Director Samuel Bayer, who is repped by bicoastal RSA USA in the American ad market, has extended his relationship with the RSA family. Bayer has shifted his U.K. spot representation from Serious Pictures, London, to RSA Films, London….Greg Popp, senior VP/group executive producer at DDB Chicago, has made his solo directing debut with a new series of Budweiser commercials for the agency. Production was run through bicoastal Chelsea Pictures. Popp’s prior directorial endeavors had been in tandem with former DDB creative John Immesoete…Director Rebecca Blake has partnered with executive producer Mark Androw, principal in the Chicago-based The Story Companies, to launch commercial production house Rebecca Blake Films. The new shop is a satellite of The Story Companies. Blake and Androw plan to bring several other helmers on board, as well….Toronto-headquartered 3-D software developer Alias has finalized its acquisition of Kaydara, a Montreal-based company known for its real-time character animation and motion editing technology. The deal was announced this past summer during the SIGGRAPH confab in Los Angeles (SHOOT, 8/20, p. 1)….Juicy Fruit’s "Office Flage" won Best of Show honors for television at the Chicago Creative Club Awards, held Wednesday night (Sept. 29) at Chicago’s Museum of Contemporary Art. Blue Source of Blink USA, Venice, Calif., directed the ad, which was done via BBDO Chicago….
Michelle Satter To Be Honored At Sundance Film Festival Gala
The nonprofit Sundance Institute today announced details for the 2025 Sundance Film Festival’s gala fundraiser, Celebrating Sundance Institute, which will take place on Friday, January 24, 2025 at the Grand Hyatt Deer Valley in Utah. The event will be an evening in celebration of Michelle Satter, founding sr. director of artist programs at Sundance Institute, for her longstanding commitment to nurturing artists and cultivating independent film through the Sundance Labs, where visionary artists convene to develop groundbreaking projects through an in-depth creative process, for the past four decades. The annual Vanguard Awards will be presented during the evening to Sean Wang, writer and director of Dìdi, and Julian Brave NoiseCat and Emily Kassie, co-directors of Sugarcane, who premiered their films at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival.
The annual gala enables the nonprofit to raise funds to support independent artists year-round through labs, grants, and public programming that nurture artists from all over the world. The 2025 event is made possible with the generous support of Google TV. The Festival will take place from January 23–February 2, 2025, in person in Park City and Salt Lake City, with a selection of titles available online from January 30–February 2, 2025 for audiences across the country to discover bold independent storytelling.
“For over four decades Michelle has been devoted to truly championing independent storytellers,” said Amanda Kelso, acting CEO of Sundance Institute. “She has encouraged artists to own their voice, learn their craft, become fierce leaders, and develop their resilience in our changing ecosystem. Her life-long commitment to supporting artists, especially in underrepresented... Read More