Multicultural agency commonground has brought veteran producer Brendan O’Malley on board as executive producer of both broadcast and digital across all businesses in New York. Prior to joining commonground, O’Malley ran his own graphics production company and has spent the last three years on an extended assignment producing TV, radio and Internet content for the Asian/American market for Verizon and Subaru. He spent 18 years as sr. partner/executive producer at Ogilvy NY creating award winning work on several blue-chip brands including American Express, Miller Lite, Maxwell House Coffee, Post Cereals, NYNEX, Dove, SAP and Delta. A Brooklyn-born native, O’Malley got started in advertising at Young & Rubicam NY after graduating from New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts with a BFA in Cinematography. O’Malley has worked as an art director, copywriter, film director and producer. He is a voting member of the Directors Guild and the Emmys. Additionally, O’Malley has produced advertising work that has won Cannes Lions, ADDY’s, One Show, Clio’s, Effies, 3AF and is Emmy nominated….Director John Poliquin has joined Hiccup Media, the hybrid creative strategy, content production and post house founded in 2006 by former agency producer Rob Simone and editor/director Michael Cruz. Fashion/lifestyle helmer Poliquin’s credits include Urban Outfitters, Diet Coke, Burberry and H&M. Poliquin is also known for his music video work, which includes a 2012 Juno Award win. He also directed the 2011 found-footage horror film Grave Encounters and its 2012 sequel Grave Encounters 2, as well as shot videos for “The Next Star,” a popular talent show airing on the youth-oriented Canadian television network YTV….Flame artist Chris DeCristo has joined Los Angeles-based digital production and design company Timber as Lead Flame. DeCristo has amassed a broad body of work over his many years in production and VFX. He has freelanced for visual effects and design studios before landing at Timber, including Superfad, Digital Domain, Method and Psyop. During that time he lent his talents to numerous advertising campaigns for brands including Sony, IBM, Hyundai, Kia, HP, Lexus, Bacardi and Nike. Prior to his time freelancing, DeCristo cut his teeth at CBS Digital (CBS Television) where he worked for 12 years, nine of which were as a VFX supervisor/flame artist. He became a sr, Flame artist in 2001 and went on to supervise many top TV shows, including Touched By an Angel, X-Files and The Sopranos, and was twice nominated for an Emmy….
Alec Baldwin Urges Judge To Stand By Dismissal Of Involuntary Manslaughter Case In “Rust” Shooting
Alec Baldwin urged a New Mexico judge on Friday to stand by her decision to skuttle his trial and dismiss an involuntary manslaughter charge against the actor in the fatal shooting of a cinematographer on the set of a Western movie.
State District Court Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer dismissed the case against Baldwin halfway through a trial in July based on the withholding of evidence by police and prosecutors from the defense in the 2021 shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of the film "Rust."
The charge against Baldwin was dismissed with prejudice, meaning it can't be revived once any appeals of the decision are exhausted.
Special prosecutor Kari Morrissey recently asked the judge to reconsider, arguing that there were insufficient facts and that Baldwin's due process rights had not been violated.
Baldwin, the lead actor and co-producer on "Rust," was pointing a gun at cinematographer Halyna Hutchins during a rehearsal when it went off, killing her and wounding director Joel Souza. Baldwin has said he pulled back the hammer โ but not the trigger โ and the revolver fired.
The case-ending evidence was ammunition that was brought into the sheriff's office in March by a man who said it could be related to Hutchins' killing. Prosecutors said they deemed the ammunition unrelated and unimportant, while Baldwin's lawyers alleged that they "buried" it and filed a successful motion to dismiss the case.
In her decision to dismiss the Baldwin case, Marlowe Sommer described "egregious discovery violations constituting misconduct" by law enforcement and prosecutors, as well as false testimony about physical evidence by a witness during the trial.
Defense counsel says that prosecutors tried to establish a link... Read More