The new four-year commercials contract recently tentatively agreed to by the Association of Independent Commercial Producers and the Directors Guild of America (SHOOT, 11/10, p. 1) has received unanimous approval from the DGA national board, which has referred the pact to the guild’s general membership for ratification. The ratification vote is scheduled for completion in late January. Until then, the current spot contract—which had an original expiration date of Oct. 31, 1999—has been extended….Liberty Livewire has completed its earlier announced acquisition of 100 percent of the stock in Video Services Corporation (SHOOT, 8/25/00, p. 1). VSC is parent to such shops as Manhattan Transfer, New York, Manhattan Transfer-Miami, Northvale, N.J.-headquartered Audio Plus Video International, Northvale-based A.F. Associates, and New York editorial boutique Cabana…..Bicoastal/international Chelsea Pictures has launched a new spot and music video satellite, Production League of America, which will be based in Los Angeles. Director Evan Bernard and executive producer Jo Ann Thrailkill will head up the new venture. Bernard was most recently repped by X-Ray Productions, bicoastal and Chicago; Thrailkill was an exec producer there….Director John Lindauer—who’s been repped for the past year and a half by Santa Monica-based Fuel, a subsidiary of New York-headquartered Razorfish—has joined bicoastal Believe Media, the shop headed by executive producers Luke Thornton and Liz Silver ….Bristol, U.K.-based directorial team the bolexbrothers has signed with New York-based Highway 61 for U.S. commercial representation….Director Bob Balaban has joined Half Baked Productions, New York, for spot representation.… Cinema Forward, a Beverly Hills-based production house, has signed directors Michael Kelley, Nancy Kwon and George Mays for spot representation….Editor Steve MacCorkle has joined Mad River Post, Santa Monica…Federico Gaggio has been named to the newly created post of creative director at the broadband/future TV group of digital communications firm Razorfish. He formerly served as creative director and head of the interactive division at English & Pockett, a London-based broadcast design studio….
