LOS ANGELES -- Chloé Zhao is among this year’s leading Oscar contenders as writer-director of Nomadland (Searchlight Pictures). Last month she earned Best Director honors from both the New York and Los Angeles Film Critics associations. In 2020, Nomadland also became the first film ever to garner the top prizes at the Toronto and Venice film festivals. Nomadland received the Venice Golden Lion and shortly thereafter the People’s Choice Award at the Toronto fest. The latter honor is often a harbinger of things... Read More 

With a 2020 in the rearview mirror that no one could have predicted, we now stubbornly try again to see what the new year has in store no matter the pitfalls of prognostication. Yet while crystal balls are inherently flawed, there’s something to be gained from considering what’s possible with a new beginning, particularly coming off of a year in which so many have endured so much. By the same token, there’s value in reflecting on what a year like 2020 has taught us and how those lessons can be... Read More 

A tale of two cinematographers--one whose feature is currently in the Oscar conversation across varied categories, the other already a two-time Academy Award winner with professional achievements that also include a number of lifetime achievement honors. The latter DP is Chris Menges, ASC, BSC who shares insights into his latest feature, Waiting for the Barbarians (Samuel Goldwyn Films). And the other DP is Tobias Schliessler, ASC who shot Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (Netflix), a film that is... Read More 

Bring Your Own Brigade , Rebel Hearts and Cusp are among the select field of documentaries set for the upcoming Sundance Film Festival. The filmmakers behind them run the gamut in terms of their Sundance chops. Lucy Walker is a Sundance fixture with Bring Your Own Brigade her latest in a series of notable documentaries to grace the festival over the years. Pedro Kos has had films at Sundance that he’s edited, one he co-directed and now gets his solo directing turn into the mix with Rebel Hearts... Read More 

Brett Henenberg leads all elements of TRAVERSE32’s domestic and international film, television, and content productions. Recently launched by IPG Mediabrands, TRAVERSE32 is an independent development and entertainment company aimed at connecting film and TV audiences with highly influential brands and creators. Henenberg is co-founder and global head of production for TRAVERSE32. He works in concert with co-founder Brendan Gaul who serves both as global president of TRAVERSE32 and the first-... Read More 

On January 29, director John Lee Hancock’s psychological suspense thriller The Little Things , starring Academy Award winners Denzel Washington, Rami Malek and Jared Leto, is scheduled to premiere both in theaters around the country and on HBO Max. The Little Things will be available on HBO Max for 31 days from its theatrical release in the U.S. at no additional cost to subscribers. This marks the beginning to a new year in which Warner Bros.’ pandemic-induced simultaneously streaming TV/... Read More 

NEW YORK (AP) -- Streaming from an empty banquet hall and with acceptance speeches made from living rooms, the 30th Gotham Awards gave a very strange Oscar season a virtual start Monday in a largely digital ceremony that crowned Chloe Zhao’s “Nomadland” the best film of 2020. As the first prominent award show to go forward during the pandemic, the Gotham Awards took a trial-and-error approach to mounting a show that couldn’t include the usual trappings of the annual independent film awards: a flashy red carpet... Read More 

LONDON -- Cannes Lions has confirmed that the awarding of the Lions will take place as usual during the third week of June 2021. After the postponement of last year’s awards, the juries will be judging both years’ of work and awarding Lions for 2020 and 2021. “For more than 65 years Cannes Lions has set the benchmark for great creative work,” said Lions managing director Simon Cook, “and after the disappointment of postponing the 2020 Lions awards, we look forward to presenting the work to the Juries in... Read More 

NEW YORK & LONDON -- WPP has appointed Rob Reilly as its global chief creative officer. Reilly--who is currently global creative chairman of McCann Worldgroup--will join WPP in May, reporting to CEO Mark Read. Known for helping to create some of the most iconic ideas for the most impactful global brands, Reilly has led McCann Worldgroup’s creative resurgence--overseeing highly-awarded work that has shaped culture in the wider world, including the “Fearless Girl” statue on Wall Street for State Street Global... Read More 

