The Los Angeles District Attorney’s office is investigating the financial records of the Entertainment Industry Development Corp (EIDC), the body that oversees the joint Los Angeles City/ County Film Office. The ongoing audit went public with news that the DA’s office and local law enforcement officials last week raided and seized records from the EIDC’s Hollywood office as well as the private residence of EIDC president Cody Cluff. According to reports in the Los Angeles Times, the EIDC is being scutinized for alleged misappropriation of funds, related to certain entertainment and travel expenses, as well as political contributions. However, no charges had been filed at press time, and the EIDC denies any wrongdoing. An EIDC spokesman contends that the investigation is misguided because the organization doesn’t receive pubic funding—and as a private corporation designed to promote filming in Greater Los Angeles, the EIDC has incurred legitimate, justifiable marketing expenses, which are being wrongly contested by the DA’s office. These include expenditures on entertainment events (i.e., Lakers games, concerts) to court film industry decision-makers about keeping and/or bringing lensing business into Los Angeles….Director Melanie Bridge has signed with bicoastal/international Partizan for commercial representation. She will continue to be repped in Australia and New Zealand by Sweet Shop, Auckland, New Zealand….Nick Felder, formerly a senior producer at Cliff Freeman and Partners, New York, has joined Lowe New York, as executive VP/director of broadcast production….Feature filmmaker Wes Anderson (The Royal Tenenbaums, Rushmore), who helms ads via bicoastal The Industry, has directed three spots in the debut campaign for Ikea from Crispin Porter + Bogusky, Miami. Additionally, Spike Jonze of bicoastal/international Morton Jankel Zander, helmed an ad in the package….Deutsch, New York, and rap/hip-hop mogul Russell Simmons have decided to dissolve dRush, their three-year-old urban marketing agency….Jason Bentley, a DJ at Los Angeles radio station KCRW, and his producer/music supervisor, Mark Burgoyne, have joined Machine Head, Venice, Calif, as music supervisors. Additionally, Bentley will be doing original music out of the shop…..Continuing its winning ways, Gorgeous Enterprises, London, and director Frank Budgen figured heavily in the top awards at the 40th International Advertising Festival of Ireland, held last week in Kinsale, Ireland. The Budgen-helmed "Sofa" for Reebok out of Lowe London, was named the Grand Prix television winner, while the powerful child abuse PSA "Cartoon," for the National Scoiety for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC), also helmed by Budgen, was awarded the cinema Grand Prix. Additionally, Gorgeous garned the Palme D’Or for the festival, which is presented by the Institute of Advertising Practicioners in Ireland (IAPI). Budgen is repped stateside by bicoastal Anonymous Content….Mark Barasch has become president of ServiDigital Studios—a New York-headquartered video editing/audio post facility owned by parent company Palace Production Center, South Norwalk, Conn. Barasch is best known as the founder of since closed Barasch Music Sound, which he sold in late ’01 in exchange for an equity interest in Creative Content Artists—a postproduction holding company which recently closed all its operations. (SHOOT 8/23, p. 1). The president’s chair at ServiDigital had most recently been occupied by Michael Shapiro, who despite stepping away from that position several months ago, continues to maintain a relationship with the company on a freelance basis. Coming to Servi with Barasch are sound designer/mixer P. Dennis Mitchell—a colleague from Barasch’s old company— and mixers Bob Elder and Kenny Fredrickson, both most recently with the CCA-shuttered audio post shop East Side Mix….Managing director Karen Gahl-Mills has exited The Rhythm Café, Chicago….
Oscar Nominees Delve Into The Art Of Editing At ACE Session
You couldn’t miss Sean Baker at this past Sunday’s Oscar ceremony where he won for Best Picture, Directing, Original Screenplay and Editing on the strength of Anora. However, earlier that weekend he was in transit from the Cesar Awards in Paris and thus couldn’t attend the American Cinema Editors (ACE) 25th annual panel of Academy Award-nominated film editors held at the Regal LA Live Auditorium on Saturday (3/1) in Los Angeles. While the eventual Oscar winner in the editing category was missed by those who turned out for the ACE “Invisible Art, Visible Artists” session, three of Baker’s fellow nominees were on hand--Dávid Jancsó, HSE for The Brutalist; Nick Emerson for Conclave; and Myron Kerstein, ACE for Wicked. Additionally, Juliette Welfling, who couldn’t appear in person due to the Cesar Awards, was present via an earlier recorded video interview to discuss her work on Emilia Pérez. The interview was conducted by ACE president and editor Sabrina Plisco, ACE who also moderated the live panel discussion. Kerstein said that he was the beneficiary of brilliant and generous collaborators, citing, among others, director Jon M. Chu, cinematographer Alice Brooks, and visual effects supervisor Pablo Helman. The editor added it always helps to have stellar acting performances, noting that hearing Cynthia Erivo, for example, sing live was a revelation. Kerstein recalled meeting Chu some eight years ago on a “blind Skype date” and it was an instant “bromance”--which began on Crazy Rich Asians, and then continued on such projects as the streaming series Home Before Dark and the feature In The Heights. Kerstein observed that Chu is expert in providing collaborators with... Read More