Karen Smith has been named managing director of Red Car Santa Monica. She comes from Los Angeles-based ad agency Dailey & Associates, where she served as senior producer on the Safeway account.
Smith brings about 20 years of advertising experience to her new position. Earlier she served as a senior producer at Team One Advertising in El Segundo, Calif., and before than, she produced via TBWA/Chiat/Day in Los Angeles.
Calling Smith “the best choice we could have made,” Red Car CEO Larry Bridges said, “she comes with incredible production knowledge, a wealth of contacts, and was a client at one point.”
“I’d like to grow the company,” said Smith, adding that she wants to see it continue as “the major player that it has always been in the business. It has a lot of cache, the Red Car name, I want to keep it growing…We are interested in branching out into new media.”
The Santa Monica location has already been reaching into new areas. It is handling production and post on the Emmy-nominated Stranger Adventures Web series–for which Bridges serves as creative director and executive producer. Red Car also recently began offering nonlinear computer-based color correction services.
Red Car maintains locations in Buenos Aires, Chicago, Dallas, New York, San Antonio, Santa Monica and San Francisco. With its “Red Car Anywhere” concept, editors are available at any location.
Breakout Films and Major Takeaways From This Year’s Sundance Fest
Film wasn't the only thing on people's minds at this year's Sundance Film Festival, which comes to a close Sunday in Park City, Utah ( and online ).
The effects of the wildfires in Southern California loomed large, as did the bittersweet knowledge that this year will be the second to last Sundance based in Park City. Some films offered an escape from reality; others were a pointed reminder of the domestic and international political landscape, from transgender rights to the war in Ukraine.
Here are some of the key takeaways from the 41st edition of the festival.
The effects of the Southern California fires were deeply felt
The wildfires were still burning in parts of Los Angeles when Sundance began last week and reminders of its devastation were everywhere, even on screen. Max Walker-Silverman's "Rebuilding," starring Josh O'Connor as a cowboy who loses his ranch in a wildfire and forms a community with fellow survivors in a FEMA camp, hit close to home for many.
Filmmakers Meena Menon and Paul Gleason lost their home in Altadena where they filmed some of their zombie apocalypse movie "Didn't Die." Sundance artist labs head Michelle Satter lost her Palisades home as well. Satter had an audience of Sundance Institute donors in tears early in the festival while accepting an honor at a fundraising gala.
"It's a deeply devastating time for us and so many others, a moment that calls for all of us coming together to support our bigger community," Satter said. "As a friend recently noted, and I have to listen to this, 'Take a deep breath ... We lost our village, but at the end of the day we are the village.'"
The festival's move to another city dominated conversations
It was a topic... Read More