Bob Friedman, whose roles over the years include serving as president of such concerns as New Line Television and AOL interactive marketing, has added another presidency to his resumé–assuming the top slot at Radical Thinking, a division launched by bicoastal/international @radical.media for the conception, creation and distribution of entertainment fare, including TV, film, digital media and branded content across multiple platforms.
Jon Kamen, chairman/CEO of @radical.media, cited the depth and breadth of Friedman’s experience–such as his involvement in MTV’s start-up, his work at AOL and in the traditional media space–as making him ideally suited to help expand @radical’s content initiatives. “The cross pollination of platforms,” said Kamen, “has created an environment where a great idea that understands what people want can have unusually strong resonance–and nobody understands that like Bob. Expanding the existing core of our business, Radical Thinking will provide new solutions for existing clients while generating new short and long-form content that exploits our creative strategic, and production strength and resources.”
Friedman described this as a pivotal time in the emergence of branded entertainment. He believes his new roost’s creative strength, reputation and advertising relationships position it well in the branded content sector spanning varied platforms. In fact, @radical.media has a track record of branching out beyond commercials, with endeavors that have included The Fog Of War, the Oscar-winning documentary (directed by Errol Morris, who has since joined bicoastal/international Moxie Pictures for commercials), and Metallica: Some Kind Of Monster, which won at the 2005 Independent Spirit Awards. On the TV front, @radical teamed with the History Channel to produce the recently Emmy-nominated documentary series, 10 Days That Unexpectedly Changed America. Additionally @radical produced The Iconoclasts, a six-part series portraying groundbreaking talents in a wide range of fields; the show was done in conjunction with the Sundance Channel and Grey Goose Entertainment. The most recent branded content project out of @radical is The Gamekillers, an ongoing scripted reality show about dating and the social scene, produced for MTV, agency Bartle Bogle Hegarty and Unilever’s Axe deodorant.
Friedman said Radical Thinking will provide “true 360-degree solutions for our partners,” a reference to not only content but adding to it an integrated marketing dimension. “Our plan,” related Friedman, “is to innovate in content creation as the company has always done with commercial production.”
Oscar Nominees Delve Into The Art Of Editing At ACE Session
You couldn’t miss Sean Baker at this past Sunday’s Oscar ceremony where he won for Best Picture, Directing, Original Screenplay and Editing on the strength of Anora. However, earlier that weekend he was in transit from the Cesar Awards in Paris and thus couldn’t attend the American Cinema Editors (ACE) 25th annual panel of Academy Award-nominated film editors held at the Regal LA Live Auditorium on Saturday (3/1) in Los Angeles. While the eventual Oscar winner in the editing category was missed by those who turned out for the ACE “Invisible Art, Visible Artists” session, three of Baker’s fellow nominees were on hand--Dávid Jancsó, HSE for The Brutalist; Nick Emerson for Conclave; and Myron Kerstein, ACE for Wicked. Additionally, Juliette Welfling, who couldn’t appear in person due to the Cesar Awards, was present via an earlier recorded video interview to discuss her work on Emilia Pérez. The interview was conducted by ACE president and editor Sabrina Plisco, ACE who also moderated the live panel discussion. Kerstein said that he was the beneficiary of brilliant and generous collaborators, citing, among others, director Jon M. Chu, cinematographer Alice Brooks, and visual effects supervisor Pablo Helman. The editor added it always helps to have stellar acting performances, noting that hearing Cynthia Erivo, for example, sing live was a revelation. Kerstein recalled meeting Chu some eight years ago on a “blind Skype date” and it was an instant “bromance”--which began on Crazy Rich Asians, and then continued on such projects as the streaming series Home Before Dark and the feature In The Heights. Kerstein observed that Chu is expert in providing collaborators with... Read More