Stept Studios–a company under the aegis of founder and director Nick Martini and which maintains bases of operation in L.A. and Jackson Hole, Wyoming–has added Alexis Celic as an executive producer in its commercial production department. This recent hire underscores a continuing expansion for the company, which is scaling to meet the demand of high-profile projects with brands including Nike, Budweiser, Samsung, New Balance, and Facebook.
Celic brings years of on-set and in-house experience to Stept’s team. In her previous role as head of production for Imposter, which she held for over three years, Celic helped to facilitate growth throughout her tenure, including a re-branding period for the company. Prior to joining Imposter, Celic started Mother, a small production company, in 2015 to help facilitate the creative dreams of her director friends and other creative collaborators.
Born and raised in Los Angeles, Celic began her career as a commercial production office PA. After going freelance and climbing the ranks over the years, she began producing branded content and music videos. Celic worked with notable production companies during her freelance career, including Caviar, Bullitt, and Unit9.
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