Furlined sales representative Jake Strom has moved to New York from the production company’s West Coast office to work with East Coast sales and development head Kristen Johnson. Additionally, Minerva Content will be consulting through the end of the summer as additional East Coast sales and marketing support during Johnson’s upcoming maternity leave….
Madrid-headquartered Production Service Network (PSN), a worldwide network of 40 companies, has inked a national U.S. representation deal with NY-based CarolynReps. Production consultants Carolyn Hill and Amanda Rosenberg of Carolyn Reps will shepherd projects with global production needs out of the U.S, Projects will vary from commercials and branded entertainment to TV and features, as well as still shoots. PSN is headed by founder Michael Moffett and his partner, Christina Mateo-Yanguas. Carolyn Reps will continue to handle its current roster of companies as well as serve as U.S. liaison for PSN and its partner companies….
Editorial/postproduction company Lost Planet has signed Moustache, headed by owner/rep Jared Shapiro, for East Coast representation. Lost Planet now joins a diverse client roster at indie firm Moustache that includes Believe Media, Bob Industries, Honey Badger, Independent Media, JSM Music, Nonfiction, Raucous Content and Whitelist Collective….
Dattner Dispoto and Associates (DDA) has booked costume designer Kathleen Detoro on the pilot for CBS’ Training Day….
Steve McQueen Shows Wartime London Through A Child’s Eyes In “Blitz”
It was a single photograph that started Oscar-winning filmmaker Steve McQueen on the journey to make "Blitz." As a Londoner, the German bombing raids on the city during World War II are never all that far from his mind. Reminders of it are everywhere. But the spark of inspiration came from an image of a small boy on a train platform with a large suitcase. Stories inspired by the evacuation are not rare, but this child was Black. Who was he, McQueen wondered, and what was his story? The film, in theaters Friday and streaming on Apple TV+ on Nov. 22, tells the tale of George, a 9-year-old biracial child in East London whose life with his mother, Rita ( Saoirse Ronan ), and grandfather is upended by the war. Like many children at the time, he's put on a train to the countryside for his safety. But he hops off and starts a long, dangerous journey back to his mom, encountering all sorts of people and situations that paint a revelatory and emotional picture of that moment. SEARCHING FOR GEORGE AND FINDING A STAR When McQueen finished the screenplay, he thought to himself: "Not bad." Then he started to worry: Does George exist? Is there a person out there who can play this role? Through an open casting call they found Elliott Heffernan, a 9-year-old living just outside of London whose only experience was a school play. He was the genie in "Aladdin." "There was a stillness about him, a real silent movie star quality," McQueen said. "You wanted to know what he was thinking, and you leant in. That's a movie star quality: A presence in his absence." Elliott is now 11. When he was cast, he'd not yet heard about the evacuation and imagined that a film set would be made up of "about 100 people." But he soon found his footing, cycling in and out of... Read More