By Sandy Cohen, Entertainment Writer
PARK CITY, Utah (AP) --Along with her soon-to-end daytime talk show, fall engagement and recent move from TV to the web as Yahoo's global anchor, Katie Couric also made a documentary feature shown at Sundance.
"Fed Up" premiered Sunday at the Sundance Film Festival.
Couric linked up with "An Inconvenient Truth" producer Laurie David to make a film that explores the epidemic of childhood obesity and its not-so-obvious causes. Couric produced and narrates the film.
The 57-year-old TV anchor said she pitched David her idea over email, "and it took her about 10 seconds to say, 'I'm in.'"
"Three seconds," David said.
Couric said documentaries "are replacing journalism in some cases" because budget cuts and a taste for quick news bites means "nobody invests the time to really investigate some of the biggest social issues." A collection of headlines doesn't illuminate can't illuminate an issue the way a documentary can.
"It's great to have the time and … to know that you don't have to turn it around in a day, a week or even a month," she said. "You have 93 minutes to really flesh out an issue that deserves that and then some. That is so liberating."
"Fed Up," directed by Stephanie Soechtig, uses historical footage and news events to show the causes and costs of obesity in the United States.
"This generation of children is the first to live a shorter life span than their parents, and it has ramifications in every aspect of our lives," she said. "Talk about skyrocketing health care costs: the obesity epidemic is behind these health care costs. And national security: these people are too heavy to join the military…. It affects so many aspects of our country's health that we really need to start paying attention."
Couric said she hopes the film informs people and incites them to action so the food industry might become as accountable for its harmful products as the tobacco industry has.
"We really hope this is going to be a wakeup call," she said.
She also plans to dig into social issues and talk with newsmakers and cultural leaders in her new gig at Yahoo, and she's not afraid to leave television behind.
"I wanted to be part of the transition that we see happening all around us in media," she said. "People … may want the immediacy of having things on their mobile phone or on their computers, but I also think they want quality content as well, so hopefully we'll be able to provide some of that."
Mike Pierantozzi joins Movers+Shakers as exec creative director
Creative agency Movers+Shakers has appointed Mike Pierantozzi as executive creative director. In this new role, he will help guide the creative direction of Movers+Shakers’ socially-native campaigns. Pierantozzi will report to co-founder and chief creative officer Geoffrey Goldberg.
With nearly two decades of experience as a copywriter, creative director, and multi-platform storyteller, Pierantozzi brings a wealth of knowledge from his work with major brands including Kraft, Unilever, IBM, and Walmart. He has led the creation of award-winning campaigns for agencies like Red Tettemer, Ogilvy, The Brooklyn Brothers, TAXI, Saatchi & Saatchi, and most recently, Vayner, where he spearheaded culturally iconic work for Planters including “Death of Mr. Peanut.” He led the National Down Syndrome Society and Luvs account, whose “First Kid. Second Kid” campaign was awarded by the Effies, ADC, Clios and LIAs.
Outside of the office, Pierantozzi practices what he teaches brands. He’s gone viral multiple times on his own TikTok account, featuring comedic interactions with his son and a trombone. He’s accumulated 15K followers on TikTok.
“Mike brings a rare and awesome combination of deep social and platform experience, a keen eye for excellent storytelling, and a humble and kind approach to leadership,” said Goldberg. “Mike’s got a knack for turning brand stories into cultural movements, making him the perfect fit for Movers+Shakers. He’s got the kind of bold vision and attention to culture that fits perfectly with our mission to push creative boundaries and drive industry firsts. Plus, as a creator himself he has the innate ability to make people stop, laugh, and share--which is exactly what we’re about.”
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