Cross-cultural agency the community has hired Benjamin Bittman as EVP, managing director. In this newly created role, Bittman will lead the agency’s efforts for its long-standing client Verizon. He will spearhead all aspects of the Verizon account at a time where the brand ushers in the new era of 5G and looks to the community as a key creative partner. Based out of the agency’s New York office, Bittman will report to president Luis Montero.
Bittman joins the community from Sundae Collective, the first influencer network born and incubated out of a creative agency, 72andSunny. In his role as managing director and co-founder, he developed the company’s positioning and corporate identity, as well as oversaw all aspects of the business. Prior, Bittman served as chief marketing officer of social video player Videoo and led mobile campaign management solution Promoht as its co-founder. He has also held senior roles at Anomaly, Saatchi & Saatchi, and TWBAWorldwide.
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