LOS ANGELES Hollywood lore has it that character actor Edmund Gwenn–while on his deathbed–quipped, “Dying is easy, comedy is hard.” The second part of that darkly witty utterance remains all too true today as Craig Henighan–a Best Achievement in Sound Mixing Oscar nominee in 2019 for Roma–can attest in that he had to grapple with the sonic Read More 

NEW YORK (AP) When Martin Scorsese was a child growing up in New York’s Little Italy, he would gaze up at the figures he saw around St. Patrick’s Old Cathedral. “Who are these people? What is a saint?” Scorsese recalls. “The minute I walk out the door of the cathedral and I don’t see any saints. I saw Read More 

TORONTO (AP) Karla Sofía Gascón’s performance in “Emilia Pérez” as a Mexican drug lord who undergoes gender affirmation surgery to become a woman has brought her global acclaim and set Gascón on a path that may make her the first openly transgender actor ever nominated for an Oscar. But on this morning, she’s feeling contemplative. “I woke Read More 

LOS ANGELES (AP) You could say that Ethan Slater’s yellow brick road to getting cast in the big screen adaptation of “Wicked” had an element of magic to it. On the day he was asked to submit a tape of himself for the role of Boq, Slater was playing the part of actor Christopher Fitzgerald’s identical twin in Read More 

LONDON (AP) Lashana Lynch was running away from spies. After playing Nomi in 2021’s “No Time To Die,” she was actively avoiding any role that involved working for the secret service. What part could beat a Bond girl who took James Bond’s 007 code name from him? “I was like, ‘No, I’m not doing it again. That’s Read More 

LOS ANGELES (AP) Richard Curtis may be widely known for his contributions to romantic comedies with “Four Weddings and a Funeral,” “Notting Hill” and “Love, Actually.” But writing and directing some of modern cinema’s most quotable scenes only occupy a portion of his professional life. Since a trip to Ethiopia in 1985 during the famine, Curtis has also Read More 

LOS ANGELES (AP) For the late James Bond producer Albert “Cuddy” Broccoli, receiving the Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award was a true high point in his career. He said as much accepting the prize, a non-competitive honorary Oscar, at the Academy Awards in 1982. Roger Moore presented it to him that night while his family in the audience Read More 

LOS ANGELES The Television Academy has announced the newly elected members to the Board of Governors who will serve two-year terms from Jan. 1, 2025–Dec. 31, 2026. More than 40% of the 31 elected governors are new to the Academy’s boardroom and represent a wealth of experienced professionals across the industry. After years of outreach and engagement Read More 

NEW YORK Britt Nolan has been hired as chief creative officer at McCann Worldgroup, North America. He will report to Javier Campopiano, global chief creative officer of McCann Worldgroup and McCann. Nolan will work directly with the network’s creative leadership in the U.S. and Canada to lead the development of ideas that solve clients’ business challenges, guided Read More 

LOS ANGELES RSA Films has added director Kacper Larski to its roster for commercial representation in the U.S. Larski is known for his work in automotive and sport, and a style of filmmaking which features epic visuals and gripping montage, often combining the real and surreal. Among his most recent commercial films are Garmin’s “Fenix 8” (direct Read More 

AMSTERDAM Reversing the traditional migration of the old world to the new, Los Angeles and Mexico City-based production shops MADRE and MADREFOCA are venturing into Europe and the U.K. with executive producer Carl Wyant at the helm. Wyant, former EP at Amsterdam-based production company 100% HALAL and prior to that the global Great Guns, will drive Read More 

LOS ANGELES Production company JOJX has signed director Jake Dypka for U.S. representation spanning commercials and branded content. Dypka has built a reputation for character-driven comedy. From depicting seniors raving for OnePlus to capturing heat sweats with thermal mapping for Burger King, and exploring flash photography for Samsung, Dypka excels at infusing joy into unexpected moments while Read More 

LOS ANGELES Boutique production company Florence has added Parker Schmidt to its directorial roster, marking his first signing for representation in the U.S. Schmidt found his way into directing from his background as a competitive downhill skateboarder, where his world travels and brand relationships catalyzed a lifelong passion for film. Now behind the camera, Schmidt’s work embodies Read More 

