Bicoastal Chelsea Pictures has signed directing collective The Bear and hired executive producer Michel Waxman.
Founded by Austin filmmakers Berndt Mader and Ben Steinbauer, The Bear has been bringing its authentic, funny, and candid directorial style to brands since its founding a decade ago. Prior to joining the Chelsea roster, The Bear had been repping itself. Notable clients of The Bear include Whole Foods, Stubhub, Yeti, Alfa Romeo and Crate & Barrel.
Chelsea president/owner Lisa Mehling said of The Bear, “From the moment [Chelsea director] David Gordon Green introduced me to Berndt and Ben, I knew that The Bear was ready to take their ethos and aesthetic to the broader national market. As filmmakers, their approach and style is spot on with what agencies and brands are looking for.”
Mader and Steinbauer noted that they were drawn to the high caliber of Chelsea’s work and its directorial roster which includes Green, Lauren Greenfield, Alex Gibney, Bruce Hunt, Jack Cole, Nadav Kander, Amir Bar-Lev, Kyle Patrick Alvarez, Thomas Beug, Alan Poul, Gregory Jacobs, Matthias Zentner, Peyton Wilson and Erik Madigan Heck.
Waxman
As exec producer, Waxman will helm Chelsea’s L.A. office and serve alongside VP/EP Pat McGoldrick. Waxman began her career at Creative Management Partners, where she learned the ropes from a veritable who’s who of reps and executive producers while also building lasting relationships with clients. Waxman went on to form her own firm, MBW Represents, with Academy Films, Park Pictures and Rattling Stick, among others, on her roster. She most recently served as executive producer at Serial Pictures.
Waxman said she’s looking forward to fostering Chelsea’s “continued evolution as a leader, not just in advertising, but in all branded entertainment partnerships for our inspiring group of directors.”
Mehling cited Waxman’s “creative pedigree and her ability to support and grow directors” as making her part of "a dream team" in tandem with McGoldrick.
Damien Chazelle, Miles Teller, J.K. Simmons On The Return Of “Whiplash” To Theaters After 10 Years
Ten years after " Whiplash " took the film world by storm, Damien Chazelle's breakthrough feature is returning to theaters nationwide Friday.
In 2014, "Whiplash" was the ultimate indie movie Cinderella story — a Sundance discovery made by a 20-something that that would go on to become both a box office hit and an awards darling: It won three Oscars, including for J.K. Simmons ' portrayal of a semi-sadistic and ever quotable jazz ensemble instructor; launched Chazelle's directing career into the A-list stratosphere; and established Miles Teller as a next generation movie star. Now, audiences will get another chance to experience it on the big screen.
Chazelle, Teller and Simmons spoke recently about the re-release, their memories of the 20-day shoot (including when Teller accidentally broke his co-star's rib) and making something with staying power. Remarks have been edited for clarity and brevity.
Q: What has it been like watching "Whiplash" settle into the culture in the past decade?
CHAZELLE: It's very cool, a little surreal. It doesn't feel like 10 years. It's fun to have a moment like this to relive it a little bit.
SIMMONS: It's sobering to know that I'm 10 years older. It's kind of shocking and kind of awesome that the movie actually holds up. I just saw it a few days ago in Toronto: That's a good piece of cinema.
TELLER: This is the first time I've ever had a movie re-released. I'm still fairly young into my career, but it's an incredible movie. The one thing that's frustrating for me is that people just yell out at me all the time, " not my tempo." So that's stuck around well.
SIMMONS: Maybe if you get the tempo... Read More