The Mill L.A. has brought on board Stephen Venning as executive producer/new business, Tim Davies as VFX supervisor/lead Flame artist, and LaRue Anderson as producer, telecine.
Venning comes over from The Mill London where he spent the past 10 years as an executive producer and played an instrumental role in growing that facility’s 3D department. There he also exec produced this year’s Cannes Grand Prix-winning Nike spot, “Write The Future” directed by Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu and produced by Independent Films, London, and bicoastal Anonymous Content for Wieden+Kennedy, London and Amsterdam. Over the years Venning has overseen projects for such global brands as Nike, Pepsi, Axe/Lynx, Mercedes and Sony. He was also part of the team behind the iconic Sony “Balls” commercial, Guinness’ “Tipping Point” and Mercedes-Benz’s “Clouds.”
Davies spent six years at the now defunct Asylum as VFX supervisor/lead Flame artist. He then did a stint as lead Flame artist for The Mill N.Y. where he supervised projects such as Bud Light’s Super Bowl spot “Dog Sitter” directed by Baker Smith of Harvest, which ranked No. 1 in USA Today‘s 2011 Super Bowl Ad Meter poll. After Asylum, Davies also wrapped some work via Method. Since joining The Mill L.A, Davies has been working on upcoming spots for Old Spice. Among Davies’ notable credits are serving as VFX supervisor on the lauded HBO integrated “Voyeur” campaign directed by Jake Scott of RSA for BBDO New York, and as VFX supervisor/lead compositor on a pair of Apple iPhone campaigns directed by David Fincher via Anonymous Content. Davies also contributed to many of Asylum’s feature film and design projects, including the main titles for National Treasure: Book of Secrets, and a key four-minute sequence in Terminator Salvation.
And Anderson is producing projects for The Mill L.A.’s new telecine division headed up by veteran colorist Adam Scott. Currently she is working on jobs directed by Stacy Wall, Peter Thwaites and Tom Hooper. Wall of production house Imperial Woodpecker won this year’s DGA Award for Best Commercial Director of 2010. Thwaites of Gorgeous Enterprises, London, and Anonymous Content earlier won the same DGA honor for calendar year 2008. And Hooper, who directs commercials vis Smuggler, earned this year’s DGA Award as Best Feature Director of 2010 on the strength of The King’s Speech.
Beyoncé’s Halftime Show Highlighted Netflix’s NFL Debut On Xmas Day
Beyoncé provided more excitement than either game during Netflix's NFL debut on Christmas Day.
Riding into her halftime appearance on a white horse, the 32-time Grammy winner rocked her hometown Houston crowd with a nearly 13-minute performance on Wednesday.
She surprised fans by bringing along Shaboozey to perform "Sweet Honey Buckiin" and Post Malone joined her for "Levii's Jeans."
The action on the field didn't live up to expectations as the NFL showcased four of the AFC's top five teams.
Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce exposed a glitch in Pittsburgh's defense during Kansas City's 29-10 rout in the first game.
The broadcast itself went off just fine, quickly becoming the second-most popular live title on Netflix to date, according to NFL Media.
Lamar Jackson and the Ravens led C.J. Stroud and the Texans to 17-2 at halftime before Beyoncé stole the show.
Mariah Carey opened Wednesday's doubleheader with a taped performance of "All I Want for Christmas is You" and then the two-time defending Super Bowl champion Chiefs trounced the Steelers to clinch the No. 1 seed in the AFC.
There were no signs of any major streaming issues during the game after Netflix experienced minor blunders at the start of the pregame show. The broadcast opened with roughly 10 seconds of silence because it appeared studio host Kay Adams' microphone wasn't turned on.
Beyoncé's live performance at NRG Stadium was supposed to be the biggest test for the streaming giant and it seemed to go off without a hitch.
Mahomes threw for 320 yards and three touchdowns and Kelce had eight catches for 84 yards and one score as the Chiefs (15-1) earned a first-round bye and home-field advantage throughout the AFC playoffs. The... Read More