LOS ANGELES Director and writer Ayse Altinok has joined commercial production company Good Times for U.S. representation. Altinok has directed campaigns for Nike, Horizon Milk, Larabar, Jose Cuervo, Unilever, Mavi Jeans, Boots, Lumene, and more. A former art director at Wieden + Kennedy in Amsterdam and Portland, she approaches each project with careful consideration, analyzing the end Read More 

LOS ANGELES Production and post studio Aris has signed Indian-American director Zoe Malhotra, marking her first exclusive deal for representation throughout the U.S. Malhotra joins the roster after previously freelance directing with Aris for Pfizer. She and Aris are currently shooting a social campaign for a major airline. Specializing in character-driven stories with a vérité approach, Malhotra’s Read More 

LOS ANGELES Producer Matthew Forrest has officially launched Cloud Forest, a Los Angeles-based video production company specializing in commercials and branded content, with additional capabilities in emerging formats like AI and VR. With the mantra “Where your vision meets our production precision,” Cloud Forest aims to serve brands, agencies and networks with a blend of creativity and Read More 

NEW YORK Ana Miminoshvili, an illustrator and designer based in Tbilisi, has received special recognition from The One Club for Creativity as the Young Guns 22 Creative Choice winner. The accolade is the result of a public vote by the global creative community who reviewed work of all Young Guns 22 winners (the full lineup was reported Read More 

NEW YORK (AP) Rome teeters on the brink in Ridley Scott’s “Gladiator II.” Its fall is said to be imminent. The dream it once symbolized is dead. The once high-minded ideals of the Roman Empire have deteriorated across a venal land now ruled by a pale-faced emperor. On the throne is Geta (Joseph Quinn), who sits alongside his Read More 

LOS ANGELES (AP) The rhythms of bustling, working-class Mumbai are brought to vivid life in “All We Imagine as Light.” The stunning narrative debut of filmmaker Payal Kapadia explores the lives of three women in the city whose existence is mostly transit and work. Even that isn’t always enough to get by and pay the rent. One of Read More 

NEW YORK (AP) Ah, the Christmas movie. That old chestnut. That cozy perennial pastime where — let’s just pick one scene from “Red One” — Dwayne Johnson, playing Santa’s body guard, faces off with a witch-possessed mercenary (Nick Kroll) and ice-sword-wielding CGI snowmen on the sandy beaches of Aruba. Can’t you just taste the eggnog? Such are the Read More 

VATICAN CITY (AP) The Vatican and Microsoft on Monday unveiled a digital twin of St. Peter’s Basilica that uses artificial intelligence to explore one of the world’s most important monument’s while helping the Holy See manage visitor flows and identify conservation problems. Using 400,000 high-resolution digital photographs, taken with drones, cameras and lasers over four weeks when no Read More 

NEW YORK The Camp Kuleshov trailer competition for emerging creative artists in postproduction–a.k.a. Camp K–has recognized and awarded its winning and honorable mention entries at live events recently in New York and Chicago, as well as a hybrid in-person and virtual event in Los Angeles. Trophies were bestowed in recognition of outstanding achievement in the categories of Read More 

WASHINGTON (AP) Those ever-present TV drug ads showing patients hiking, biking or enjoying a day at the beach could soon have a different look: New rules require drugmakers to be clearer and more direct when explaining their medications’ risks and side effects. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration spent more than 15 years crafting the guidelines, which Read More 

LOS ANGELES Female-founded and led creative marketing agency AD&Co. has opened Studio A. The new venture will serve as AD&Co.’s in-house social brand content division, focused on developing and producing digital programming for advertising, social media, and influencer marketing campaigns designed to reach today’s audiences on the most popular and pivotal platforms. Davida Hall has been named Read More 

NEW YORK (AP) “Venom: The Last Dance” has been no blockbuster in North American theaters. But in a lethargic fall moviegoing season, even a so-so performing superhero sequel can rule the box office for three straight weeks. For the third weekend in a row, “Venom: The Last Dance” was the No. 1 movie at the box office, collecting Read More 

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