Emerald Pictures has expanded the sales territory handled by independent creative management firm MilkToast, which took on East Coast representation for the production company back in 2020. While continuing its East Coast duties, MilkToast now has taken on the West Coast market as well. MilkToast’s Bryan Farhy and Jen Herrera will head up sales on the West Coast for Emerald, the shop co-founded by Mara Miliฤeviฤ and John Duffin in 2019. Emerald’s directorial roster includes Alexander Alexandrov, Gabrielle Blackwood, Kosta, Kay Lindhout, Peter O’Brien, and the talent at Camp David in Sweden (such as Camp David founders Robert Jitzmark and Sebastian Reed). MilkToast was formed by Philip Fox-Mills in 2016. Rounding out the MilkToast team are Jake Strom and Dani Ostrowski on the East Coast….
Comcast has appointed Toni Murphy as sr. VP of sales & marketing at its Central Division headquarters in Atlanta. In this role, Murphy will lead that division’s sales and marketing functions, including overseeing brand and product marketing, sales and customer retention strategies for Comcast’s largest operating division which spans 12 states. With more than 15 years of financial, strategic planning and operational experience, Murphy has held multiple leadership positions at Comcast. Most recently, Murphy served as the sr. VP of the Keystone region, where she led the operational, strategic and financial performance of that four-state territory. Murphy has also served as the VP of sales & marketing for the Keystone region, VP of Comcast Business, as well as the VP of project management office & customer experience. Prior to joining Comcast, Murphy worked in private equity at The Gores Group in investment banking at UBS Investment Bank….
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 yearโs Toronto International Film Festival--tells the story of Claressa โT-Rexโ 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 Shieldsโ 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