Park Pictures has signed Cannes Lion-winning director Jaci Judelson for commercials and branded content representation in both the U.S. and U.K. The documentary and commercial filmmaker has won numerous accolades, most recently for her Gatorade “Sisters in Sweat” spot starring Serena Williams, who at the time of production had recently become a mother. The campaign went on to win a Cannes Lion, two Clios and a One Show award and was nominated for the D&AD Impact Awards.
“Jaci Judelson is a beautiful visual storyteller. From her casting to her cinematography, she always manages to bring the deepest truth and humanity to her work,” said Jackie Kelman Bisbee, Park Pictures co-founder and executive producer.
Judelson has directed notable spots and branded films for the likes of T Mobile, Visa, C Spire, Staples and Avon, as well as AIDS PSAs. She boasts content film collaborations with cultural icons such as President Obama, BMW, Ralph Lauren, H&M, French Vogue and GQ Magazine. An award-winning documentary filmmaker, Judelson is best known for the docuseries Undressed: Fashion in the Twentieth Century (1998) and Tina Barney: Social Studies (2005).
“For me, Park Pictures is a filmmakers’ company committed to what I find most exciting in what we do–telling stories in a compelling and meaningful way, emotionally and visually,” Judelson said. Prior to joining Park, Judelson was repped in the advertising arena by Tool in the U.S. and Merman in the U.K. She is currently handled internationally by production houses Tempomedia in Germany, Soixante Quince in France, and Radke in Canada.
First-Time Feature Directors Make Major Splash At AFI Fest, Generate Oscar Buzz
Two first-time feature directors who are generating Oscar buzz this awards season were front and center this past weekend at AFI Fest in Hollywood. Rachel Morrison, who made history as the first woman nominated for a Best Cinematography Oscar---on the strength of Mudbound in 2018--brought her feature directorial debut, The Fire Inside (Amazon MGM Studios), to the festival on Sunday (10/27), and shared insights into the film during a conversation session immediately following the screening. This came a day after William Goldenberg, an Oscar-winning editor for Argo in 2013, had his initial foray into feature directing, Unstoppable (Amazon MGM Studios), showcased at the AFI proceedings. He too spoke after the screening during a panel discussion. The Fire Inside--which made its world premiere at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival--tells the story of Claressa “T-Rex” Shields (portrayed by Ryan Destiny), a Black boxer from Flint, Mich., who trained to become the first woman in U.S. history to win an Olympic Gold Medal in the sport. She achieved this feat--with the help of coach Jason Crutchfield (Brian Tyree Henry)--only to find that her victory at the Summer Games came with relatively little fanfare and no endorsement deals. So much for the hope that the historic accomplishment would be a ticket out of socioeconomic purgatory for Shields and her family. It seemed like yet another setback in a cycle of adversity throughout Shields’ life but she persevered, going on to win her second Gold Medal at the next Olympics and becoming a champion for gender equality and equitable pay for women in sports. Shields has served as a source of inspiration for woman athletes worldwide--as well as to the community of... Read More