Dark Light Pictures has appointed Gabriel Mena to director of development, a newly created post at the company. Mena, who has a background in film and TV development, will lead a new effort to grow Dark Light's roster of directors, with an emphasis on building a cadre of young filmmakers. Mena will also direct a marketing effort in support of the new talent. Prior to joining Dark Light, Mena was head of development at Miami-based independent outfit Hispafilms Corporation, where he produced the Tribeca feature-length documentary, “Celia the Queen,” about salsa legend Celia Cruz, which featured appearances by David Byrne, Gloria Estefan and Andy Garcia. With a directorial roster that includes Caleb Deschanel, David Steinberg, Gil Cope, Andy Garcia, Michael Lehmann, Suzanne Luna, Vince DiPersio, Craig Henderson, Vincent Paterson and Chris Anthony, Dark Light Pictures has recently produced work for Boeing, Honda, Whirlpool and Rush University… Medical Center…..Oscar-nominated production designer Eve Stewart has just completed work on director Tom Hooper's Les Miserable and is now available for commercial bookings through Dattner Dispoto and Associates….DP Jan Prahl has signed with Montana Artists Agency for US representation. Prahl continues to be repped by Driven By Creatives in Germany….
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