Chelsea Pictures has brought Donna Portaro aboard its U.S. team as VP, executive producer. Based in Los Angeles, Portaro joins Chelsea after working as an EP responsible for commercial production and talent management at RadicalMedia since 1999.
Chelsea president Lisa Mehling said of Portaro, “She’s an extremely rare talent with her years in leadership at both a top creative agency and global production company. Donna is a true trailblazer and has influenced some of the most noteworthy and groundbreaking work in our industry–-I can’t wait to see what we make happen together.”
From the non-traditional media space to original content for brands, Portaro has worked closely with artists while nurturing a multitude of brands to go beyond the traditional model, with an emphasis on the power of storytelling.
Her experience in a broad range of disciplines comes from a variety of places in the media landscape. From her years at Wieden+Kennedy, co-managing the broadcast production department, to supervising RadicalMedia’s L.A. postproduction facility, she has tapped into a media workflow that understands the complexities of the industry and the changing audience.
“Chelsea Pictures is giving me the opportunity to do what I love best…working in a collaborative, creative environment with a great team,” said Portaro. “ I feel so fortunate to be a part of it. I’m looking forward to this exciting new chapter.”
During Portaro’s career, she has served as a crucial member of teams honored with an Academy® Award, Emmys®, Golden Globe®, Grammys®, Webbys®, and many more accolades within the advertising and marketing industries, in both traditional and new media.
Chelsea VP/executive producer Pat McGoldrick said of Portaro, “Her experience, beloved reputation, and overall production skills is going to be a great fit here, and make us even more mighty.”
As a trio, Portaro, McGoldrick and Chelsea U.K.’s Nell Jordan make up the executive producer team working alongside Chelsea owner Mehling. Chelsea maintains offices in New York, L.A. and London.
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