LOS ANGELES -- Creative content production company Lifeboat has been launched by founders Jeff Baron, Greg Panteix, Fred Fiore and Nicolas Winding Refn. With bases of operation in Paris and Los Angeles, Loveboat will produce independent projects across advertising, entertainment, and fiction–––including commercial content for agencies and brands worldwide–––with a diverse cooperative of directors and interdisciplinary artists. Loveboat opens with a roster of directors ranging from the established... Read More 

LOS ANGELES -- Streamland Media, formerly Picture Head Holdings LLC, has entered into an agreement to acquire the Technicolor Post business. The acquisition, which is subject to customary closing conditions, is backed by Trive Capital and Five Crowns Capital and is expected to close in the first half of 2021. Headquartered in Los Angeles, Streamland Media operates through integrated business units around the globe, including Picture Shop, Formosa Group, Ghost VFX, Picture Head, The Farm Group, and Finalé Post... Read More 

NEW YORK -- Park Pictures has signed director J.M. “Jason” Harper for commercial representation in the U.S. and U.K. A director and documentarian, Harper applies a multi-hyphenate approach to directing, bringing talents in cinematography, directing, composing, and editing to his craft. Harper's elevated understanding of the heartfelt storytelling process rings true in projects for clients such as Facebook, My Brother’s Keeper, Google, Bud Light and more. Along the way he has earned awards and accolades... Read More 

LOS ANGELES -- Writer, director and artist Michael Haussman has joined VANDAL--the company founded by director Francis Lawrence and producer Heather Heller--for commercials, music videos, and branded content in the U.S. As a music video director, Haussman has created a canon of music videos featuring the likes of Justin Timberlake, Chemical Brothers, and Kanye West, garnering numerous honors, including six MTV Video Music Awards and a Museum of Modern Art Award. In the commercial arena, Haussman has... Read More 

NEW YORK -- McCann Worldgroup has implemented a senior leadership alignment across its global agency networks. Chris Macdonald has taken on the role of chairman and CEO of McCann, the advertising agency brand, and Harjot Singh has been promoted to global chief strategy Officer of McCann. Macdonald, who previously served as president, Advertising and Allied brands, for McCann, will now focus on leading the advertising network, along with Singh, previously CSO for McCann Worldgroup EMEA. The two global... Read More 

NEW YORK -- Perry Fair has been named to the brand new role of EVP, global ECD, director of entertainment, for McCann New York. Fair has held senior roles on both the ad agency and client side of the business. He was also the first Black president of a publicly traded advertising agency, JWT Atlanta, where he served as president from 2011 to 2016. During his 20 years in the industry, Fair has either worked for, or built relationships with, global blue-chip clients that include Nissan, Infiniti, Kia, Adidas... Read More 

LOS ANGELES -- The Critics Choice Association (CCA) this evening (1/10) unveiled the winners of the inaugural Critics Choice Super Awards during a special presentation broadcast on The CW. Topping the feature film competition with three wins apiece were Palm Springs (Hulu, NEON) and Soul (Disney+, Pixar). Palm Springs was recognized for Best Science Fiction/Fantasy Movie, Best Actor in a Science Fiction/Fantasy Movie (Andy Samberg), and Best Actress in a Science Fiction/Fantasy Movie (Cristin Milioti). Soul... Read More 

Nomadland won Best Picture distinction at the 55th National Society of Film Critics Awards. Nomadland led the way by topping four categories, the others being Best Director for Chloé Zhao, Best Actress for Frances McDormand and Best Cinematography for Joshua James Richards. Delroy Lindo won Best Actor for Da 5 Bloods . Best Supporting Actress and Actor laurels went to Maria Bakalova for Borat Subsequent Movie Film and Paul Raci for Sound of Metal , respectively. Eliza Hittman penned the Best... Read More 

What a difference a year makes. Fox sold out ad inventory for the 2020 Big Game back in November 2019. Fast forward to today, well into January, and CBS still has commercial slots open for Super Bowl LV at an asking price of $5.5 million for 30 seconds. Last year’s Super Bowl generated $489 million in ad revenue. Whether that tally will be met this time around remains to be seen. Of course, the dynamic that has taken its toll on even a marquee event like the Super Bowl--which is slated for... Read More 

