Cast & Crew, provider of technology-enabled payroll, accounting and production management solutions to the entertainment industry, has appointed John Berkley as president, effective September 5. In this newly formed role, Berkley will report to CEO Eric Belcher and be responsible for driving Cast & Crew’s growth strategy and the evolution of its product portfolio, overseeing the functions of Product, Marketing, Program Management, Corporate Development & Strategy and the Final Draft business unit.
Berkley has more than 20 years of experience in leadership roles at prominent software and technology companies. As a member of the senior executive team at payment technology innovator Mercury, he led product, go-to-market, operations and program management during a period when that company achieved substantial growth and industry thought leadership. Prior to Mercury, he was sr. VP of product at Responsys, where he played a central role in leading the company through its IPO and entrance into multiple new markets. Berkley has also been a CEO, executive and advisor at a number of high-profile internet and software startups. As an operating executive at Silver Lake (Cast & Crew’s lead investor), Berkley has been working on site at Cast & Crew for nearly a year, coordinating the company’s go-to-market strategies for its digital products, among other responsibilities.
Belcher said, “I’ve known John for several years, and worked closely with him at Cast & Crew this year, so I know he will be a terrific addition to our executive team.”
Berkley shared, “I am so excited to be joining the company at this moment in its growth. We have gone through significant strategic, operational and business-scope changes over the past few years–all of which have set the stage for the company we are becoming. Most importantly, I look forward to working with Cast & Crew’s exceptional employees and clients, as we help bring to life the digital future of the entertainment industry.”
Review: Writer-Directors Scott Beck and Bryan Wood’s “Heretic”
"Heretic" opens with an unusual table setter: Two young missionaries from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are discussing condoms and why some are labeled as large even though they're all pretty much a standard size. "What else do we believe because of marketing?" one asks the other.
That line will echo through the movie, a stimulating discussion of religion that emerges from a horror movie wrapper. Despite a second-half slide and feeling unbalanced, this is the rare movie that combines lots of squirting blood and elevated discussion of the ancient Egyptian god Horus.
Our two church members — played fiercely by Sophie Thatcher and Chloe East — are wandering around trying to covert souls when they knock on the door of a sweet-looking cottage. Its owner, Mr. Reed, offers a hearty "Good afternoon!" He welcomes them in, brings them drinks and promises a blueberry pie. He's also interested in learning more about the church. So far, so good.
Mr. Reed is, of course, if you've seen the poster, the baddie and he's played by Hugh Grant, who doesn't go the snarling, dead-eyed Hannibal Lecter route in "Heretic." Grant is the slightly bumbling, bashful and self-mocking character we fell in love with in "Four Weddings and a Funeral," but with a smear of menace. He gradually reveals that he actually knows quite a bit about the Mormon religion — and all religions.
"It's good to be religious," he says jauntily and promises his wife will join them soon, a requirement for the church. Homey touches in his home include a framed "Bless This Mess" needlepoint on a wall, but there are also oddities, like his lights are on a timer and there's metal in the walls and ceilings.
Writer-directors Scott Beck and Bryan Wood — who also... Read More