Invitation To Touch The Rainbow, Moxie Radio...
Giving your computer screen the finger isn’t as ornery or ill mannered as it sounds. Instead a simple placement of a finger on a strategically positioned dot enables you to play a participatory role in video fare for Skittles as it unfolds on the Internet, compliments of BBDO Toronto. In one online video, a cat licks your finger. The feline is then succeeded by an offbeat guy in a cat costume who too licks your extended finger. The video opens with an invite for us to “Touch The Rainbow” and ends with a declaration that we have licked the rainbow.
Yet another well-placed finger stops an oncoming getaway car, allowing a winged cop to cage a would-be Skittles bandit. Turns out the cop–who is little more than a head with wings attached, as well as a police cap–knew the culprit years ago when they were fellow summer campers. The video’s parting slogan is an earnest “Reunite The Rainbow.”
The team of Woods & Low directed via production house Family Style. The BBDO Toronto creative ensemble included creative directors Carlos Moreno and Peter Ignazi, writer Chris Joakim, art director Mike Donaghey and producer Ann Caverly.
DAN LEVINSON SHOWS RADIO MOXIE Moxie Pictures president and KillerMoxie Management partner Dan Levinson engages high-profile guests in casual but thoughtful conversation on prevalent topics as well as off-the-cuff personal anecdotes in his audio podcast, “Moxie Radio,” which launched last month on iTunes. “I’ve met a lot of people in the worlds of TV, film, digital content and advertising, allowing me to bring listeners the most engaging thinkers and filmmakers in media,” said Levinson. Subscribers access the bimonthly podcast gratis on iTunes.
Moxie Radio’s debut episode featured Moxie directors Henry Joost and Rel Schulman, aka Henry & Rel, directors of indie hit Catfish. The second “Moxie Radio” podcast featured pioneering independent film producer and Killer Films founder, Christine Vachon (Boys Don’t Cry, Far From Heaven, KIDS). Vachon produced the recently debuted HBO miniseries, Mildred Pierce, starring Kate Winslet, Melissa Leo and Guy Pearce.
PEOPLE IN THE NEWS…. Brooklyn, NY creative agency Big Spaceship has made two key hires and a pair of promotions. Coming aboard are Matthew Lipson in the newly created position of VP of client strategy & engagement, and Becca Beacham as client engagement manager. Reporting directly to founder/CEO Michael Lebowitz, Lipson oversees shaping strategy for brand and entertainment clients, aligning business and consumer goals and building collaborative relationships with partners. He rejoins the agency after serving as its managing director and director of creative strategy from 2004-’07. Lipson most recently was VP of client engagement for The Visionaire Group in Los Angeles. Previously, he held positions at Exopolis, 20th Century Fox and DNA Studio. Meanwhile Beacham’s role will have her working with clients to help find solutions to their digital problems. She rejoins the agency after spending nearly a year abroad building her writing career as a travel blogger. Beacham reports to S. Jason Prohaska, who was promoted to the expanded role of general manager and managing director after having served as GM. Ranae Heuer has also been promoted to VP of client services from her previous post as VP of production. In her expanded position, Heuer leads the client services and production teams across all engagements….
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 year’s Toronto International Film Festival--tells the story of Claressa “T-Rex” 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 Shields’ 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