The Association of Independent Commercial Producers has bestowed its highest honor, the Jay B. Eisenstat Award, upon Sally Antonacchio, VP of The Artists Company, current chair of the Producers Health Benefits Plan (PHBP) Board of Trustees, and until recently, a long-time AICP board member.
In an emotional ceremony during last month’s AICP Show, Matt Miller, president/CEO of the AICP, presented an unsuspecting Antonacchio the award. She was then joined by her husband and brother, who were both in attendance.
Established in 1990, the award is named for Jay Eisenstat, one of the founders of AICP, who 40 years ago recognized that in unifying commercial producers, they could work more effectively with clients, agencies, and suppliers, allowing the industry to grow and prosper. His vision is the foundation upon which the AICP is based, and is as relevant today as it was in 1972.
The list of Eisenstat Award-winners is made up of individuals who have helped define the industry through their individual accomplishments and selfless giving through their work in this organization. Some are the more “famous,” out front folks and some are the ones in the engine room, rolling up their sleeves and getting the work done.
This year’s award was presented to someone who truly embodies the spirit in which this award was established, an award not given every year, but only given when it is truly earned. Antonacchio has served in many capacities at AICP for over 20 years, including:
o For 21 years on the East Board of AICP, including a two year stint as president.
o Serving on the National Labor Committee and various negotiating teams as deals were hashed out with many of the New York unions
o Imparted knowledge to the next generation by taking part for more than a decade in serving as an instructor in the AICP’s Production Seminar Program, teaching hundreds of up-and-coming producers the intricacies of payroll, insurance, and other fun forms
o Served as a trustee of the DGA Assistant Director Training program for more than a decade
o Most recently, after stepping aside from the National Board of Directors and serving 11 years as treasurer, she moved into her role as chair of the PHBP Board of Trustees; PHBP is a health plan established for non-union freelance employees four years ago which now covers over 1,200 individuals and their dependents.
Netflix Series “The Leopard” Spots Classic Italian Novel, Remakes It As A Sumptuous Period Drama
"The Leopard," a new Netflix series, takes the classic Italian novel by Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa and transforms it into a sumptuous period piece showing the struggles of the aristocracy in 19th-century Sicily, during tumultuous social upheavals as their way of life is crumbling around them.
Tom Shankland, who directs four of the eight episodes, had the courage to attempt his own version of what is one of the most popular films in Italian history. The 1963 movie "The Leopard," directed by Luchino Visconti, starring Burt Lancaster, Alain Delon and Claudia Cardinale, won the Palme d'Or in Cannes.
One Italian critic said that it would be the equivalent of a director in the United States taking "Gone with the Wind" and turning it into a series, but Shankland wasn't the least bit intimidated.
He said that he didn't think of anything other than his own passion for the project, which grew out of his love of the book. His father was a university professor of Italian literature in England, and as a child, he loved the book and traveling to Sicily with his family.
The book tells the story of Don Fabrizio Corbera, the Prince of Salina, a tall, handsome, wealthy aristocrat who owns palaces and land across Sicily.
His comfortable world is shaken with the invasion of Sicily in 1860 by Giuseppe Garibaldi, who was to overthrow the Bourbon king in Naples and bring about the Unification of Italy.
The prince's family leads an opulent life in their magnificent palaces with servants and peasants kowtowing to their every need. They spend their time at opulent banquets and lavish balls with their fellow aristocrats.
Shankland has made the series into a visual feast with tables heaped with food, elaborate gardens and sensuous costumes.... Read More