Los York–the independent multidisciplinary creative studio behind the 2024 Clio-winning “Flip the Script” campaign for longtime client Motorola–is expanding its roster of commercial directors, which until now has been sitting under the umbrella of Los York Films, the studio’s commercial division. Now that division has just been renamed Los Films. This follows the arrival of Chris Abitbol, a London-based expat production executive who was hired in March to manage and build the shop’s film discipline as head of films.
“With the hiring of Chris Abitbol we made a conscious choice to aggressively grow our live action capabilities, put some fuel on the fire,” said Los York founder and chief catalyst Seth Epstein. “Chris is bringing energy along with creating a home for some exceptional new directors.”
“Los York has a stellar reputation in the industry for design and mixed media centric work” said Abitbol, who works closely with the newly named division’s executive producer Leticia Gurjao. “That’s what we’re founded on, creating insane artistry in advertising. With Los Films, we’re sharpening our live action storytelling chops. We’ve already got a top roster of storytellers in our quiver and we’re about to add another bunch of very cutting-edge talents. But more of that later.”
The name shift to Los Films is an intentional move coinciding with the launch of a new website which captures the division’s new positioning and new attitude, tapping into Los York’s roots of being resourceful, rebellious and passionate.
“And now with the signing of some incredible up-and-coming as well as world-class directors, we wanted to signal that there’s a new era, a reinvigoration,” said Epstein. “Los York has always been multidisciplinary and Los Films will continue the brother-sister dynamic with Los York, leveraging our creative, design and postproduction infrastructure. In a sense, while this is definitely a big thing for us, it’s also not a big thing because we’ll be doing what we’ve always done best–create the best work for our clients every which way we can, with an incredibly versatile crew of ‘Global Nomads of the Arts.’”
Los Films’ roster of directors is represented on the East and West Coasts by Simpatico, in the Midwest by SG+P Reps, and for multicultural work by Momentum.
Harvey Weinstein hit with new sex crime charge in New York
Harvey Weinstein pleaded not guilty Wednesday to a new sex crime charge in New York, as he awaits retrial in his landmark #MeToo case.
Details of the new allegations were not immediately available. He was charged with committing a criminal sex act.
The jailed ex-movie mogul has long maintained that any sexual activity was consensual.
Prosecutors revealed last week that Weinstein had been indicted on additional sex crime charges that weren't part of the case that led to his now-overturned 2020 conviction. But the new indictment was sealed until his arraignment.
Prosecutors have said that the grand jury heard evidence of up to three alleged assaults โ two in hotels in the Tribeca neighborhood and one at a lower Manhattan residential building. The purported incidents took place from the mid-2000s to 2016, prosecutors said.
But it's not clear whether any of those allegations underlie the new indictment.
While bracing for the new charges, Weinstein also is awaiting retrial after New York state's highest court this spring overturned his 2020 conviction on rape and sexual assault charges involving two women. The high court, called the Court of Appeals, ordered a new trial, which is tentatively scheduled to begin Nov. 12.
The Court of Appeals ruled that the then-trial judge unfairly allowed testimony against him based on allegations that were not part of the case. That judge's term expired in 2022, and he is no longer on the bench.
Prosecutors have said they'll seek to fold the new charges into the retrial, but Weinstein's lawyers say it should be a separate case.
Weinstein, who also was convicted in 2022 in a Los Angeles rape case, remains behind bars while awaiting his New York retrial.
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