By Robert Goldrich
NEW YORK --Though Ken Yagoda formally left his staff position as managing partner/director of broadcast production and creative resources at Young & Rubicam, New York, earlier this week, plans call for him to continue to work for the agency on select assignments. The highest profile of these projects will be the fourth annual “Dreams” program, which again teams Y&R with Sony Electronics’ Broadcast and Production Systems Division.
“Dreams” turns noted spot directors loose to reflect their creative vision in shorts lensed with Sony 24p HD cameras. Yagoda has been the point person on “Dreams” since its inaugural year of 2002.
Rich Rosenthal assumes the Y&R, New York, director of broadcast production mantle from Yagoda. Rosenthal formerly served as associate director of broadcast production. Yagoda described Rosenthal as a “tremendous producer” and a worthy successor. “My intent for the past couple of years has been to pass the torch [as head of production] to Rich,” related Yagoda. “He’s taking over a great department.”
Yagoda said he decided to step down from his position. But there have also been reports of recent layoffs at Y&R in light of declining revenues. Yagoda has had three tours of staff duty at Y&R, totaling 23 years. His just concluded Y&R tenure lasted 17 years. Yagoda said that Y&R has been “a great place for me,” representing “a highlight of my professional life.”
In addition to “Dreams,” Yagoda said he will likely take on other Y&R assignments. He hopes some of these jobs will entail him working again with Y&R chairman/CEO/worldwide creative director Michael Patti.
Beyond his continued involvement with Y&R, Yagoda is considering other prospects, noting that several interesting opportunities have started to surface. He added that the “Dreams” experience over the years has piqued his interest in longer form fare.
Meanwhile, there’s been a change in the ’05 “Dreams” directorial lineup. Due to a conflict in his schedule, director Fredrik Bond of bicoastal/international MJZ–who was recently named a DGA nominee for best commercial director of ’04 (see story, p. 1)–had to pull out of “Dreams.” Bond’s slot has been filled by director Jesse Dylan of Los Angeles-headquartered Form.
Dylan has already wrapped his “Dreams” short. He rounds out an ’05 coterie of “Dreams” directors that consists of: Samuel Bayer of bicoastal RSA USA, James Gartner of Santa Monica-based GARTNER, Alison Maclean of Park Pictures, New York, Doug Nichol of bicoastal/international Partizan, Hank Perlman of bicoastal/international Hungry Man, Jeffery Plansker of Supply & Demand, New York, Baker Smith of Santa Monica-based harvest, Charles Stone III of Brown Bag Films, New York, and the StyleWar collective, represented by bicoastal Smuggler.
This marks the first time that Yagoda has opted for a “Dreams” theme that wasn’t a state of mind. He selected “Flight” because it had “more kinetic energy than our previous themes.” Yagoda said that this new thematic direction has provided a creatively inspiring change of pace as reflected in the shorts completed thus far.
The ’05 series of “Dreams” shorts is slated to debut in March at the Ziegfeld Theater, New York.After 20 Years of Acting, Megan Park Finds Her Groove In The Director’s Chair On “My Old Ass”
Megan Park feels a little bad that her movie is making so many people cry. It's not just a single tear either — more like full body sobs.
She didn't set out to make a tearjerker with "My Old Ass," now streaming on Prime Video. She just wanted to tell a story about a young woman in conversation with her older self. The film is quite funny (the dialogue between 18-year-old and almost 40-year-old Elliott happens because of a mushroom trip that includes a Justin Bieber cover), but it packs an emotional punch, too.
Writing, Park said, is often her way of working through things. When she put pen to paper on "My Old Ass," she was a new mom and staying in her childhood bedroom during the pandemic. One night, she and her whole nuclear family slept under the same roof. She didn't know it then, but it would be the last time, and she started wondering what it would be like to have known that.
In the film, older Elliott ( Aubrey Plaza ) advises younger Elliott ( Maisy Stella ) to not be so eager to leave her provincial town, her younger brothers and her parents and to slow down and appreciate things as they are. She also tells her to stay away from a guy named Chad who she meets the next day and discovers that, unfortunately, he's quite cute.
At 38, Park is just getting started as a filmmaker. Her first, "The Fallout," in which Jenna Ortega plays a teen in the aftermath of a school shooting, had one of those pandemic releases that didn't even feel real. But it did get the attention of Margot Robbie 's production company LuckyChap Entertainment, who reached out to Park to see what other ideas she had brewing.
"They were very instrumental in encouraging me to go with it," Park said. "They're just really even-keeled, good people, which makes... Read More