Alkemy X has expanded its national sales representation, bringing on Los Angeles-based Veronica Lombardo of Veronica Lombardo Management to handle the West Coast and Sharon & Perry (Sharon Swanson and Perry Tongate) for representation in the Midwest, Texas and Southeast. Alkemy X–with talent and resources spanning production, postproduction, animation and visual effects–has bases of operation in New York, Philadelphia, Los Angeles and Amsterdam….
Richmond, Va.-based animation and design studio Hue&Cry has secured Anna Rotholz Management for representation on the East Coast and Maureen Butler of MoButler Represents to handle the Midwest. Rotholz adds Hue&Cry to a current roster which includes tinygiant, PF100, Rocket Film, Hey Baby and Consulate NYC. Hue&Cry meanwhile joins a MoButler Represents’ client roster which includes Taylor James, Theresa Wingert at Fiona, AtSwim, Shindig Music, Sandro Miller, and BottleRocket360 for live action….
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