Liz Laine Reps, Inc. is taking on Midwest representation for Tippett Studio, an animation, media production and VFX company based in Berkeley, Calif. Paul Grimshaw, Tippett EP of commercials and branded content, said that the indie rep firm will help expand the studio’s work in commercials and other short-form content.
Advertainment studio BARK BARK has signed CarolynReps–with Carolyn Hill and Amanda Rosenberg–for national representation for branded partnerships. BARK BARK is known for providing strategy, creative, and production for such noted networks and brands as Warner Brothers, NBC Universal, Food Network, Viacom, Toyota, Target, Sprite, and Absolut.
ZGC, a distributor of professional film, video and digital production and post equipment, has appointed Eric Johnston in the role of sales, Americas. Based out of ZGC’s New Jersey offices, Johnston will develop and grow sales opportunities in the film and broadcast sectors across North, Central and South America. He joins ZGC after seven years with the Vitec Group, originally as product specialist for the OConnor accessories brand and subsequently as strategic account manager for digital cinema and rental houses across seven Vitec Videocom brands. Prior to that he held senior sales and product management roles at ARRI over a five year period. He started his career in sales at Eastman Kodak.
ZOO Digital, a provider of localization and digital distribution services, has brought Tony Ferkranus on board as VP of sales for the Americas. He had been VP of sales for Visual Data Media Services and for Deluxe. He will focus on business development for ZOO in key territories across the U.S., Canada and South America. Ferkranus has extensive experience of all areas of post-production as well as content distribution and has worked in Toronto, New York, Los Angeles and Sydney….
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