LOS ANGELES -- Wendy Hallam Martin’s work on The Handmaid’s Tale (Hulu) has yielded marquee industry recognition, including her first American Cinema Editors (ACE) nomination and win earlier this year for the “Offred” episode. And most recently, Martin scored her first career Emmy nom--which came in the Outstanding Single-Camera Picture Editing for a Drama Series category--on the strength of the pivotal “June” episode. For Martin, The Handmaid’s Tale has required a re-think and reorientation relative to her... Read More, Comment

TORONTO -- The Toronto International Film Festival has unveiled its second batch of titles premiering in the Gala and Special Presentations programs in September. Four Gala Presentations and 22 Special Presentations have been added to the selection of titles already announced. Outlaw King and Jeremiah Terminator LeRoy have been named Opening and Closing Night films, respectively. “We’re rounding out the lineup of Galas and Special Presentations with some of the most exciting films of the year,” said... Read More, Comment

NEW YORK -- Free The Bid, the groundbreaking diversity initiative, is expanding its footprint to include a colorist category among its representation of women directors, DPs, and editors. The move, done with the support of creative studio Ntropic, expands its mission to promote equal opportunities for women across the full production pipeline. Since its inception, the non-profit Free The Bid has transformed the sourcing of creative talent--beginning with the simple pledge that agencies and brands insist on... Read More, Comment

NEW YORK -- Danny Rosenbloom, a leading figure in the production and postproduction community and a longtime board member of AICP, has joined the Association as the new VP, post and digital production. In this role Rosenbloom will work closely with AICP president/CEO Matt Miller and his senior team, which in addition to Rosenbloom comprises Denise Gilmartin, VP, business affairs; Jane Nunez, VP, labor relations; and VP, operations/chief of staff Kristin Wilcha. Rosenbloom will be responsible for promoting... Read More, Comment

LOS ANGELES -- Trailer Park--Engine’s full-service creative agency specializing in content creation, entertainment marketing and 360-degree campaigns--has brought William Gelner on board as chief creative officer. Before joining Trailer Park, Gelner helped build 180LA where he was chief creative officer and managing partner. Throughout his 10 years there, he led the agency to win major clients like Pepsi, Sony, adidas, Boost Mobile, Expedia, Mitsubishi, HP, ASICS, Miller Lite, University of Phoenix and UNICEF... Read More, Comment

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- The diversity crisis in Hollywood may rage on, but the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences continues to try to open up access to the entertainment business for people from underrepresented communities and give some a foot in the door at the most critical moment — when college graduation is in sight and the job market is looming. For seven weeks this summer, 107 college students from across the nation convened in Los Angeles for internships at places like HBO, Warner Bros., Dolby... Read More, Comment

TORONTO -- The Toronto International Film Festival Primetime program revealed its lineup of five bold series with representation from six countries across the globe: France, the United States, Israel, Thailand, Singapore, and Indonesia. In its fourth year, the program continues its momentum with leading-edge work by Kit Steinkellner, Daniel Syrkin, Eric Khoo, and Eli Horowitz, Micah Bloomberg and Sam Esmail. “Cinematic television has provided a new lane for the consumer’s experience of cinematic art,”... Read More, Comment

NEW YORK -- Bicoastal Station Film has added director Thomas Beug to its roster for commercial representation in the U.S. He is known for work that is naturalistic, grounded in realism and often tinged with humor or mischief. Among the highlights are Domino’s “Paving for Pizza” (CP+B) which documents an initiative with actual road crews to repair pesky pot holes that are bad for Domino’s take-out customers, and Puma’s “Faster Delivery” (digitasLBi) featuring Usain Bolt at his physically comedic best as a... Read More, Comment

LOS ANGELES -- Ole Peters, a German director who’s managing partner and executive creative director at Hamburg-based hybrid production studio Sehsucht, has joined Interrogate--the shop with bases of operation in L.A., NY and Sydney--for his first career spot and branded content representation in the U.S. as well as Australia. Sehsucht is a leading shop in Europe’s VFX, production and animation landscape. Earlier this year Peters directed via Sehsucht a CG/live-action film, “Stronger Than Time,” for the new... Read More, Comment

