Director Jack Cole has signed with Chelsea for spot representation stateside, continuing a relationship that began when Chelsea maintained a strategic relationship with London-based integrated content production company Pulse. Per that arrangement entered into last year (SHOOTonline, 7/6/10), Chelsea handled the U.S. for Pulse’s directors, including Cole, under the banner Pulse @ Chelsea. However the affiliation between the two shops ended a couple of months ago. Cole, who is still on the Pulse roster in the U.K., ultimately decided he also wanted to stay with Chelsea in the U.S.
Via Chelsea, Cole recently made his U.S. spot directorial debut with comedy fare for Stride Gum out of JWT New York. “I had a great experience working with Chelsea shooting the last Stride spot,” said Cole. “When the offer to sign up to the ranks officially came along, it was a no-brainer. I’m really looking forward to working more in the States and hope I can offer something a little different by bringing this particular Englishman’s eye to the table.”
Tom Christmann, executive creative director at JWT, worked with Cole on Stride. “Jack can direct ostriches to run through walls. He can direct nineteen-year-old girls to wrestle rams. And yet he still hasn’t let those talents go to his head and is a pleasure to work with,” said Christmann.
Coming from a background in still photography, Cole began his directing career as one half of the duo Liff in which he was teamed with Stian Smestad who now also works as a solo director. Smestad is based in Norway. Liff’s work was nominated for the Newcomer Award at the Soho Rushes Shorts Festival, screened at the onedotzero Film Festival, and short-listed for the Nike Young Directors Award. Liff’s short films received international acclaim, most notably “Practice Makes Perfect”, nominated for the TCM Classic Shorts Award at the London Film Festival. Liff, which was repped by Independent, London, disbanded about two-and-a-half years ago. The duo’s European spot credits spanned such clients as Subaru, Converse, Europark, and Panasonic.
Cole, whose solo helming endeavors also include a European job for Reebok.com, was described by Chelsea co-owner Lisa Mehling as a rare filmmaking breed. “Visualist comedy directors are few and far between. Add in Jack’s still background and you have a very potent director.”
Cole joins a Chelsea directorial roster that includes Alex Gibney, Borgato & Berte, Bruce Hunt, Charles Mehling, Christopher Quinn, Colin O’Toole, David Gordon Green, Johan Kramer, Kevin Macdonald, Lauren Greenfield, Liz Von Hoene, Michael Muller, Nadav Kander, Neil Abramson, Nicholas Barker, Rick LeMoine, and Robb Bindler. Chelsea is owned and operated by Mehling and Allison Amon.
Sheriff Reports Preliminary Autopsy Results On Gene Hackman and Betsy Arakawa
Preliminary autopsy results didn't determine how Oscar-winner Gene Hackman and his wife died at their home in Santa Fe, New Mexico, but did rule out that they were killed by carbon monoxide poisoning, the sheriff leading the investigation said Friday.
The condition of the bodies found Wednesday indicated the deaths occurred at least several days earlier and there was no sign of foul play.
At a news conference, Santa Fe County Sheriff Adan Mendoza said the initial examination by the medical examiner showed no sign of carbon monoxide, a colorless and odorless gas produced from kitchen appliances and other fuel-burning items. When it collects in poorly ventilated homes, it can be fatal.
Mendoza also said an examination of the 95-year-old Hackman's pacemaker showed it stopped working on Feb. 17, which means he may have died nine days earlier.
Hackman's body was found in an entryway. The body of his wife, Betsy Arakawa, 65, was in a bathroom. She was on her side and a space heater was near her head. Investigators said the heater likely was pulled down when she fell. There also was an open prescription bottle and pills scattered on a countertop.
Whether the pills or other drugs were a factor won't be known until toxicology tests are completed in the coming weeks.
Dr. Philip Keen, the retired chief medical examiner in Maricopa County, Arizona, said it would be unlikely for a person who tests negative for carbon monoxide initially to later be found to have been poisoned by it.
He also said the moment when a pacemaker stops working could mark the point when a person dies, but not always.
"If your heart required a pacemaker, there would certainly be an interruption at that point — and it might be the hallmark of when... Read More