BROOKLYN, NY -- Production company tinygiant has added photographer and director Aleksandra Kingo to its now-majority female directorial roster. This marks Kingo’s first U.S. commercial representation. Born in small-town Lithuania, Kingo began her creative journey as a means of escaping her less than lively suburban teen existence. Finding joy in fantasy and daydreams, and further fed by the world wide web, Kingo morphed into a quirky young woman running around forests with a camera, hitch-hiking, and sleeping... Read More 

BROOKLYN, NY -- Bicoastal Greenpoint Pictures has added L.A.-based directorial duo tomboy--consisting of Jesse Heath and Nikki Grattan--to its roster for U.S. representation spanning commercials and branded content. This marks tomboy’s first signing with a production company. Heath had been handled by Greenpoint as a solo director since 2018 while Grattan had not been previously represented. The pair’s greatest strength lies in their two distinct yet complementary points of view, bringing a fresh dynamic to... Read More 

LOS ANGELES -- Filmmaker Ky Dickens is joining Yard Dog for advertising projects originating on the West and East coasts. She continues to be handled in the Midwest by STORY. Based in Los Angeles, Dickens has earned acclaim for her documentaries and work for agencies and brands, which often involves real people and heartfelt subject matter. Her clients include Tylenol, Hershey’s, McDonald’s, Koehler, Purina, Huggies, Hallmark and Kellogg’s. Despite the pandemic, Dickens has been busy with projects, including... Read More 

NEW YORK -- McCann Worldgroup has promoted Simon Sikorski to the newly created position of global chief operating officer at Craft, the Interpublic division that delivers world-class, scalable production services across print, digital and video content. Sikorski will move to New York from Toronto, where he is currently CEO of McCann Worldgroup Canada. Additionally, Sergio Lopez has been promoted to the newly created role of chief production officer, UK & EMEA, as well as CEO of its production arm CRAFT... Read More 

DETROIT -- Creative agency Doner, based in Detroit, has appointed Julio Desir to serve as SVP, group creative director, Johana Olivera as VP, brand leader, and Christina Gay as VP, finance director. A Michigan native and award-winning creative director, Desir has a strong background in graphic design and a track record of creating industry leading content for blue-chip clients including Boeing, Coca-Cola, Coors Light, Disney, Ford, Kraft, Marriott International and the US Open. He also enjoyed a brief... Read More 

LOS ANGELES -- FilmLA, partner film office for the City and County of Los Angeles and other local jurisdictions has issued an update regarding regional filming activity since the reopening of L.A. County to on-location filming last June. Over the last 29 weeks, FilmLA has processed approximately 4,213 film permit applications spanning 2,985 unique projects. Film permit applications declined steeply last month, dropping 24.9 percent from November levels to 613 permits in December. This is the second straight... Read More 

NEW YORK (AP) -- LGBTQ and gender inclusiveness on television has retreated slightly this season due to delays and shutdowns caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a new study out Thursday by the advocacy group GLAAD. The percentage of regularly seen LGBTQ characters on streaming as well as primetime broadcast TV and cable during the 2020-21 season fell. Primetime broadcast fell to 9.1% after reaching an all-time high of 10.2% last season. That represents the first decrease since GLAAD's 2013-14 report... Read More 

Director Doug Liman was on a call with screenwriter Steven Knight and producer PJ van Sandwijk in July when they started wondering what it would be like to make a movie about the current moment IN the current moment. Liman makes films about characters in extraordinary situations: An assassin with amnesia ("The Bourne Identity"), a military officer caught in a time loop ("Edge of Tomorrow"), an unhappy married couple who are also secret killers ("Mr. and Mrs. Smith"). The lockdowns, the economic... Read More 

Michael Apted, the acclaimed British director of the "Up" documentary series and films as diverse as the Loretta Lynn biopic "Coal Miner's Daughter" and the James Bond film "The World Is Not Enough," has died. He was 79. A representative for the Directors Guild of America said his family informed the organization that he passed Thursday night. No cause was given. An incredibly prolific director, Apted's legacy is perhaps most defined by the nine "Up" films, which followed the lives of 14... Read More 

