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    Rivera promoted to director of inclusion & cultural resonance at VML

    By SHOOTUpdated:No Comments1081 Views
    NEW YORK --

    God-is Rivera has been promoted to director of inclusion and cultural resonance at VML, a newly created position within the agency. 

    In 2016, Rivera joined VML’s social media practice, and has since pushed for a wide range of perspectives both within the work and across the agency.
     
    “There is nothing more important to us as a VML family than ensuring all VMLers have the opportunity to thrive in a diverse and inclusive workplace. And that our client partners can experience the level of perspective in our work that results from that type of agency,” said Jon Cook, global CEO. “God-is has been making this type of impact in her work across VML since the day she started. But it became clear that we needed to formalize and expand this as a new, official role to truly continue the momentum and needed progress we want as an agency in this critical aspect of our culture and capability. I could not be more excited about the role and about God-is being the one who embodies it.”  
     
    Rivera will focus on enriching an atmosphere of inclusion at VML, from internal communication and education efforts to building partnerships in the communities that VML offices serve. She will also continue to stay connected to client work.
     
    As a member of the HR team, Rivera will:

    • Focus on expanding the foundation and spirit of inclusivity in VML’s internal culture and offices so employees feel safe, comfortable and open to learning about, considering and supporting diverse perspectives. 
    • Examine and expand hiring practices–from researching diverse talent pools and sources to developing programs aimed at increasing diverse candidates. 
    • Create and shape practices and methodologies that ensure inclusion within agency work and outputs.

    Rivera recently led “Woke, Lit & Ready,” a presentation that explores the immense influence Black Twitter has had on American culture, for several audiences including the Social Media and Diversity Steering committees of the American Association of Advertising Agencies (4A’s). She is spearheading a panel on the topic at Advertising Week NY on Sept. 26.
     
    Rivera is also one of three finalists for this year’s AdColor Change Agent award and was featured by the 4A’s in “Beyond the Brief.”
     
    Rivera will report to Ronnie Felder, VML’s managing director of human resources.

    Tags:diversityGod-is RiveraVML



    Does “Hundreds of Beavers” Reflect A New Path Forward In Cinema?

    Monday, November 25, 2024

    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

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