Joe Grundhoefer has been hired as director of broadcast services at Carmichael Lynch, Minneapolis. He will join the agency in late April, taking over for Jack Steinmann. Grundhoefer comes over from Fallon, Minneapolis, where he was executive producer on work for such clients as Lee Jeans, Holiday Inn Express and Citibank….Comedy director Maggie Zackheim has come aboard Good Films, New York. Her prior company affiliations include now defunct Headquarters–and prior to that, bicoastal HKM….Uber Content, Hollywood, has added director Ramaa Mosley. She comes over from Park Pictures, New York….Sergio Guerrero has joined the directorial roster of Venice, Calif.-based production house boutique Mechaniks. He has just wrapped a seven-spot package for Century 21 and his campaign credits include work for Corona, SBC, Avon, Bud Light and Victoria beer. Guerrero was co-writer/producer/second unit director of the feature A Day Without a Mexican…. Anita Madeira Inc., New York, has signed director Tricia Caruso….Director Mark Gardner has joined Imaginary Forces in New York. He was most recently at Kemistry, a London-based design and branding shop….Brand New School has named Dan Sormani as its head of production, working out of the New York office. His experience includes serving as a producer for Crispin Porter+Bogusky, Los Angeles, and Lowe, New York….The industry is mourning the passing of DDB Worldwide president/CEO Ken Kaess who fought a courageous battle against cancer. He was 51…..
Disney Pledges $15 million In L.A. Fire Aid As More Celebs Learn They’ve Lost Their Homes
The Pacific Palisades wildfires torched the home of "This Is Us" star Milo Ventimiglia, perhaps most poignantly destroying the father-to-be's newly installed crib.
CBS cameras caught the actor walking through his charred house for the first time, standing in what was once his kitchen and looking at a neighborhood in ruin. "Your heart just breaks."
He and his pregnant wife, Jarah Mariano, evacuated Tuesday with their dog and they watched on security cameras as the flames ripped through the house, destroying everything, including a new crib.
"There's a kind of shock moment where you're going, 'Oh, this is real. This is happening.' What good is it to continue watching?' And then at a certain point we just turned it off, like 'What good is it to continue watching?'"
Firefighters sought to make gains Friday during a respite in the heavy winds that fanned the flames as numerous groups pledged aid to help victims and rebuild, including a $15 million donation pledge from the Walt Disney Co.
More stars learn their homes are gone
While seeing the remains of his home, Ventimiglia was struck by a connection to his "This Is Us" character, Jack Pearson, who died after inhaling smoke in a house fire. "It's not lost on me life imitating art."
Mandy Moore, who played Ventimiglia's wife on "This Is Us," nearly lost her home in the Eaton fire, which scorched large areas of the Altadena neighborhood. She said Thursday that part of her house is standing but is unlivable, and her husband lost his music studio and all his instruments.
Mel Gibson's home is "completely gone," his publicist Alan Nierob confirmed Friday. The Oscar winner revealed the loss of his home earlier Friday while appearing on Joe Rogan's... Read More