Director Corey Rich–known for his work in extreme sports, action, and documentary storytelling–has joined Seed Media Arts, which is headed by founder/EP Roy Skillicorn. His credits span such global brands as Nikon, Nike, Google, Adobe, Mazda, RedBull, Patagonia, The North Face, Discovery and the National Geographic Society. He comes aboard a Seed Media Arts lineup which includes directors Sandro, Rick Wayne, Nicholas Vedros, Hans Emanuel, Paul Thomas, Jason Lindsey, Larry Ziegelman, and Jack Newell. Seed Media Arts is headquartered in Chicago with offices in Los Angeles….
Industry veterans Peter Corbett and Ders Hallgren of Click 3X have partnered to create a new design collective, Stoked. The new venture’s debut work includes a series of digital videos for Absolut Spark, a limited edition, illuminated bottle from Absolut Vodka. The videos have already been a runaway success, collectively garnering almost 20 million views on Facebook. Stoked is also working on a project for Movado that will launch this quarter. Following a six-year tenure as creative director of Click 3X, Hallgren is relinquishing his position to solely focus on the new endeavor. He has additionally been a live-action director, designer and creative thinker for clients including Nike, PBS, Dell and CBS. His work has been recognized by PromaxBDA, Telly, Communication Arts, Stash and has received multiple Emmy nominations. Stoked is sharing space with Click 3X in the Flatiron district and has continued access and collaboration with the sister company’s resources including live action, editorial and digital….
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