Two-year-old Toronto production company The Salmon has added the directing team Fatal Farm to its growing roster. Fatal Farm consists of Zachary Johnson and Jeffrey Max, a self-described couple of “‘ol Texas high school friends” with a fondness for bizarre visual humor who have been working together for the better part of two decades. Their work with brands including Old Spice, Snickers and Skittles has been well-received, with their appropriately offbeat work on Skittles’ “Apologize the Rainbow,” a parody of corporate apologies, winning at several major awards shows including D&AD, Cannes Lions and Clios, as well as the AICP Show. The directing duo had previously been repped by Spy in Canada and continues in the U.S. with Neighborhood Watch….
Production studio Harbor has appointed Thom Berryman as its U.K. managing director for features and episodic. Berryman will oversee all feature and episodic operations in the U.K., including business development, staffing management and financial performance. He will engage directly with clients, talent, and creatives to drive premium production and expand the global network of partners. Upon joining Harbor in 2019, Berryman played a key role in the establishment of the company’s U.K. postproduction studios that now include dailies, offline editorial, online editing, color grading, sound editorial, mixing, and ADR, spanning two locations in London and Windsor. Furthermore, he has led development and implementation of Harbor’s proprietary set to screen media review system, ANCHOR™, while continuously enhancing the technology platform to provide a holistic postproduction workflow tool driven by AI. During his time at Harbor, he has overseen postproduction and delivery of notable projects including HBO’s True Detective: Night Country, Netflix’s Heart of Stone, Lucasfilm’s The Acolyte, FX + BBC’s Great Expectations, and the 2023 Palm d’Or nominated film, Firebrand. Prior to Harbor, Berryman had a tenure at Pinewood Studios where he oversaw the implementation of automated VFX pulls, DI and deliverables. Most notably, he built the largest dailies offering in the U.K. based out of Pinewood and Shepperton Studios. Moreover, Berryman was instrumental in setting up Pinewood’s worldwide on-location dailies setups which included the U.S., Korea, Japan, South Africa, and New Zealand.
Quad/Graphics, Inc. (NYSE: QUAD), a global marketing experience company, is introducing Betty, a creative agency named after the late Betty Quadracci, fearless trailblazer and co-founder of Quad. The new offering will integrate all of Quad’s creative business lines including creative agency Periscope, Quad Creative and Content Studios under one brand. All former Quad Creative, Periscope and Content Studios leadership and staff are moving to Betty, including Cari Bucci-Hulings, who has assumed the role of president, and Mike Caguin, its chief creative officer. Favorite Child will retain its name as Quad’s brand design practice while remaining part of the larger Betty agency. Betty will serve as creative agency of record for Cacique Foods and Raw Sugar Living, and was tapped by Desert Creek Honey, Heckova! and Walgreens for design and packaging work from Favorite Child. Joel Quadracci–son of Betty Quadracci–serves as overall Quad chairman, president and CEO…..
Digital creative agency Barbarian has promoted Jo Hayes from director, data insights & analytics, to executive director, strategy. Hayes will spearhead strategic approach for new business opportunities, aligning client business needs with the agency’s offering of innovative data capabilities, strategic insights and customized solutions. While working to transform data into creative fuel for impactful strategies and innovative digital placemaking for clients, she will also be responsible for leading the integration of technology into every aspect of the agency’s work to maximize efficiency and impact across the board. In her new role, Hayes will continue her commitment to nurturing talent, fostering a collaborative and supportive environment where individuals can thrive and contribute their best work….
First-Time Feature Directors Make Major Splash At AFI Fest, Generate Oscar Buzz
Two first-time feature directors who are generating Oscar buzz this awards season were front and center this past weekend at AFI Fest in Hollywood. Rachel Morrison, who made history as the first woman nominated for a Best Cinematography Oscar---on the strength of Mudbound in 2018--brought her feature directorial debut, The Fire Inside (Amazon MGM Studios), to the festival on Sunday (10/27), and shared insights into the film during a conversation session immediately following the screening. This came a day after William Goldenberg, an Oscar-winning editor for Argo in 2013, had his initial foray into feature directing, Unstoppable (Amazon MGM Studios), showcased at the AFI proceedings. He too spoke after the screening during a panel discussion. The Fire Inside--which made its world premiere at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival--tells the story of Claressa “T-Rex” Shields (portrayed by Ryan Destiny), a Black boxer from Flint, Mich., who trained to become the first woman in U.S. history to win an Olympic Gold Medal in the sport. She achieved this feat--with the help of coach Jason Crutchfield (Brian Tyree Henry)--only to find that her victory at the Summer Games came with relatively little fanfare and no endorsement deals. So much for the hope that the historic accomplishment would be a ticket out of socioeconomic purgatory for Shields and her family. It seemed like yet another setback in a cycle of adversity throughout Shields’ life but she persevered, going on to win her second Gold Medal at the next Olympics and becoming a champion for gender equality and equitable pay for women in sports. Shields has served as a source of inspiration for woman athletes worldwide--as well as to the community of... Read More