Bicoastal Transmission@RSA has signed New York-based director Brent Harris. Formerly of bicoastal Go Film, Harris joins a directorial roster that also consists of Sean Mullens, Wayne Holloway and ACNE.
In an effort to keep more commercial editing within the agency, The Assembly Line, the in-house editorial division of Fallon, Minneapolis, is looking to establish a strategic alliance with an outside editorial company. Per the arrangement, an edit house will relocate one of its cutters to the Minneapolis shop for one year to cut spots at The Assembly Line.
Director Ringan Ledwidge and his long-time producer, Sally Humphries, have launched production company Small Family Business, London. Ledwidge had been with Harry Nash, London. He continues to be represented stateside by Claire.Alden Partners, New York.
Jason Harrington has signed with Large, London, for representation in the U.K. He remains with bicoastal/international Believe Media for U.S. work. Additionally, director Steve Bendelack has signed with Large.
Wild Brain, San Francisco, has signed animation director Jan Carlée for commercial and feature work.
BeachHouse Films, Santa Monica, has added directors Bill Werts and the mono-monikered Karsten to its roster.
Agency Bates Worldwide, headquartered in New York, is closing its doors.
Laura Rosenblatt has joined Company X, New York, as executive producer. She comes over from New York agency Margeotes|Fertitta+Partners, where she served as a producer and business manager.
Editor Adam Parker, formerly of Jigsaw, Santa Monica, has joined Chrome, Santa Monica.
Viviana Pendrill, the founder and former co-founder of Hispanic ad agency Casanova Pendrill Publicidad, Irvine, Calif., has been hired by Warner Bros. Pictures as VP of targeted marketing. In the newly created position, she will research and develop feature film marketing strategies for select niche audiences, including Hispanic, teen and urban demographics.
Director Todd Phillips is back at bicoastal Moxie Pictures and available for spots after wrapping the feature film Starsky & Hutch.
Julie Shevach has joined bicoastal Trollback & Company as executive producer. She was most recently head of production at Treehouse Animation, New York. Shevach has had stints at Click 3X, New York, where she served as senior VP/managing director; Black Logic (now PostWorks), New York, where she was head of production; and Spontaneous Combustion, New York.
Partners Michael Waldron and Erik van der Wilden have opened motion graphics shop NailGun, New York.
Steve McQueen Shows Wartime London Through A Child’s Eyes In “Blitz”
It was a single photograph that started Oscar-winning filmmaker Steve McQueen on the journey to make "Blitz." As a Londoner, the German bombing raids on the city during World War II are never all that far from his mind. Reminders of it are everywhere. But the spark of inspiration came from an image of a small boy on a train platform with a large suitcase. Stories inspired by the evacuation are not rare, but this child was Black. Who was he, McQueen wondered, and what was his story? The film, in theaters Friday and streaming on Apple TV+ on Nov. 22, tells the tale of George, a 9-year-old biracial child in East London whose life with his mother, Rita ( Saoirse Ronan ), and grandfather is upended by the war. Like many children at the time, he's put on a train to the countryside for his safety. But he hops off and starts a long, dangerous journey back to his mom, encountering all sorts of people and situations that paint a revelatory and emotional picture of that moment. SEARCHING FOR GEORGE AND FINDING A STAR When McQueen finished the screenplay, he thought to himself: "Not bad." Then he started to worry: Does George exist? Is there a person out there who can play this role? Through an open casting call they found Elliott Heffernan, a 9-year-old living just outside of London whose only experience was a school play. He was the genie in "Aladdin." "There was a stillness about him, a real silent movie star quality," McQueen said. "You wanted to know what he was thinking, and you leant in. That's a movie star quality: A presence in his absence." Elliott is now 11. When he was cast, he'd not yet heard about the evacuation and imagined that a film set would be made up of "about 100 people." But he soon found his footing, cycling in and out of... Read More