."
Romney is the father of former Utah Republican Sen. Mitt Romney, one of... Read More