MAS, a bicoastal music service agency providing creative solutions for brands and agencies, has signed rep Danielle Kugell to handle the West Coast. MAS is under the aegis of founding partner James Alvich. Kugell has developed her expertise over the past six years producing digital campaigns and selling interactive and video production services to brands, agencies and entertainment properties. Previously, Kugell has held posts at Jetset Studios as digital producer, and at Rey Interactive as business developer….New York-based production company Blacklist has signed design and animation studio Golden Wolf to its growing roster of talent. Based in London, and now with a home on New York’s Lower East Side, Golden Wolf is known for its design-driven body of work, specializing in 2D, 3D, mixed media, and motion graphics projects. Looking to step up its involvement in the U.S. market, the studio is sister company to well known design firm, ilovedust. The first project out of the gates for the new Blacklist/Golden Wolf partnership is a package of spots for the National Hockey League (NHL) out of New York advertising agency Brooklyn Brothers. The commercials will be a high energy mix of live action footage, dynamically animated typography, and motion graphic elements. Golden Wolf’s current clients include Nike, Sprite, MTV, Cartoon Network, Warner Bros, Adidas, ESPN, Ray Ban, Red Bull, Disney, Vans, and Target. Golden Wolf’s latest project is a music video for Dog Blood–a side project by artist Skrillex. The clip, which broke March 5, demonstrates the studio’s technical diversity—with 2D, 3D, and photocopy techniques all being employed to create a surreal intergalactic journey….
Gene Hackman’s Estate Asks Court To Block Release Of Death Investigation Records
A representative for the estate of actor Gene Hackman is seeking to block the public release of autopsy and investigative reports — especially photographs and police body-camera video — related to the recent deaths of Hackman and wife Betsy Arakawa after their partially mummified bodies were discovered at their New Mexico home last month. Authorities last week announced that Hackman died at age 95 of heart disease with complications from Alzheimer's disease as much as a week after a rare, rodent-borne disease — hantavirus pulmonary syndrome — took the life of his 65-year-old wife. Hackman's pacemaker last showed signs of activity on Feb. 18, indicating an abnormal heart rhythm on the day he likely died. The couple's bodies weren't discovered until Feb. 26 when maintenance and security workers showed up at the Santa Fe home and alerted police — leaving a mystery for law enforcement and medical investigators to unravel. Julia Peters, a representative for the estate of Hackman and Arakawa, urged a state district court in Santa Fe to seal records in the cases to protect the family's right to privacy in grief under the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution — emphasizing the possibly shocking nature of photographs and video in the investigation and potential for their dissemination by media. The request, filed Tuesday, also described the couple's discrete lifestyle in Santa Fe since Hackman's retirement. The state capital city is known as a refuge for celebrities, artists and authors. The couple "lived an exemplary private life for over thirty years in Santa Fe, New Mexico and did not showcase their lifestyle," said the petition. New Mexico's open records law blocks public access to sensitive images, including depictions of people who are... Read More