LOS ANGELES -- The Directors Guild of America (DGA) announced that director Ang Lee, Fox Searchlight chairman Nancy Utley, U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), SAG-AFTRA sr. advisor John McGuire, and costume designer Ann Roth will be honored at the 2018 DGA Honors, to be held at the DGA Theater in New York City on Thursday, October 18. DGA Honors recognizes individuals and institutions that have made distinguished contributions to American culture through the world of film and television, and recognizes the... Read More, Comment

NEW YORK (AP) -- Who knew connecting the world could get so complicated? Perhaps some of technology's brightest minds should have seen that coming. Social media bans of conspiracy theorist Alex Jones have thrust Facebook, YouTube, Twitter and others into a role they never wanted — as gatekeepers of discourse on their platforms, deciding what should and shouldn't be allowed and often angering almost everyone in the process. Jones, a right-wing provocateur, suddenly found himself banned from most major social... Read More, Comment

CULVER CITY, Calif. -- Bicoastal The Famous Group has signed director Pete Chatmon. He’s already wrapped his first job at his new roost--a campaign for Spectrum starring Sister, Sister actress/model Tamera Mowry out of agency Castells. Chatmon’s work over the years spans commercials, shorts, TV and features. His recent TV directing endeavors include episodes of ABC sitcom Black-ish , Freeform’s hit Grown-ish , OWN’s Greenleaf drama, and Netflix’s Atypical . Other TV credits include The Last O.G., Grey’s Anatomy,... Read More, Comment

NEW YORK -- Creative content company Alkemy X has ramped up through two major moves. First, Alkemy X has entered into a joint venture with multidisciplinary studio Quietman. In addition, Alkemy X has brought on director and creative director Megan Oepen. The Quietman deal will see founder and creative director Johnnie Semerad moving the operations of his company into Alkemy X, where both parties will share all creative talent, resources, and capabilities. “Quietman’s reputation of high-end, award-winning... Read More, Comment

NEW YORK -- Integrated production shop The Collective @ LAIR has added comedy director Matty Fisher to its roster. Fisher recently earned inclusion into SHOOT ’s 2018 New Directors Showcase largely on the strength of his Kit Kat comedy spec spot “Kinvisible” meshing live action and effects. Fisher has made a name for himself based on his penchant for uncovering stories in unexpected places and deploying off-the-wall ways in which to tell them. Fisher’s first entry into the Doritos Crash The Superbowl... Read More, Comment

NEW YORK (AP) -- After long resisting change, Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey wants to revamp the "core" of the service to fight rampant abuse and misinformation. But it's not clear if changing that essence — how it rewards interactions and values popularity — would even work. Though Dorsey was scant on details, what is certain is that the move will require huge investments for a company that doesn't have the same resources that Google and Facebook have to throw at the problem. Any change is likely to affect how users... Read More, Comment

NEW YORK (AP) -- From the time Ricky Yean first heard about "Crazy Rich Asians," he's been excited to see the movie — and not because he likes romantic comedies (although, for the record, he does.) For the Taiwanese-American who moved to the U.S. when he was 11, here was something he hasn't seen — a movie from a major Hollywood studio, with a cast of Asian-American and Asian actors. So when it comes out Wednesday, "I definitely will go and line up," the San Francisco resident said, and "make sure I go see it... Read More, Comment

UNIVERSAL CITY, Calif. -- The NBCUniversal Short Film Festival has named 15 original short films, pilots and webisodes as semi-finalists for its 13th annual festival that celebrates diverse stories while finding the next generation of storytellers. Chosen from more than 3,400 submissions, the semi-finalists feature stories about people of ethnically diverse backgrounds, the LGBTQ community and women. The award-winning shorts have been featured at top festivals including the Edinburgh International Film Festival, Santa... Read More, Comment

