Bicoastal production and post company Original has signed director Tom De Cerchio whose longstanding production house Incubator now becomes a satellite of Original. De Cerchio is known for his comedy and storytelling chops; over the years his work has earned three AICP Show honors, among other industry awards such as One Show Gold and D&AD recognition. His Bud Light spot, “Limo,” is in the Advertising Hall of Fame.
In his first project with Original, De Cerchio has directed a multi-spot package for game-maker Spinmaster and its titles Logo and Quelf. Created out of the client’s in-house agency, the spots reflect De Cerchio’s penchant for understated humor and surprising twists. One of the Logo spots, for example, shows the unusual way a man became familiar with Ford’s branding–as a youth he was busted by his girlfriend’s cop father, who had him spread-eagled over his car’s name plate.
De Cerchio has been directing via Incubator since 2002 and through it has produced notable work for such brands as Sony, Burger King, Kia, Bud Light and Renault. One of his most recent projects was a viral campaign for the comedy series Scott and Zander’s Crazy Night. In one spot, actor Tony Danza tries to convince the comedy duo that a certain Elton John song was not written about him. They insist the lyrics are “Hold me closer, Tony Danza.” The spot reached “immortal” status on the website Funny or Die (meaning it attracted more than 100,000 hits) and was also recently featured on the AOL home page.
De Cerchio, who began his career as a creative with TBWA/Chiat/Day, also has a long-form filmography as a feature director and screenwriter. His credits as director include Celtic Pride, starring Damon Wayans and Dan Aykroyd. He also directed the short Nunzio’s Second Cousin, a black comedy about hate crimes, which earned a spot in the Museum of Modern Art’s permanent collection, and screened at the Sundance and Telluride film festivals. He is represented for features and television by Dan Farah of Farah Films Management and Trevor Astbury at Paradigm.
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