By Robert Goldrich
Groucho Marx famously played havoc with the old adage “time heals all wounds,” concluding instead that “time wounds all heels.” While I’m not convinced as to the absolute truth of either statement, it would seem that today we have plenty of heels in prominent places whose currency is divisiveness at the expense of the greater good. And their behavior needs to be addressed with some sort of healing process that reaffirms our shared humanity which transcends any differences we may have.
In covering events and penning stories for this edition of SHOOT, these concepts came to the fore, a prime example surfacing at the DGA Awards ceremony when Greta Gerwig went on stage to accept her nomination medallion for Lady Bird. Gerwig said to her peers in the audience, “Storytellers are healers and I am so honored to be included among you.”
Storytelling can indeed be healing–by raising awareness of injustices, fostering empathy for others, even helping us to look at ourselves differently. On all these fronts, consider our Sundance Film Fest coverage which includes The Sentence, the first documentary from Park Pictures Features, the feature division of spot/branded content house Park Pictures. The Sentence shows us how the family of Cindy Shank is impacted by her imprisonment for a mandatory sentence of 15 years. Directed by Shank’s brother, Rudy Valdez, The Sentence calls our justice system into question while putting us in the shoes of not only Shank but also her three young daughters and how they coped with their mother's absence.
The Sentence won the U.S. Documentary Audience Award at Sundance. Jackie Kelman Bisbee, one of the producers of The Sentence and a founder of both Park Pictures and Park Pictures Features, described the experience of making this film as “a highlight of my career.” She affirmed that Park Pictures Features will be doing more documentaries.
Jordan Peele, in accepting the DGA Award for Outstanding Achievement of a First-Time Feature Film Director for Get Out, said that the stories being told by Guild members can shed light on humanity, spark empathy for others and push back against hate and bigotry. Peele called on the filmmakers in the DGA audience to continue to “use your voice,” which is “the most powerful weapon we have against evil.”
Human promotes Kamela Anderson to West Coast EP and head of sync
Music production and supervision company Human has promoted Kamela Anderson to West Coast executive producer and head of sync. In this new role, Anderson will oversee all West Coast operations for Human, including PostHuman, an independent postproduction entity.
As Humanโs former head of sync and A&R, Anderson helped build the music supervision department. Anderson has spent the past eight years in various roles within Human. She has grown with the company as a rising voice in commercial music.
Andersonโs career in advertising began in sales at HSI Productions before joining Anonymous Content to work in its in-house sales department. After that, her journey at Human began, where Anderson worked on several notable brand films that went on to win many industry awards, including four Clio Awards, a Bronze Pencil, a Gold Andy Award, and a Silver Lion. Her work at Human spans brands like Apple, Xbox, Adidas, Samsung, Amazon, BMW, Netflix, NFL, Meta, Gatorade, Google, Doritos, Mountain Dew, and a Nike spot which garnered recognition from the soundtrackโs artist. For โDream Further,โ Nikeโs gloriously girl-powered ad promoting the Womenโs World Cup, Joan Jettโs โBad Reputation,โ was synced, delivering optimal emotional impact. Jett later lauded this needle drop as โstunningโ and โcarrying a strong message beyond the brandโ while being honored that year with a Bronze Clio.
โI built HumanSupervision as a new offering in 2020, and weโre continuing to expand our reach, both on the West Coast and internationally,โ remarked Anderson. โMy creative partner Mike Jurasits and I are very hands-on collaborators and continue to push the envelope with our artist partnerships. Recently, we took a simple music supervision... Read More