An infusion of filmmaking and executive talent into TWC Films consists of veteran executive producer Mel Gragido along with six directors, three of whom–Jonas Arnby, Hans Moland and Johan Skog–were previously with Gragido at The Joneses. Additionally TWC has signed directors Arni Thor Jonsson, Ken Lambert and Terry Rietta. The company continues to be presided over by partner/managing director Mark Thomas, partner/producer Ralph Winter, partner/director Phil Cooke, and exec producer Jeff Snyder.
Jonsson has more than 300 Icelandic commercials, 80 international spots and assorted music videos to his directing credit, gaining recognition at Cannes, EuroBest, Golden Drum, Epica, the Addy Awards and Young Guns along the way. He recently opened Republik Films, his own production house in Reykjavik, and had been previously repped stateside by Cohn+Company. His spot clients include Smirnoff, Sony, Heineken, Ikea and McDonald’s.
Meanwhile TWC becomes Lambert’s first U.S. commercial roost. He first established himself as a designer, moving into broadcast design and then filmmaking. Among his spots as a director are Vancouver Winter Olympic Games’ “Ice,” KFC’s “Krushers” and Coke’s “Happy Mouths.”
Rietta made his first major splash as a director with the Mill Valley Film Festival’s “First Look,” which was honored in the spec category of the 2004 AICP Show. He also conceived of the project which was done while he was a creative director at Hill Holliday, San Francisco. Rietta later joined the since defunct Villains, then Zoo Film (SHOOT, 4/13/07), and has directed for such clients as American Express, Emerald Nuts, Cartoon Network, Foster Farms, KIA Motors, Charter Communications, ESPN and Walmart, as well as pro-bono work for One.org and the Washington Department of Public Heath. Rietta was writer/director on the anyfilms.net series of branded entertainment shorts for Samsung, and was a writer on two of the five Amazon Theater shorts produced for Amazon.com (Agent Orange helmed by Tony Scott, and The Tooth Fairy directed by Jake Scott).
Relative to the influx of talent, TWC’s Thomas related, “We needed to be pursuing players that were genuinely unique, regardless of genre, so we pursued a course of action that would take us there. I also knew that with what was going on industry wide, this kind of environment historically breeds opportunity, in that great directors would be looking for the right fit. It might seem like we’ve taken on a lot at once, and clearly that’s true, but I strongly believe in the directors that are here. This roster is significant as we’ve ever had, and we’re poised to make great strides.”
The rest of the TWC’s ongoing directorial roster includes Brian Baderman, Trevor Cornish, David Jellison, Alex Ogus, Suthon Petchsuwan and Selby.
Gragido said he was drawn to TWC for the opportunity it offers spanning commercial, TV and films, and the company fit for the directors he was bringing over. “Looking at my guys and Mark’s guys, it really felt like a strong roster,” said Gragido. Among those he brought over for example is helmer Arnby who first established himself in the European ad community with his mix of comedy and visual storytelling. Gragido signed the director for The Joneses during a visit to Copenhagen, breaking him into the stateside market.
Thomas noted that so much is a matter of timing. He and Gragido had discussed teaming for quite awhile but now their coming together felt right and made sense. Similarly Thomas said he had “reached out to Arni [Thor Jonsson] about four years ago, having been a fan of his work. He had been focusing on other parts of the world, but last fall he felt the desire to start working in the U.S. So while it was a long time coming, it was worth the wait. Arni’s recent work is some of his best.”
Alec Baldwin Urges Judge To Stand By Dismissal Of Involuntary Manslaughter Case In “Rust” Shooting
Alec Baldwin urged a New Mexico judge on Friday to stand by her decision to skuttle his trial and dismiss an involuntary manslaughter charge against the actor in the fatal shooting of a cinematographer on the set of a Western movie.
State District Court Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer dismissed the case against Baldwin halfway through a trial in July based on the withholding of evidence by police and prosecutors from the defense in the 2021 shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of the film "Rust."
The charge against Baldwin was dismissed with prejudice, meaning it can't be revived once any appeals of the decision are exhausted.
Special prosecutor Kari Morrissey recently asked the judge to reconsider, arguing that there were insufficient facts and that Baldwin's due process rights had not been violated.
Baldwin, the lead actor and co-producer on "Rust," was pointing a gun at cinematographer Halyna Hutchins during a rehearsal when it went off, killing her and wounding director Joel Souza. Baldwin has said he pulled back the hammer โ but not the trigger โ and the revolver fired.
The case-ending evidence was ammunition that was brought into the sheriff's office in March by a man who said it could be related to Hutchins' killing. Prosecutors said they deemed the ammunition unrelated and unimportant, while Baldwin's lawyers alleged that they "buried" it and filed a successful motion to dismiss the case.
In her decision to dismiss the Baldwin case, Marlowe Sommer described "egregious discovery violations constituting misconduct" by law enforcement and prosecutors, as well as false testimony about physical evidence by a witness during the trial.
Defense counsel says that prosecutors tried to establish a link... Read More