Bicoastal Gartner has named Chicago-based independent rep Renee Case to cover the Midwest….Jolie Miller, formerly of Miller/Nadler, New York, has joined bicoastal MacGuffin Films, to cover the East Coast. Miller rounds out a sales force that includes Helen Blatt, who also handles the East Coast; Midwest rep Jay Anderson; and Grace Silverstein on the West Coast….Santa Monica-based commercial production house Fuse has secured Maureen Melvin of Maureen Melvin and Co., Los Angeles, and Stuart Sternbach of New York-based Pangea to serve as West Coast and East Coast reps, respectively. Elizabeth Mang continues to handle Fuse in the Midwest….Anne Bakoulis has joined Postworks, New York, as director of sales. She will handle national and international sales for the postproduction facility.…DP Robin Miller has signed with Sherry Rousso Associates, New York, for spot representation in the U.S….DP Ivan Bird has joined Tenth House/ The Geller Agency, Los Angeles, for exclusive representation in commercials, music videos and features….Production designer Jonathan Wellerstein is available exclusively through Lyons•Sheldon•Prosnit Agency, Los Angeles…. Santa Monica-based broadcast design and production studio Belief has hired Erin Davis as director of business development. Her focus is to pursue new business in the U.S. and Latin American markets….
First-Time Feature Directors Make Major Splash At AFI Fest, Generate Oscar Buzz
Two first-time feature directors who are generating Oscar buzz this awards season were front and center this past weekend at AFI Fest in Hollywood. Rachel Morrison, who made history as the first woman nominated for a Best Cinematography Oscar---on the strength of Mudbound in 2018--brought her feature directorial debut, The Fire Inside (Amazon MGM Studios), to the festival on Sunday (10/27), and shared insights into the film during a conversation session immediately following the screening. This came a day after William Goldenberg, an Oscar-winning editor for Argo in 2013, had his initial foray into feature directing, Unstoppable (Amazon MGM Studios), showcased at the AFI proceedings. He too spoke after the screening during a panel discussion. The Fire Inside--which made its world premiere at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival--tells the story of Claressa “T-Rex” Shields (portrayed by Ryan Destiny), a Black boxer from Flint, Mich., who trained to become the first woman in U.S. history to win an Olympic Gold Medal in the sport. She achieved this feat--with the help of coach Jason Crutchfield (Brian Tyree Henry)--only to find that her victory at the Summer Games came with relatively little fanfare and no endorsement deals. So much for the hope that the historic accomplishment would be a ticket out of socioeconomic purgatory for Shields and her family. It seemed like yet another setback in a cycle of adversity throughout Shields’ life but she persevered, going on to win her second Gold Medal at the next Olympics and becoming a champion for gender equality and equitable pay for women in sports. Shields has served as a source of inspiration for woman athletes worldwide--as well as to the community of... Read More