Trade organization commissions research and strategy firm to delve into the future of the commercial production and post industry
Matt Miller, president and CEO of the Association of Independent Commercial Producers (AICP), has announced the publication of a comprehensive report on the commercial production and postproduction industry. Titled “Craft & Commerce: Opportunities for Marketing in the Motion Image,” the report was created for AICP by The Nucleus Group, a leading strategy and research organization. It’s being shared not only with the AICP membership, but also with the wider industry, including marketers and advertising agencies. It can be accessed and downloaded here.
“As our industry faces rapid changes in almost every facet of our business, an important part of a trade association’s role is to respond to current concerns, to think about where things are going, and provide actionable guidance to its members on how to navigate a changing environment,” said Miller about the initiative.
Described by Nucleus as a Depth of Field Guide, the resulting report provides insight and knowledge to clarify decision-making. Holistic and human-centered, the study “takes an in-depth look at where commercial communications is heading,” explained Nucleus Group founder and CEO Elizabeth Talerman. “The focus of this work was to support industry evolution and illuminate the opportunities that abound when partnering with brands and agencies.” Critical industry insights included in the report are immediately actionable:
–As creativity connects directly to accountability, demand increases for those who tell connective stories that produce results.
–With a demand for more marketing content across more platforms than ever before, the choice of partners brands can turn to has greatly expanded.
–Brands are seeking commercial content producers to support them in traditional filmmaking, experiential, branded entertainment and social commerce.
–Brands expect their production partners to embrace all technology available, including data and AI.
This endeavor was initiated late last year by Lisa Mehling, president of Chelsea, and chairperson of the AICP National Board at the time. “AICP members were seeking guidance and advocacy from our leadership amidst an extremely turbulent time for the industry,” Mehling explained. AICP engaged The Nucleus Group to conduct an independent study to address fundamental questions regarding the industry’s current and future state. “Their research expertise and familiarity with global marketing, ad agency dynamics, and media technology uniquely positioned them to provide a clear assessment of where our industry stands today, what are our competitive advantages and where the likely opportunities lie,” she added.
Tabitha Mason-Elliott, partner at BARK BARK and current chairperson of the National Board, concurred. “My reaction to ‘Craft & Commerce’ was one of both affirmation and anticipation,” she stated. “Change is a constant and inevitable force in our industry, and it’s crucial that we arm our membership with the knowledge and tools needed to stay ahead. This report does exactly that by clearly outlining the shifts and identifying the gaps.”
The title of the report grew out of its conclusion that commerce and craft must coexist for advertising to be effective. The result of extensive research, in-depth interviews with leaders across all aspects of the industry and a confidential survey of AICP members, the report charts various evolutions within the industry and emphasizes potential pathways forward, or what Nucleus refers to as “Actionable Wisdom.” Its narrative storytelling approach includes detailed infographics and verbatim observations culled from both its interviews as well as from the survey of AICP members.
“The business is fundamentally changing in several key ways, which we elucidate in our study,” said Talerman. “It’s not business as usual by any stretch of the imagination, but we believe there are more opportunities now in this industry than ever before.”
In a time of rapid change, Talerman believes the report will instill curiosity and optimism in both industry veterans and newcomers–a hope that is echoed by AICP and its board. Added Mehling, “The Board’s decision to invest in the report underscores our confidence in our industry’s resilience, and its essential value to brands.”
James Earl Jones, Lauded Actor and Voice of Darth Vader, Dies At 93
James Earl Jones, who overcame racial prejudice and a severe stutter to become a celebrated icon of stage and screen — eventually lending his deep, commanding voice to CNN, "The Lion King" and Darth Vader — has died. He was 93.
His agent, Barry McPherson, confirmed Jones died Monday morning at home in New York's Hudson Valley region. The cause was not immediately clear.
The pioneering Jones, who was one of the first African American actors in a continuing role on a daytime drama and worked deep into his 80s, won two Emmys, a Golden Globe, two Tony Awards, a Grammy, the National Medal of Arts, the Kennedy Center Honors and was given an honorary Oscar and a special Tony for lifetime achievement. In 2022, a Broadway theater was renamed in his honor.
He cut an elegant figure late in life, with a wry sense of humor and a ferocious work habit. In 2015, he arrived at rehearsals for a Broadway run of "The Gin Game" having already memorized the play and with notebooks filled with comments from the creative team. He said he was always in service of the work.
"The need to storytell has always been with us," he told The Associated Press then. "I think it first happened around campfires when the man came home and told his family he got the bear, the bear didn't get him."
Jones created such memorable film roles as the reclusive writer coaxed back into the spotlight in "Field of Dreams," the boxer Jack Johnson in the stage and screen hit "The Great White Hope," the writer Alex Haley in "Roots: The Next Generation" and a South African minister in "Cry, the Beloved Country."
He was also a sought-after voice actor, expressing the villainy of Darth Vader ("No, I am your father," commonly misremembered as "Luke, I am your father"), as... Read More