Noted snowboarding and skateboarding filmmaker Rob “Whitey” McConnaughy has signed with Hollywood-headquartered Believe Media for exclusive spot and music video representation in the U.S. and London. Believe also maintains offices in New York and London.
Among McConnaughy’s credits are a series of gritty and authentic skateboarding commercials he conceived, directed and edited for Wieden+Kennedy, Portland, Ore. He’s also contributed to the MTV series Jackass, and its feature film spin-offs, as a creative consultant and cinematographer.
Originally from Washington, D.C., and now a Portland resident, McConnaughy started filming his skateboarding buddies as he pursued the sport himself, which led him to form his own production company, Kingpin Productions. Under that banner, he has directed assorted snowboard films. Early in his snowboarding career, he became the photo editor of Blunt, a snowboarding magazine owned by Big Brother Skateboarding Magazine. Here he also began shooting skateboarding and various forms of hi-jinx for the Big Brother videos which he collaborated on with Big Brother art director Jeff Tremaine (who is now repped as a spot director by Saville Productions, Beverly Hills; Tremaine recently gained inclusion into SHOOT’s 2006 New Directors Showcase). These videos served as a template of sorts for Jackass.
In addition to the aforementioned Nike package, McConnaughy has directed an EA Games commercial with skateboarding legend Tony Hawk. Believe partner/executive producer Luke Thornton envisions McConnaughy as being able “to present agency creatives with a distinctly different take on brands and how to articulate them for young audiences.”
The End of The “Rust” Criminal Case Against Alec Baldwin May Unlock A Civil Lawsuit
The conclusion of a criminal case against Alec Baldwin in the fatal shooting of a cinematographer clears the way for a related civil lawsuit by relatives of the deceased woman and efforts to depose the actor under oath, attorneys for plaintiffs in the civil suit said Tuesday.
At a news conference in Los Angeles, victims' rights attorney Gloria Allred said that the parents and younger sister of deceased cinematographer Halyna Hutchins were disappointed that prosecutors won't appeal the dismissal of an involuntary manslaughter charge against Baldwin. The criminal charge against Baldwin was dismissed halfway through trial in July on allegations that police and prosecutors withheld evidence from the defense.
Hutchins died shortly after being wounded during a rehearsal in the movie "Rust" in October 2021 at a film-set ranch on the outskirts of Santa Fe, New Mexico.
Baldwin, the lead actor and coproducer, was pointing a pistol at Hutchins when it discharged, killing Hutchins and wounding director Joel Souza. Baldwin has said he pulled back the hammer — but not the trigger — and the revolver fired.
Allred said Hutchins' relatives are determined to pursue damages and compensation from Baldwin and "Rust" producers in New Mexico civil court, and want Baldwin to answer questions under oath in the proceedings. Hutchins' widower and son previously reached a separate legal settlement.
"With the withdrawal that was made public yesterday, we are now able to proceed with our civil case," Allred said. "Clearly, the rights of Alec Baldwin were protected, but the due process rights of the victims — Halyna Hutchins and her parents and her sister — were violated."
Allred said she's ready to prove that Hutchins had a close relationship... Read More