The directing team of Josh & Xander (Josh Melnick and Xander Charity), formerly of bicoastal/international Partizan, has joined Tight, the Santa Monica-headquartered shop headed by executive producer Jonathon Ker……Director Breck Eisner, who recently wrapped the feature Sahara, has come aboard bicoastal/international Chelsea Pictures for spots. Meanwhile director Ben Younger is again available for commercials via Chelsea; his feature film Prime starring Meryl Streep and Uma Thurman premiered earlier this week….Joe Leih, who gained inclusion into SHOOT‘s New Directors Showcase earlier this year, has signed with Creative Film Management (CFM), New York, for exclusive U.S. spot representation. He continues to be handled by Sparks Productions, Toronto, for work out of Canadian agencies……Zarina Mak has been named executive producer of New York editorial house P.S. 260. She recently wrapped a year as head of production at Fallon, New York, working on such accounts as Starbucks and Virgin Mobile. Prior to that, she was producing at BBH, New York. At P.S. 260, Mak succeeds Michelle Thibeault who is moving to Sarasota, Fla., to be president of Two Dogs Trucking, which she and her husband Eddie own…..Sam Aslanian, VP/executive producer for Los Angeles-based music video/commercial production house DNA, is leaving the company after a successful 15-year run to take on personal pursuits. Missy Galanida, formerly exec producer and directors rep for music videos at DNA, has become head of music videos/exec producer for the company, which continues to be headed by founder/CEO David Naylor. Additionally, producer Caleb Dewart has been named DNA’s music video executive producer….Pacifica Ventures, owner of the historic Culver Studios in Culver City, Calif., has come aboard a team looking to build a major movie/TV production studio in Albuquerque. Pacifica Ventures will help Union Development Corp and Digital Media Group–the original developers of the New Mexico facility–in designing the estimated $60 million-plus project and will provide operational management once the stage complex opens as planned in early 2007…..
Mindy Kaling and Kate Hudson Take On Pro Basketball In Netflix Series “Running Point”
In Mindy Kaling's new Netflix series, "Running Point, " Kate Hudson stars as Isla Gordon, the new president of the Los Angeles Waves, a pro basketball team that's been run by her family for years. Hudson's character has to prove herself as a woman in a man's world not only to her passed-over brothers, but also to players whose egos need checking and other executives who don't take her seriously.
If Isla's story rings a bell, take a look at the list of executive producers on the 10-episode season dropping Thursday: Among them is Jeanie Buss, the president of the Los Angeles Lakers, who was embroiled in similar turmoil over control of the storied NBA franchise after the death of her father, Jerry Buss.
Buss not only has given the show her blessing, it was her idea said Kaling. Buss was a big fan of "The Office" and approached Kaling with the premise about five years ago. Kaling ended up as the co-creator, writer and executive producer alongside Ike Barinholtz and David Stassen.
"She's in a very serious, stressful job but she loves comedy. She does not take herself seriously," Kaling says of Buss. "That's really rare when someone has that much power and that much to lose."
Jeanie Buss' blessing
In fact, Kaling said, Buss wanted the show to be funny and had "no ego" about using her real life as inspiration.
"She's had some extremely interesting things happen to her as the president of the Lakers. Some of it is she literally dated the coach for many years and she's like, 'Do whatever you want,'" Kaling says, referring to Buss' former relationship with Phil Jackson. "To get that kind of carte blanche, I'd never heard that from someone who is so famous and, you know, pretty private."
Shortly after the news... Read More