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.
Gene Hackman Died Of Heart Disease; Hantavirus Claimed His Wife’s Life About One Week Prior
Actor Gene Hackman died of heart disease a full week after his wife died from hantavirus in their New Mexico hillside home, likely unaware that she was dead because he was in the advanced stages of Alzheimer's disease, authorities revealed Friday. Both deaths were ruled to be from natural causes, chief medical examiner Dr. Heather Jarrell said alongside state fire and health officials at a news conference. "Mr. Hackman showed evidence of advanced Alzheimer's disease," Jarrell said. "He was in a very poor state of health. He had significant heart disease, and I think ultimately that's what resulted in his death." Authorities didn't suspect foul play after the bodies of Hackman, 95, and Betsy Arakawa, 65, were discovered Feb 26. Immediate tests for carbon monoxide poisoning were negative. Investigators found that the last known communication and activity from Arakawa was Feb. 11 when she visited a pharmacy, pet store and grocery before returning to their gated neighborhood that afternoon, Santa Fe County Sheriff Adan Mendoza said Friday. Hackman's pacemaker last showed signs of activity a week later and that he had an abnormal heart rhythm Feb. 18, the day he likely died, Jarrell said. Although there was no reliable way to determine the date and time when both died, all signs point to their deaths coming a week apart, Jarrell said. "It's quite possible he was not aware she was deceased," Jarrell said. Dr. Michael Baden, a former New York City medical examiner, said he believes Hackman was severely impaired due to Alzheimer's disease and unable to deal with his wife's death in the last week of his life. "You are talking about very severe Alzheimer's disease that normal people would be in a nursing home or have a nurse, but she was taking care... Read More