Director Leonardo Ricagni has signed with A Band Apart, Los Angeles, for commercial and music video representation. Sister company Bikini Films, London, will also represent the director. Additionally, in conjunction with Mojo Film, Montevideo, Uruguay, a company in which Ricagni is a partner, A Band Apart is launching a Hispanic division called Mojo/A Band Apart. Nicolas Aznarez, executive producer of Mojo Film, will relocate to Los Angeles to help run the division. Meanwhile, Mojo Film will maintain its operation in Uruguay….Ogilvy & Mather (O&M), Chicago, has upped Monna O’Brien to executive director of broadcast. She was formerly director of broadcast production at the agency. O’Brien has been an O&M staffer for 18-plus years. She joined there as a producer in ’85. In her new capacity, O’Brien will work closely with Joe Sciarrotta, co-managing director/executive creative director of O&M Chicago, as well as with the shop’s group creative directors….Director Reginald Hudlin has signed with Zero 2 Sixty Productions, New York, for exclusive spot representation. Hudlin’s feature credits include House Party and Boomerang….Director Paul Fuentes, formerly of Huge, New York, has joined The Firm, New York….Blue Room Music, New York, has added composer Gabrielis Kaye to its roster….Editor Nick Lofting has moved stateside from the U.K., joining Chrome, a Santa Monica-based editorial boutique. He will be handled worldwide by Chrome for spots, music videos and longform….Sparks Productions, Toronto, has added director Gord McWatters to its roster. He had been with Apple Box Productions, which recently closed….Director Farhad Mann of Farhad Mann Productions, Los Angeles, has signed with Toronto-based commercial production company ‘ello Luv for representation in Canada….James L. McDowell, VP of marketing for BMW of North America, will be the keynote speaker at the inaugural AICP Brand Integration Honors, slated for the morning of June 9 in New York. Later that evening, the 12th annual AICP Show will be presented….The industry is mourning the death of Chris Petersen, 82. Petersen headed the now defunct The Petersen Co., a commercial production house that was a spawning ground for filmmaking talent for three decades (’60s, ’70s, ’80s). Petersen passed away on May 9 after a yearlong struggle with health problems….
Actor Steve Guttenberg Returns To L.A. Neighborhood Now Charred By Devastating Wildfire
Steve Guttenberg awoke Thursday morning to a grim reality: The treacherous wildfire that tore through the Pacific Palisades had left his once-lush neighborhood charred and unrecognizable.
With homes smoldered, streets emptied and friends scattered by evacuation orders, Guttenberg counted himself among the fortunate. His property was miraculously spared. But the actor-producer still struggled to reconcile his relief with the haunting sight of his ravaged, once lavish community.
"Just this morning, I woke up and I was really conscious of my mental state and my mental health, because the last three days, I've seen so much tragedy," said Guttenberg, pacing through the ruins of his neighborhood. He said his home has electricity but no running water.
Guttenberg thanked God that his block was safe, but he said about 20 homes were burned "pretty bad" in his 80-home community after wind-whipped fires tore across Los Angeles, destroying homes, clogging roadways as tens of thousands fled as the fires burned uncontained Wednesday. He said the fires are the worst he's ever seen in his 66-years.
The wildfires have burned the homes of several celebrities including Billy Crystal, Carey Elwes and Paris Hilton.
Guttenberg said he never expected all of this to happen.
"It's like when someone dies suddenly," he said. "It's like when someone gets hit by a car. You never expect that to happen. That's how shocking it was."
During Guttenberg's stroll, it was an eerie scene with scorched palm trees, homes reduced to ash and rubble, and the daytime skies casted an ominous twilight over the devastation.
"I've seen people scared, people in wheelchairs, mothers and fathers trying to find their kids, people having anxiety and panic... Read More