Mike Berg, who joined Optimus as an assistant editor in June 2007, has this month been formally promoted to full fledged editor at the integrated production and post house, which maintains shops in Chicago and Santa Monica.
Berg is no stranger to the role of editor, having cut a number of projects prior to his official promotion, most recently spots for American Family Insurance, CDW and UPS, all out of Ogilvy & Mather, Chicago.
A graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Berg came to Optimus in 2007 from JWT, where he was an in-house editor. He also does improvisational comedy at the iO Theater, and still does his daily comic for the University of Wisconsin’s Badger Herald.
Berg related, “Optimus is a great fit for me, and editing is the perfect mixture of so many of my interests. I have always loved computers and electronics–earning my degree in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science–but I also am passionate about storytelling in TV and film. Additionally, I see many parallels between my improv and editorial work. Both require the ability to adapt quickly if something isn’t working in terms of telling the story.”
“Since joining Optimus, Mike has proven that he has the talent, personality and perseverance required to be an editor,” said Optimus editor/partner Randy Palmer whom Berg has assisted in the past. “Moreover, he has the unique combination of creative and technical talent that makes him a great editor. It’s clear to us–and our clients–that Mike is doing what he loves.”
Karla SofÃa Gascón Could Make Trans History For Role In “Emilia Pérez”
Karla SofÃa Gascón's performance in "Emilia Pérez" as a Mexican drug lord who undergoes gender affirmation surgery to become a woman has brought her global acclaim and set Gascón on a path that may make her the first openly transgender actor ever nominated for an Oscar. But on this morning, she's feeling contemplative. "I woke up with such a philosophical streak," Gascón says, smiling. "In life, everything can be good or bad. We are a mix of so many things. There are things that make you happy and instead they make you sad, or the other way around." The dichotomies of life are a fitting subject for Jacques Audiard's "Emilia Pérez," a film that puts just about every genre — musical, crime thriller, melodrama — into a grandiose mixer, and, by sheer nerve, manages to coalesce into one of the year's most memorable movie experiences. "Emilia Pérez," which began streaming Wednesday on Netflix, is widely expected to be a best picture nominee. At the center of the "Emilia Pérez" phenomenon – which began with a barn-storming premiere at the Cannes Film Festival — is Gascón who plays both the menacing cartel kingpin Manitas and the woman who emerges after Manitas fakes his own death, Emilia Pérez. Years later, Emilia contacts the lawyer who facilitated her transition (Zoe Saldaña) to her reunite with her wife (Selena Gomez) and their children. The wild swings of "Emilia Pérez" – a movie that has earned comparisons to both "Sicario" and "Mrs. Doubtfire" – wouldn't be possible without Gascón. In Cannes, she and her co-stars shared in the best actress prize, which Gascón accepted. "We've been insulted, denigrated, subjected to a lot of violence without even knowing why," Gascón said that evening. "I think this is award is so much more... Read More