Lionsgate Motion Picture Group Co-Chairmen Rob Friedman and Patrick Wachsberger will be honored with the Motion Picture Showmanship Award at the International Cinematographers Guild (ICG) 51st Annual Publicists Awards Luncheon on Friday, February 28, 2014, at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel, the ICG announced today. The award will recognize Friedman and Wachsberger's remarkable career achievements, including their recent contributions as part of a Lionsgate senior management team that has led the Company's evolution into a global content leader.
"Their combined skills in all aspects of motion picture production and distribution, domestically and internationally, have established Lionsgate as a major force at the worldwide box office," said Henri Bollinger, Awards Committee Chairman. "Their films have achieved a remarkable track record of commercial success and critical recognition."
ICG President Steven Poster added, "These are two of the nicest guys in the business with an uncanny ability to find the right property and make it a success."
Since becoming Co-Chairmen of Lionsgate's Motion Picture Group following the Company's January 2012 acquisition of Summit Entertainment, Friedman and Wachsberger led Lionsgate's feature film slate to a record $2.5 billion at the worldwide box office last year, ranking among the top five studios. Lionsgate also became the first studio outside the traditional majors to top the $1 billion mark at the domestic box office.
The studio has maintained its feature film momentum this year with a string of box office successes, including the surprise worldwide hit Now You See Me, and it is poised to close out the year with the second installment of the global blockbuster Hunger Games franchise, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, on November 22.
Before joining Lionsgate, Friedman and Wachsberger led Summit Entertainment's evolution into one of the premiere independent filmed entertainment studios worldwide, launching the blockbuster Twilight Saga franchise, whose five films grossed more than $3.3 billion at the worldwide box office, and The Hurt Locker, the 2010 Academy Award® winner for Best Picture and Best Director.
Friedman has been part of the management teams of major studios and independents alike during his 40-year entertainment industry career, serving as Co-Chairman of the Lionsgate Motion Picture Group, Co-Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Summit Entertainment, Vice Chairman & Chief Operating Officer of Paramount Pictures and President of Worldwide Advertising & Publicity at Warner Bros. where, during his 27-year tenure, he shepherded such iconic films as Batman, the Lethal Weapon franchise, Chariots of Fire, Unforgiven and Driving Miss Daisy, among many others. He is also Founding Member and Chairman of the Board of the 2015 Special Olympics World Summer Games Organizing Committee.
Before joining Lionsgate in 2012, Wachsberger, widely recognized as one of the premier international motion picture sales and distribution executives in the industry, served as the Co-Chairman and President of Summit Entertainment, the company he helped launch in 1993, and CEO of Summit International. With more than 30 years' experience in the production, distribution and exhibition business, he helped craft Summit into one of the world's most successful international sales and distribution companies.
Wachsberger is also well known for producing Paul Haggis' In the Valley of Elah starring Tommy Lee Jones, Charlize Theron and Susan Sarandon. His past producing credits include Touchstone's surprise-hit Step Up, and the Brad Pitt-Angelina Jolie blockbuster Mr. & Mrs. Smith. His executive producer credits include Wrong Turn, Vanilla Sky, The Loss of Sexual Innocence and Bad Lieutenant. Prior to running Summit Entertainment, Mr. Wachsberger served as President and CEO of Odyssey Entertainment and Odyssey Distributors, Ltd., as well as President of J&M Entertainment, a leading foreign sales company.
Other awards to be presented are the Television Showmanship Award; the Press Award; the International Media Award; the Maxwell Weinberg Awards, which recognize outstanding accomplishment in the field of publicity; the Les Mason Award, given to a publicist for lifetime achievement; and the Bob Yeager Award, which recognizes significant community service.
AD&Co. Launches Studio A; Davida Hall To Head New Venture As Sr. Director of Creative Content
Female-founded and led creative marketing agency AD&Co. has opened Studio A. The new venture will serve as AD&Co.’s in-house social brand content division, focused on developing and producing digital programming for advertising, social media, and influencer marketing campaigns designed to reach today’s audiences on the most popular and pivotal platforms. Davida Hall has been named to head Studio A as sr. director of creative content. She shifts over from AD&Co. where she held the same title since December 2023. Hall’s affiliations prior to AD&Co. include PopSugar and Studio71.
Amy Demas, founder and chief creative officer of AD&Co., said, “We understand content is king-—or queen—and that our clients need to engage their customer communities where they live. That inspired the logical expansion of AD&Co with Studio A, which is committed to producing only the most engaging and authentic brand stories.”
Studio A will harness both AD&Co’s and Hall’s deep expertise in the lifestyle sector, as content creators and avid consumers. Specializing in reaching audiences where they spend their time, the studio is immersed in social media, pop culture, and current trends, expertly crafting visuals, language, and storytelling to reinforce client brand identities and cut through the noise.
Studio A debuts with the “This Is Me” campaign for Love + Craft + Beauty, a brand dedicated to embracing and promoting diversity within the beauty space. “This Is Me” highlights Gen Z’s affinity for radical self-expression that allows individuals to tell their own stories, free from labels, using beauty and fashion as tools of authenticity. The campaign showcases models celebrating their unique qualities to present... Read More