October 29, 2013
Production company B-Reel has added director Kief Davidson to its commercial making roster. He comes over from Believe Media and earlier this year earned a Best Short Subject Documentary Oscar nomination for Open Heart, which centers on eight Rwandan children who embark on a life-or-death journey to Sudan in order to have high-risk heart surgery performed at The Salam Centre, Africa’s only hospital offering free cardiac procedures for families in need. Open Heart is now airing on HBO. Davidson has been active in commercials, directing campaigns for GE, Absolut, American Express and Cadillac….British commercials director Stuart Douglas, whose notable work spans such brands as Coca-Cola, Nike, Sony, Carlsberg and Guinness, has signed with Original for exclusive representation in the U.S. It marks the first time in more than a decade that Douglas has focused on the American market….Long-time Chicago creative director/art director Noel Haan has joined BBDO Proximity Minneapolis as executive creative director. Haan was most recently a group creative director at Ogilvy & Mather in Chicago….Two young girls set out to find Santa Claus in “The Search for Saint Nick,” the trailer created by assistant editor Sam Perkins of the Whitehouse L.A. that took First Prize at the 2013 AICE Los Angeles Camp Kuleshov contest. The awards were presented at an event held at The Mill in Los Angeles….
October 24, 2008
Documentary filmmaking legend Albert Maysles has joined Nonfiction Unlimited for representation as a director of commercials and new media ad projects….Aero Film has added director/DP Jacques Steyn to its roster for exclusive U.S. representation. The company has also signed celebrity/fashion photographers Marcus Klinko and Indrani to direct commercials, marking that duo’s first entree into the spotmaking arena….Editor Tom Vogt, known for his work on the irreverent animated TV comedy series South Park, has joined the roster of NY-based Blue Rock. He comes over from MacKenzie Cutler, NY….Feature editor Zach Staenberg (Speed Racer, The Matrix, The Matrix Reloaded) has landed his first spot representation, joining the talent roster at editorial boutique Cake….Jenny Gadd has returned to her native Sweden to become executive producer/managing director at Stockholm-based digital agency North Kingdom. During her time in the U.S., she worked at Fallon, and served as EP at Believe Media and later Thomas Thomas Films…
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