The anti-runaway movement scored a major victory last weekend. As the legislative session was in its 11th hour on Saturday (5/31), the Illinois Senate passed a bill offering a tax credit to eligible longform and shortform shoots in the state. The thumbs up from the Senate followed passage hours earlier by the Illinois House of Representatives. As earlier reported (SHOOT, 5/23, p. 1), the 25 percent tax credit, which takes effect Jan. 1, 2004, applies to the first $25,000 in wages per worker per production. Workers must be Illinois residents hired for a qualifying feature, TV program, commercial or sponsored content project lensed in the state. Key aspects of the tax credit need to be defined in the coming months by the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Development (DCEO). Currently, the tax credit must be earned by a company certified to do business in Illinois, a prerequisite that will be defined in detail by the DCEO. Projects for advertising purposes, including commercials and branded entertainment, will qualify for the tax credit as long as each has a minimum of $50,000 in wages being paid to Illinois residents….Alexandra Chamberlain has been promoted from head of production to executive producer at bicoastal Coppos Films. She will work closely with Coppos owner/executive producer Michael Appel and managing director Joanne Ferraro.…Bicoastal 3-D animation/visual effects/design house Hornet has diversified into live action, launching Live Hornet. The new live action division opens with a roster consisting of directors Raphael Mazzucco and Brian Koons. The latter’s reputation is in comedy while Mazzucco is a still photographer known for his work in fashion advertising….John Baldi has been named creative director of Mosaic Music Publishing, Los Angeles. He will work with current writers and recording artists at the company, perform A&R efforts to attract new talent and seek expanded placement of Mosaic’s music catalog assets in all media. Baldi formerly was a partner in Los Angeles-based music marketing firm Natural Energy Lab, where he oversaw the placement of songs in all forms of entertainment and advertising, including national spots for Chrysler, Nissan and Motorola, among others….
SUPERLATIVE Signs Director Claudia Abend For Spots and Branded Content
Latin American director/editor and documentary filmmaker Claudia Abend has joined SUPERLATIVE for her first U.S. representation spanning commercials and branded content.
Abend's empathetic docu-style POV has garnered several international awards for the documentary films Hit (2008) and The Flower of Life (2018). Her spotmaking credits include such brands as Procter & Gamble, Nestle and Blue Cross/Blue Shield. SUPERLATIVE has already worked with Abend, together producing a new ad campaign for digital agency Tinuiti and The Honest Company, a consumer goods corporation featuring eco-minded products.
“We found Claudia through her poignant documentaries on the festival circuit,” said SUPERLATIVE creative manager Stefan Dezil. “We are excited about her textured narratives, emotional storytelling, and her powerhouse long-form storytelling abilities, currently on her third feature film. As SUPERLATIVE continues to build our brand after premiering our latest films at Sundance and SXSW, Claudia is the kind of multidimensional artist we are excited to partner with on branded content and beyond. Fluent in English and Spanish, her reel shows real prowess with infants, food and skin products, families both young and old. Great visual storytelling and inspirational doc work.”
Abend began her career in her native Uruguay, studying film and editing in college. “My dad would show me films like Citizen Kane,” she said. “I love cinema and became an editor. It was here that I learned all about communicating human emotion.”
From the get-go, Abend hit it big as a documentary director, teaming with Adrianna Loeff on Hit, a movie chronicling pop artists of Uruguayan music. Abend took home a Best Editing... Read More