NEW YORK -- Riess/Hill--the groundbreaking husband-and-wife directorial duo of Chris Riess and Amy Hill--is about to make its first showing at the Tribeca Film Festival, set to debut the documentary short Hula Girl on April 19. Riess and Hill are no strangers to the festival circuit, having gotten early career momentum many moons ago when their Sundance Film Fest spec trailer caught the eye of Robert Redford who asked for a sequel, funding and debuting it at Sundance. This and a subsequent celebrity-driven... Read More, Comment

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- For Steven Spielberg, "Ready Player One" was a great escape from reality. The legendary filmmaker says he got to live in the imaginations of author Ernest Cline and co-screenwriter Zak Penn in this dystopian, futuristic world full of '80s references and virtual reality possibilities for three years, with brief trips "back to Earth" to make "Bridge of Spies" and "The Post." "This was a film that for me fulfilled all of my fantasies of the places I go in my imagination when I get out of town," he... Read More, Comment

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- In Ernest Cline's novel "Ready Player One," the main character drives a DeLorean because of "Back to the Future," and uses a grail diary because of "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade." The films of Steven Spielberg loom large in the story littered with pop culture references. That the legendary filmmaker then ended up being the one to take Cline's futuristic-nostalgic vision to the big screen is a small Spielbergian miracle. "I hadn't read anything that had triggered my own imagination so... Read More, Comment

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has concluded its review of a misconduct allegation against film academy president John Bailey and determined that no further action is required. The film academy said late Tuesday that Bailey will remain in his position, which he has held since August. Bailey, a cinematographer whose credits include "Groundhog Day," ''The Big Chill" and "As Good as It Gets," had previously denied the allegation that he attempted to touch a woman inappropriately... Read More, Comment

NEW YORK -- The ANA (Association of National Advertisers) has issued a response to the Cambridge Analytica/Facebook controversy in which sensitive consumer data was compromised, if not outright exploited. The ANA statement expressed appreciation for “the responsible steps that Facebook has taken since the incident’s revelation, and its commitment, as one of the world’s leading marketing platforms, to invest in and make necessary changes to bolster consumer and marketer confidence.” Yet at the same time,... Read More, Comment

NEW YORK -- Association of National Advertisers (ANA) client-side marketers are making strong progress in achieving gender balance among CMOs, but in stark contrast there remains significant work to do in attaining ethnic diversity. Those are the findings of the ANA’s inaugural CMO “scorecard,” an annual exercise designed to highlight marketers’ progress at establishing gender equality and ethnic diversity at the most senior marketing position in each member company. The tally identifies the profile of the... Read More, Comment

LOS ANGELES -- Global production house Partizan has reunited with director Olivier Gondry, now handling him for commercials, branded content and music videos worldwide. Gondry made his first major mark with his breakthrough commercials for HP, featuring his brother Michel and Vera Wang. Since then, the Paris-based Olivier Gondry has gone on to collaborate with notable brands such as Audi, YouTube, Fiat, Microsoft, Starbucks, Nissan, Canon, Gillette, True Religion, Etsy and Trip Advisor. In his first lauded HP... Read More, Comment

CHICAGO -- Mel Routhier has been promoted from group creative director to executive creative director at DDB Chicago. Routhier and fellow ECD Colin Selikow will both report to DDB Chicago CCO John Maxham. With her elevation to ECD, Routhier will continue overseeing the creative for State Farm, one of the agency’s largest accounts, and driving best-in-class work for DDB Chicago. Over the past several years, Routhier has been an instrumental creative force behind some of the agency’s most successful efforts... Read More, Comment

BENTONVILLE, Arkansas -- The Bentonville Film Festival (BFF) returns to Bentonville, Arkansas, May 1-6, 2018, and has announced two featured titles: its Opening Night Selection is the world premiere of Elissa Down’s The Honor List , from Lionsgate’s Studio L, and the festival will present a Centerpiece Screening of Lea Thompson’s The Year of Spectacular Men . BFF will also present the world premiere of Tracey Aivaz’s short film The Box , commissioned by Walmart to celebrate the art of storytelling. “We’re thrilled to... Read More, Comment

NORTH HOLLYWOOD, Calif. -- The Television Academy announced additional 2018 changes in membership requirements as approved by its Board of Governors. On-air promo producers and directors are now eligible to join the Commercials Peer Group of the Academy. In addition, membership eligibility in the Performers Peer Group was expanded to include commercial performers and narrators. Eligibility requirements for all voiceover artists and commercial performers were also formally adopted by the Performers Peer Group. “We are... Read More, Comment