There's an iconic photograph of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. that was taken as he triumphantly boarded one of the first integrated buses in Montgomery, Alabama. It was 1956 and King looks out a window, firmly at the front of the bus, almost gazing toward his movement's next big social hurdle. The image was taken by Ernest Withers, a key chronicler of the civil rights movement — and an FBI informant. That the FBI wanted someone close and watching King is at the heart of director Sam Pollard's... Read More 

NEW YORK (AP) -- The attack on the U.S. Capitol last week brought more viewers to CNN than any other single day in the network's 40-year history. CNN averaged 5.2 million viewers last Wednesday, eclipsing its previous high of 5.1 million on Election Day 2016, the Nielsen company said. The network had 4.47 million viewers on Sept. 11, 2001, Nielsen said. During the storming of the Capitol itself on Wednesday afternoon, CNN averaged nearly 9 million viewers. CNN also led all of the cable news and broadcast... Read More 

“Who will you be?” That’s the question One Medical is asking in its first ever TV commercial which is slated to launch on January 20 during CNN’s coverage of the presidential inauguration. Directed and shot by Lance Acord of Park Pictures for Goodby Silverstein & Partners, the spot follows the journey of Bay Area open water swimmer, Mina Rhoden, as she carries out her daily ritual of swimming in the frigid Bay Area waters. It’s a routine that she, much like many other fitness enthusiasts,... Read More 

This new campaign portrays Macmillan Cancer Support staff as compassionate warriors who do whatever it takes to help those who face the daily challenges and triumphs of living with cancer. The staffers’ grit, skill, ingenuity, humor and tenderness shine through in the work including this launch film, “Tender yet Tough,” directed by Jonathan Alric of production house Iconoclast for agency AMV BBDO in London. “Tender yet Tough” is designed to drum up financial donations for Macmillan which has... Read More 

Playing the X Series of Scratch-Offs from the New York Lottery gives people a chance to multiply their winnings. So, to announce the return of this popular game McCann New York highlighted the unique multiplier functionality by playing off humorously misguided ways one might dream up to multiply things. At the center of the campaign is this :30 TV spot from which brings the classic home inventor to present day, creating a timely character who has had a little too much time on his hands recently... Read More 

L.A.-based production studio Florence has produced two new films in partnership with the Potential Energy Coalition to raise awareness for Science Moms, a newly launched group of climate scientists and mothers which aims to demystify climate science and motivate action to protect children’s futures. Directed by Florence director Spencer Creigh, the ads offer the authentic perspectives of mothers, who also happen to be climate scientists, in a targeted call to action for moms around the world to... Read More 

The mystery surrounding Cheetos’ Super Bowl commercial is amplified in this just released teaser video for the ad. In this teaser, Kutcher discovers some apparently shocking evidence tied to the disappearance of his Cheetos Crunch Pop Mix. The exact nature of this evidence and what Kutcher will do with it apparently will have to wait until Super Bowl Sunday. Also remaining a mystery for the moment are the agency, production house and director behind Cheetos’ Big Game ad. Cheetos will be one of... Read More 

At the center of this new campaign for Snickers Peanut Brownie lies the insight that adult life surprises us with all sorts of problems and pitfalls we’re not prepared for--at home, at the office, and in our relationships. And while nobody has all the answers, we do have soothing brownies to make us feel better. “Life is full of hidden problems, so we hid a comforting brownie in a Snickers.” This premise is reflected in this :30 titled “Stanimal” in which a boss at a workers’ meeting tries to... Read More 

Joe Pernice directed this Pepsi spot for agency VaynerMedia featuring music from The Weeknd who will be the featured star in the upcoming Super Bowl LV Halftime Show. The ad promotes Pepsi’s limited edition Halftime Show cans. With what’s going on in the world today, the Super Bowl and Super Bowl parties are going to be a bit different this year. The challenge was determining how to show a group of friends having fun at a party, while keeping the gathering small and safe. Knowing that the... Read More 

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