"Juliet, Naked " is a charming and smart little film about early middle age, second chances, regrets and the intoxicating freedom of written correspondence that's nearly impossible to explain without either spoiling something or being willfully misleading. That's actually one of its attributes: Everything only makes sense in context of everything else. "Juliet, Naked" has a plot that not only builds but that keeps getting more interesting and more rewarding, which is a good thing because to... Read More, Comment

NEW YORK (AP) -- There’s nothing like a late charge from Tiger Woods to juice the ratings of a major golf tournament. CBS reached 8.5 million viewers Sunday for final-round competition at the PGA Championship from St. Louis, a whopping 73 percent increase from the 4.9 million people who watched the same tournament’s conclusion in 2017, the Nielsen company said. Woods was the difference. The old hero was playing his best golf in years, leading to a second-place finish against champion Brooks Koepka. Koepka may... Read More, Comment

NEW YORK (AP) -- Adding to Hollywood's sizzling summer, the shark thriller "The Meg" opened well above expectations with an estimated $44.5 million in ticket sales, while Spike Lee had his best debut in a decade. "The Meg" had been forecast by some analysts for closer to half that total. An American-Chinese co-production between Warner Bros. and China's Gravity Pictures, it also debuted well overseas, taking in $50.3 million in China and totaling $96.8 million internationally, according to studio estimates... Read More, Comment

NFL’s Thursday Night Football is a great excuse to get together with friends and start the weekend of football early. Unless, of course, you’re Elliott, a conservationist incurably devoted to preserving the lineage of the rare and majestic cockeyed waladoo. While Elliott watches the waladoo from a perch above a frozen forest, his colleagues are cozied up at the local pub watching all the Thursday Night Football action. This spot titled “Waladoo” and the fictitious bird named waladoo were made... Read More, Comment

Chris Wright, an accomplished TV visual effects supervisor, makes his directorial debut with the romantic musical dance film The Way It Begins , which screens this week at the 2018 HollyShorts Film Festival in Hollywood. The romantic La La Land -esque 10-minute dance film echoes the golden age of musicals while packing an emotional punch as two strangers--portrayed by Robert Roldan ( So You Think You Can Dance, La La Land ) and Jessica Lee Keller ( Adjustment Bureau, Now You See Me 2 )--... Read More, Comment

Brandon Maxwell & Jessy Price, a duo which earned inclusion into SHOOT ’s 2017 New Directors Showcase, helmed this video for apparel maker/designer Brandon Maxwell which captures Maxwell’s fashion lineage by introducing us to his maternal grandmother Louise Johnson, affectionately known as “Mammaw.” The 81-year-old matriarch is directed in campaign stills and video by Maxwell & Price for Brandon Maxwell’s Fall/Winter 2018 campaign. The video, a combination of archival imagery and recent... Read More, Comment

Sling TV’s first “We Are Slingers” campaign, which launched in March 2018, brought awareness to the term “Slinger” and the joy of cutting the cord on traditional cable, while still enjoying the live TV you love. Now with a focus on the revolutionary “Slinger” lifestyle, Sling is bringing in Dr. Ruth Westheimer, aka Dr. Ruth, as a highly-experienced relationship expert to show couples to how to get the most out of “Slinging” and remind them that “couples who Sling together, stay together.” In... Read More, Comment

In this video promoting Delta Air Lines service in Seattle, a real-life mom living in Detroit prods her daughter, a Seattle resident, to come visit her. The means toward that end was devised by Wieden+Kennedy New York--a group of mom look-alikes who pop in as customers of the coffee shop where the daughter works as a barista. One of the mom look-alikes comes up to the counter--with a line of other look-alikes behind her--and hands the daughter Delta tickets to Detroit along with a phone on... Read More, Comment

Electrify America, a company investing in electric vehicle charging infrastructure and promoting the adoption of Zero Emission Vehicles (ZEVs), launches its first-ever national advertising campaign leading into the fall television season. A major component of that campaign is this spot titled “JetStones” which aims to broaden consumer awareness of the advantages and availability of electric vehicles, plus a growing network of EV fast chargers in metropolitan areas, along highways, and in... Read More, Comment

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