Content production company Recommended has signed Jen Giles to handle Midwest representation. Recommended’s directorial roster includes Cynthia Wade, Woods, Scott Zabielski, Phil Abraham and Snorri Sturluson….kaboom productions, headed by exec producer Lauren Schwartz, has signed with B/Lush Creative, under the aegis of Deirdre Rymer, for exclusive West Coast representation….Commercial production veteran and former Superfad managing director Kevin Batten has launched Pop-Arts Management, a management and production-consulting firm which represents design, animation, production and VFX companies for commercials and content. Batten’s deep production experience at studios such as Digital Kitchen and Brand New School, and agencies including Deutsch and Wieden+Kennedy, enables Pop-Arts to package multi-disciplinary projects under one roof for clients. Pop-Arts currently reps Logan, Logan & Sons, Gentlemen Scholar and Great Guns….Curious Film, Australia/New Zealand, is diving into the North American market with the appointment of Chicago-based Chris Breneman as head of sales USA. Breneman is now the local US link to Curious’ directors and a team of Australasian producers with experience spanning 12 years in Australia, New Zealand and Asia. Curious’ directors–Darryl Ward, Ash Bolland, Miki Magasiva. Regan Hall, Robin Walters, Sally Shapcott, Sam Kristofski, Stephen Kang, Summer Agnew, Tammy Davis and Zia Mandviwalla–are already well known in the US for campaigns like Old Navy and Air NZ….DP Phedon Papamichael, ASC (a Best Cinematography Oscar nominee for Nebraska), is now repped for commercials at UTA….
“Conclave,” “Nickel Boys” Among Film Finalists For USC Libraries Scripter Awards
The USC Libraries named the finalists for the 37th-annual USC Libraries Scripter Awards, which honor the writers of the year’s most accomplished film and episodic series adaptations, as well as the writers of the works on which they are based.
The finalist writers for film adaptation are, in alphabetical order by film
--James Mangold and Jay Cocks for “A Complete Unknown” based on the nonfiction book “Dylan Goes Electric! Newport, Seeger, Dylan, and the Night That Split the Sixties” by Elijah Wald
--Peter Straughan for “Conclave” based on the novel by Robert Harris
--RaMell Ross and Joslyn Barnes for “Nickel Boys” based on the book “The Nickel Boys” by Colson Whitehead
--Clint Bentley and Greg Kwedar (screenplay and story) and Clarence Maclin and John “Divine G” Whitfield (story) for “Sing Sing” based on the “Esquire” magazine article “The Sing Sing Follies” by John H. Richardson
--Screenwriter Chris Sanders and novelist Peter Brown for “The Wild Robot”
The finalist writers for episodic series are, in alphabetical order by series
--Richard Gadd for the sixth episode of “Baby Reindeer,” based on his stage play of the same name
--Steven Zaillian for “V Lucio,” the fifth episode of “Ripley,” based on “The Talented Mr. Ripley” by Patricia Highsmith
--Joshua Zetumer for the episode “The People in the Dirt” from “Say Nothing,” based on the nonfiction book “Say by Patrick Radden Keefe
--Rachel Kondo and Justin Marks for “Anjin,” the first episode of “Shōgun,” based on the novel by James Clavell
--Will Smith for the episode “Hello Goodbye,” from “Slow Horses,” based on the novel... Read More