By Brett Zongker
WASHINGTON (AP) --Don Draper is making his exit with "Mad Men" this year, but his image as a 1960s advertising man will live on at the Smithsonian Institution.
Jon Hamm, who plays Draper on the AMC drama about a New York ad agency, joined cast members and show creator Matthew Weiner at the National Museum of American History on Friday to donate costumes, props, sketches and a script from the show. The collection includes Draper's trademark gray suit and fedora.
"Mad Men's" final season begins April 5.
STAR OF THE SHOW – AND THE MUSUEM
A crush of cameras surrounded Hamm at the museum as he smiled and posed with his suit from the show — the trademark of the "Mad Men" costumes. But he took no questions. Hamm recently completed treatment for alcohol addiction and has asked for privacy, through his publicist.
REAL-LIFE RELICS
Curators at the Smithsonian were particularly interested in "Mad Men's" real 1960s-period relics, from cigarette cartons and liquor bottles to shaving kits and tooth brushes that were used in the show, along with costumes that were recreated for the period. Some objects, including Draper's suit, will be featured in an exhibit on American culture slated for 2018.
Entertainment Curator Dwight Blocker Bowers said "Mad Men" producers did the best research he's ever seen for a TV show, with meticulous detail to create the look of a 1960s ad agency.
LOOKING AHEAD
Weiner, the show's creator, said he was thrilled that objects from the show might one day be seen during a school field trip at the Smithsonian.
"What I love about these objects being here is that these are for the most actual objects; they are not recreation," he said. "This is the archaeological site of humanity from this period. We're glad that we saved these things."
'ALL GOOD THINGS'
AMC President Charlie Collier said "Mad Men" perfectly recreated the 1960s, and he said the show's creators were honored that Draper's suit would join Dorothy's ruby slippers from "The Wizard of Oz" and other objects from entertainment history at the museum.
"You know, they say that all good things must come to an end, and all great things come to the Smithsonian," he said.
Avid completes acquisition of Wolftech
Avid®, known for software solutions for professional media production, has completed the acquisition of Wolftech Broadcast Solutions, a leader in cloud-based multiplatform news planning, production and publishing solutions.
The acquisition enables Avid to combine its digital-first, end-to-end media solution with Wolftech’s expertise in story-centric workflow management. News organizations will be able to increase efficiency and accelerate story delivery through enhanced remote collaboration and multiplatform amplification.
Avid CEO Wellford Dillard stated, “Wolftech is unquestionably on the leading edge of where the industry is going, and this acquisition demonstrates Avid’s commitment to transform news, sports, and live production workflows. We are delighted to welcome Wolftech into the Avid family.”
Wolftech CEO Arne Berven added, “We were focused on finding a partner that could accelerate the adoption of our platform globally. We explored a number of possibilities, but when we talked to Avid, we knew it was the right match.”
The closing of the acquisition follows Avid’s announcement on October 7 that the company had entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Wolftech.
With this acquisition, Avid deepens the integration between the two toolsets while continuing to embrace an open approach in partnering with a wide range of media production tools and newsroom systems. Existing Wolftech customers will benefit from Avid’s global scale for customer support and professional services.
Ian Axton, head of production operations for ITV News, said, “As a customer of both Avid and Wolftech we’re excited about the benefits this acquisition will bring to our users and our business. Wolftech has transformed... Read More