L.A.-based director Cassandra Brooksbank has joined Great Guns for global representation. Hailing from Nevada, Brooksbank grew up in the glitz of the world’s entertainment capital, Las Vegas, which helped her to carve out the iconic visual style of her work that she coined “extravagant pop.” A writer and director, Brooksbank started out her career working commercially with brands such as Porsche, Sony, Microsoft and Chevrolet. She has also written several feature films, a television pilot and has directed multiple music videos, such as Todrick Hall’s music video feature film Fobidden featuring RuPaul. Brooksbank’s work has received honors including a being two-time winner at the KRTV Film Festival, first place winner at My Hero Film Festival, a Platinum Ava Award winner, a Gold Marcom Award winner and a Telly Award winner….
LUMBERYARD Studios recently opened in Catskill, NY. The fully state of the art production studio north of New York City offers 12,000 square feet of combined production space. Set against Catskill’s unique backdrop with its metropolitan feel and picturesque beauty, the facility is the first of its kind in Greene County, committed to supporting artists while also helping revitalize Catskill and the greater Hudson Valley. Per New York State’s film tax credit program, LUMBERYARD can offer up to a 40% break on labor costs and up to 45% on postproduction expenditures. Led by executive and artistic director Adrienne Willis, LUMBERYARD has also built an all-female team for its board of directors and executive leadership team. LUMBERYARD has also put in place a business model designed to support the arts and community development, with components that include:
- LUMBERYARD is a non-profit organization that reinvests 100% of its proceeds to the community by funding the arts and local programming to help support artists’ creative process.
- LUMBERYARD hosts residencies for artists in partnership with the Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM). This groundbreaking partnership marks BAM’s first collaboration with another performing arts organization and shows that LUMBERYARD’s work supports the entire performing art sector in NYC and across the country.
- LUMBERYARD operates two crucial programs for Greene County youth: Young Performers (an after-school program in which professional artists teach various types of performing arts classes to students who otherwise have had no arts education since 2008 budget cuts) and Junior Staffers (a program that allows local high school students and at-risk youth to earn a summer wage as ushers, box office assistants and to participate in modules on the business, creative and technical elements of production). LUMBERYARD also launched Fresh Start, a one-of-a-kind performing arts education program supporting teenagers who are incarcerated at the Hudson Correctional Facility….
