Writer-producer Marta Kauffman could rest on her “Friends” laurels. Instead, she’s delving into the online series world to explore offbeat material and a new role.
Kauffman turned official first-time director for “Georgia,” a short Web series about a warmhearted yoga instructor-therapist who needs to heal herself when it comes to romance and family.
“Georgia,” with Mary Elizabeth Ellis (“It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia”) as the title character and Harold Perrineau (“Lost,” ”Sons of Anarchy”) as her fiance, is on the WIGS YouTube channel. Each of the three episodes runs between five to eight minutes.
“It was so much fun,” Kauffman said of the series, which she wrote and directed. “It was a little bit like guerrilla television. We shot seven pages (of script) a day, and that’s a lot.”
WIGS, which launched last March, is the brainchild of two high-profile filmmakers, Jon Avnet (“Black Swan,” ”Fried Green Tomatoes”) and Rodrigo Garcia (“Albert Nobbs,” TV’s “In Treatment”), who are turning the spotlight on women.
The lineup on WIGS (an acronym for the tag line “Where it gets interesting”) includes original series, short films and documentaries. All feature lead female characters and stories that the channel promises will be provocative and “addictive.”
Avnet and Garcia “want to do grittier, edgier stories about women than you normally see,” both dramatic and comedic, Kauffman said.
“This was an opportunity to tell stories about many different women,” she said of their channel. “Younger, older, whatever the writer wanted to bring to it.”
In her case, Kauffman said, it also allowed her to assume a director’s full arsenal.
“I’m not going to say this was a lifelong dream. But in the process of reinventing myself after ‘Friends,’ I did a version of directing without the camera stuff for many, many years,” she said. “So I was really thrilled to get a chance to do it for real.”
Kauffman and David Crane created “Friends,” the NBC hit that aired from 1994 to 2004.
Others actresses featured on WIGS include Jennifer Garner, Jena Malone, Virginia Madsen, America Ferrera and Julia Stiles. Besides Perrineau, actors who are appearing include Alfred Molina and Stephen Moyer.
New episodes debut Monday, Wednesday and Friday on the channel.
By Lynn Elber, Television Writer
Britt Nolan Named CCO For McCann Worldgroup, North America
Britt Nolan has been hired as chief creative officer at McCann Worldgroup, North America. He will report to Javier Campopiano, global chief creative officer of McCann Worldgroup and McCann.
Nolan will work directly with the network’s creative leadership in the U.S. and Canada to lead the development of ideas that solve clients’ business challenges, guided by the creativity of the network’s founding philosophy of “Truth Well Told.” Key to this effort will be fostering collaboration across capabilities and agencies, leveraging the network’s talent and expertise in strategy, design, commerce, branding and production to bring its best-in-class offerings to bear for each client.
“Britt is without a doubt a leader and a point of reference for excellence in our industry,” said Campopiano. “He has led some of North America’s very best work in recent years with incredible range--creating eye-catching, smart, authentic, and funny ways of connecting brands with people. He has a rare track record of success across both creative and business, with a unique understanding of how they power each other. And most importantly, we share a common belief that brand-building is right now more important than it ever was, and the only way to do it is through radical creativity based on human truths. He embodies the very essence of our Truth Well Told philosophy.”
Most recently president and chief creative officer of Leo Burnett Chicago, Nolan comes to McCann Worldgroup with a track record of creative achievement and business impact, both for his clients and the agencies at which he’s worked. Over the years, his work has won Grand Prix or Best in Show at every major international award show, including over 50 Cannes Lions, as well as recognition... Read More