SANTA MONICA, Calif. -- Independent ad agency RPA has hired Cliff Atkinson for the role of SVP, executive director, digital media. Atkinson will report to EVP, chief media officer Jim Helberg and will lead RPA’s entire digital media practice, inclusive of all strategy, social, programmatic, search and ad ops. Atkinson comes to RPA from Saatchi & Saatchi L.A., where he held a similar role leading their digital strategy and investment practice. While at Saatchi, he was influential in pioneering greater synergies... Read More, Comment

LOS ANGELES -- Automotive/action director Spiro Razatos has joined Bullitt, marking his first signing with a production house for commercials and branded content. Razatos worked alongside Bullitt co-founders Joe and Anthony Russo as a second unit director on Captain America: Civil War and The Winter Soldier , and with Justin Lin on the Fast and Furious franchise. Razatos’ extensive experience in designing and capturing action-driven narratives makes him an ideal fit for Bullitt’s work in the branded arena... Read More, Comment

NEW YORK -- Director Renee Mao has landed her first representation, joining bicoastal production and post company Greenpoint Pictures which will handle her globally. Mao is an Australian filmmaker based in NYC whose directorial work is marked by narrative-driven visual storytelling that often tackles emotional, intimate subjects. Before moving to NYC, she spent several years living in Beijing, to which she credits the beginnings of her creative pursuits and distinctive visual style. Mao’s body of work... Read More, Comment

LOS ANGELES -- Director Claire Thomas has joined Community Films for U.S. representation. Thomas’ skills and expertise as a food stylist, photographer, writer, cook and lover of design, food and fashion all have contributed to her rise as a director. Her body of work is defined by an elegant use of light, polished realism and the capturing of food, people and objects in a beautiful, inviting and honest way. Her directorial credits span such brands as Visa, McCafe, Del Taco, Arby’s, Chick-Fil-A, TGI Friday’s,... Read More, Comment

LOS ANGELES -- Comedy director Amber Schaefer has joined the roster of L.A.-based More Media for spots and branded content. Schaefer splits her time between L.A. and New York, and spreads her talent among producing, writing, acting, and directing ads, branded content, sketches, shorts, and experiential campaigns. After graduating from Marlboro College with a degree in Political Theory, Schaefer spent years honing her comedic chops at the Upright Citizens Brigade, the Magnet Theater, and running a weekly stand... Read More, Comment

NEW YORK -- New York Festivals® AME Awards®, for the World’s Best Advertising and Marketing Effectiveness™, announced the 2018 award winners. 2017’s award-winning entries successfully demonstrated ground breaking solutions to challenging marketing problems with measurable results. Agencies increased brand identity, public awareness and market share through innovative ideas that placed brands front and center. The 2018 AME Grand Jury of CEOs, chief strategy officers, planning directors, global brand... Read More, Comment

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- A California appeals court on Monday threw out a lawsuit by 101-year-old actress Olivia de Havilland against the creators of the FX Networks show "Feud: Bette and Joan," bringing an abrupt end to a closely-watched case that pitted an individual's rights to their life and likeness against the rights of artists to depict them. The 2nd District Court of Appeal said in a unanimous decision that the First Amendment rights of the show's creators clearly trump de Havilland's claims that permission to... Read More, Comment

NEW YORK (AP) -- Ben McKenzie says he doesn't have any particular attachment to the number 16, but there's a reason why it's worked out that he would direct the 16th episode of "Gotham" for two years in a row. His latest directorial turn on the "Batman" prequel airs Thursday on Fox. "It means I have the ability to prep before Christmas and shoot after Christmas," said McKenzie recently in an interview. "There's a method for sure." Prep includes location scouting, determining if any sets need to be built,... Read More, Comment

"Why can't we go backward for once?" wonders the protagonist of "Ready Player One" shortly before gunning his "Back to the Future" DeLorean in reverse. "Really put the pedal to the metal." Pressing rewind is, if anything, an understandable desire these days. But in today's reboot, remake-mad movies, it's not exactly swimming against the tide. Yet Steven Spielberg's "Ready Player One," a rollicking virtual-world geekfest flooded by '80s ephemera, doesn't just want to wade back into the past. It... Read More, Comment

When a figure is as fundamental to our history and national identity as Martin Luther King Jr., is there anything left to learn about him? Actually, it may be precisely because King is such a towering figure in our collective memory that we tend to focus on a few big moments — Montgomery, Birmingham, Selma and of course "I Have a Dream" — and let the rest fade into history, leaving us with more myth than man as time goes on. That's the argument behind the new HBO documentary "King in the... Read More, Comment

