Design-first creative studio ATK PLN, Dallas and Hollywood, has connected with Lisa Gimenez and Deirdre Rymer Rivard of Blush Creative/Lisa G & Co. for sales representation on the West Coast….
Alyson Griffith of indie firm AG Reps has added Treehouse Edit to her roster of production and postproduction companies. While based in Dallas, Griffith will handle national sales for growing editorial and post boutique Treehouse which is under the aegis of founder and editor Peter Tarter. Treehouse Edit comes aboard an AG Reps lineup which includes Station Film, Imaginary Forces, Story, Accomplice Media, Breed Music + Sound, Noble600, Slash Dynamic and The Bear in Texas and Station Film, Imaginary Forces, MacGuffin Films, Keeper, Noble600 and Slash Dynamic on the West Coast. Griffith has already brought to Treehouse Edit a project for Kay Jewelers from the Zimmerman agency in Florida. The spot was among the earliest efforts for the brand from Wade Alger, the agency’s new chief creative officer, and David Crawford, its new ECD, both of whom are transplanted Texans who’ve worked with Griffith in the past….
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