At press time, The Mill, with facilities in London, New York and a newly opened shop in Santa Monica, announced that it is to be acquired by The Carlyle Group, a global private equity firm, and The Mill’s management for an undisclosed sum. Led by CEO Robin Shenfield, the Mill’s management team will own a substantial portion of the business after the transaction. The deal concludes The Mill’s relationship with private equity group 3i, which backed a management buyout of the business in February 2001. The Mill was founded in London in ’90 by Shenfield and Pat Joseph; both have committed to remain with the business. Additionally, advertising industry vet Michael Baulk has agreed to join The Mill as chairman of the board; he formerly served as chairman/CEO of Abbott Mead Vickers BBDO….David Rolfe is staying put as production director of content at DDB Chicago. At one point he was apparently headed to JWT New York, but ultimately he decided to remain at DDB….Paranoid U.S. has added director Olivier Gondry to its roster. The Los Angeles-based shop will represent Gondry in the U.S. and Canada….Director Ramaa Mosley has joined Trio Films, Los Angeles. She comes over from Uber Content, Hollywood….Digital technology strategist Dan McGraw–formerly director of strategic development and technology for The Whitehouse, an international editorial house–has formed Seven Dials Media, a Chicago consultancy firm that will help ad agencies, production houses and corporate clients with digital asset management, workflow and media distribution….
Netflix Series “The Leopard” Spots Classic Italian Novel, Remakes It As A Sumptuous Period Drama
"The Leopard," a new Netflix series, takes the classic Italian novel by Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa and transforms it into a sumptuous period piece showing the struggles of the aristocracy in 19th-century Sicily, during tumultuous social upheavals as their way of life is crumbling around them.
Tom Shankland, who directs four of the eight episodes, had the courage to attempt his own version of what is one of the most popular films in Italian history. The 1963 movie "The Leopard," directed by Luchino Visconti, starring Burt Lancaster, Alain Delon and Claudia Cardinale, won the Palme d'Or in Cannes.
One Italian critic said that it would be the equivalent of a director in the United States taking "Gone with the Wind" and turning it into a series, but Shankland wasn't the least bit intimidated.
He said that he didn't think of anything other than his own passion for the project, which grew out of his love of the book. His father was a university professor of Italian literature in England, and as a child, he loved the book and traveling to Sicily with his family.
The book tells the story of Don Fabrizio Corbera, the Prince of Salina, a tall, handsome, wealthy aristocrat who owns palaces and land across Sicily.
His comfortable world is shaken with the invasion of Sicily in 1860 by Giuseppe Garibaldi, who was to overthrow the Bourbon king in Naples and bring about the Unification of Italy.
The prince's family leads an opulent life in their magnificent palaces with servants and peasants kowtowing to their every need. They spend their time at opulent banquets and lavish balls with their fellow aristocrats.
Shankland has made the series into a visual feast with tables heaped with food, elaborate gardens and sensuous costumes.... Read More