LOS ANGELES -- The Producers Guild of America (PGA) has announced the headlining sessions for its tenth annual Produced By Conference (PBC 2018) in Los Angeles, which include “Conversation With: Samantha Bee & Jason Jones,” “Conversation With: Kevin Feige,” “Conversation With: Jim Gianopulos,” “Larry Gordon: Uncensored,” and the previously announced “360 Profile: The Handmaid’s Tale.” The Produced By Conference will be held Saturday, June 9, and Sunday, June 10, at Paramount Pictures Studios in Los... Read More, Comment

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- CBS’ “60 Minutes” proved it still has the moves in its 50th year to dominate the ratings. The news magazine’s interview with Stormy Daniels, the adult film star alleging a 2006 sexual encounter with Donald Trump, was the most-watched primetime program for the week with 22.1 million viewers. That’s double the nearly 11 million viewers the show has been averaging this season and gave “60 Minutes” its best showing since 2008, when 25 million tuned in to see President-elect Barack Obama and his... Read More, Comment

NEW YORK (AP) -- It took six weeks but "Black Panther" has finally been unseated as the top film at the North American box office. The monsters vs. robots science-fiction sequel "Pacific Rim: Uprising" dethroned the superhero sensation with $28 million in ticket sales over the weekend, according to studio estimates Sunday. But the result for "Pacific Rim: Uprising," a Universal Pictures-Legendary Entertainment release that cost $150 million to make, was soft — at least domestically. Like the recently released "... Read More, Comment

CZAR Amsterdam’s Willem Gerritsen directed this film for FCB Amsterdam that embarks on an emotional journey of a woman’s memories of her father. The spot is part of the Safety & Security campaign for Mastercard, meant to highlight the importance of having your purchase insured against damage, loss, theft, and wrong delivery. The concept behind the film, as envisioned by FCB Amsterdam, revolves around leaving nothing to chance when creating a perfect moment. The story starts out with a woman... Read More, Comment

Cure Alzheimer’s Fund has released its first-ever PSA, showing the effects Alzheimer’s can have on your loved ones. The goal is to help shed light on how an investment in a cure is an investment in all of our futures. Titled Daughter and Mother , the new short was created pro bono by BBDO New York and directed by David Shane of O Positive. In the piece, we see a young girl serving as caregiver for her youthful mom. The stress on the youngster is palpable. At one point, the girl frantically... Read More, Comment

This PSA addresses gun reform from a unique vantage point--that of military veterans. Writer/director and veteran Kyle Hausmann-Stokes teamed with producer Ellen Utrecht and Cut+Run editor Ben McCambridge to craft a persuasive and moving PSA for Veterans for Gun Reform. The PSA stars military veterans of all genders, ages, ethnicities and military backgrounds. Their message is clear: “We carried the M4/M16, we know its power first hand, and there is no reason it should be for sale in this... Read More, Comment

DIY superstore chain HORNBACH launches this campaign to mark the start of the home improvement season. “Sweat it out” takes a somewhat surrealist look at the rejuvenating effects of heavy physical labor in the home and garden. It pushes a fantastical, imaginative style to the max, putting everyday stressful situations into a completely new light. Troubles at work, problems with the kids and over-the-top media consumption are literally sweat out by a single act of DIY. In the TV commercial, the... Read More, Comment

This commercial features a young boy who, at a family gathering, is scurrying around trying to nab a Mr Kipling cake. This “little thief” fails time and time again until, finally, he manages to sneak out with a Mr Kipling Angel Slice. When the boy gets home, he suspiciously rushes upstairs to scoff the sweet treat. Or does he? This “Exceedingly Good Cake” may just turn out to be an exceedingly loving gesture for his grumpy, teen sister. Part of a campaign from McCann London, this slice-of-life... Read More, Comment

Agency 215 McCann created this 2018 campaign for the San Francisco Giants; it’s a year that the baseball team--which has won three World Series championships in the past eight years--marks its 60th anniversary in the Bay Area. The “If I Weren’t a Player” campaign consists of five spots, each featuring a Giants star who is seen as what he would have been if he didn’t become a Major League Baseball player. For Buster Posey, he would have been a celebrated chef at the helm of the posh San... Read More, Comment

A patient, seeking treatment for a sore neck, is asked by a doctor whether the injury was work-related. In a flashback, it’s revealed that the patient is actually a baseball pitcher. We then learn that Nelson Cruz, holder of the Mariners team record for home runs by a designated hitter, is responsible for the patient’s whiplash. The pitcher whipped his neck back watching Cruz hit a majestic homer off of him. Ron Gross of Blue Goose Productions directed “Work-Related Injury,” part of a campaign... Read More, Comment