Chimney Vigor Group–a global studio specializing in communications, production, entertainment and MarTech that serves as an advertising and social media agency, production and tech company all rolled into one–has hired Laura Romeu as chief growth officer for its new health and wellness vertical. She will operate out of the shop’s NY office. In her new role, Romeu will lead the business development and strategic partnerships for category brands and companies focusing on Chimney’s end-to-end content strategy, production, distribution, and analytical services. With over 20 years of marketing experience, both on the client and the agency side, Romeu has worked across global pharmaceutical companies, medical and scientific communications agencies, technology-driven big data companies, and tech-enabled patient support service providers. She has knowledge in strategic marketing, communications, brand management and planning, product launch, customer engagement, business development/diversification, account management/development, and market research. Romeu started her career at Merck & Co. as a sales representative and later moved into roles as marketing and product manager and manager of government relations programs. During her nearly 10-year tenure at Merck, she spent three years in Spain, working with cardiovascular brands, focused on launches and line extensions, before moving back to the U.S. It was then that she realized she was interested in market research, customer insights and the communication and messaging for brands, which led her to her next position at Saatchi and Saatchi Wellness. Since then, Romeu has held executive positions at Cline Davis and Mann, Digitas Health Lifebrands, IMS Health, and ConnectiveRx. She has also started her own consultancy–Brand Strategy Consulting–and worked as an independent marketing strategist for different agencies….
Does “Hundreds of Beavers” Reflect A New Path Forward In Cinema?
Hard as it may be to believe, changing the future of cinema was not on Mike Cheslik's mind when he was making "Hundreds of Beavers." Cheslik was in the Northwoods of Wisconsin with a crew of four, sometimes six, standing in snow and making his friend, Ryland Tews, fall down funny.
"When we were shooting, I kept thinking: It would be so stupid if this got mythologized," says Cheslik.
And yet, "Hundreds of Beavers" has accrued the stuff of, if not quite myth, then certainly lo-fi legend. Cheslik's film, made for just $150,000 and self-distributed in theaters, has managed to gnaw its way into a movie culture largely dominated by big-budget sequels.
"Hundreds of Beavers" is a wordless black-and-white bonanza of slapstick antics about a stranded 19th century applejack salesman (Tews) at war with a bevy of beavers, all of whom are played by actors in mascot costumes.
No one would call "Hundreds of Beavers" expensive looking, but it's far more inventive than much of what Hollywood produces. With some 1,500 effects shots Cheslik slaved over on his home computer, he crafted something like the human version of Donald Duck's snowball fight, and a low-budget heir to the waning tradition of Buster Keaton and "Naked Gun."
At a time when independent filmmaking is more challenged than ever, "Hundreds of Beavers" has, maybe, suggested a new path forward, albeit a particularly beaver-festooned path.
After no major distributor stepped forward, the filmmakers opted to launch the movie themselves, beginning with carnivalesque roadshow screenings. Since opening in January, "Hundreds of Beavers" has played in at least one theater every week of the year, though never more than 33 at once. (Blockbusters typically play in around 4,000 locations.)... Read More