John C. Reilly and Seann William Scott in “The Promotion”

The filmmakers behind the locally-shot workplace comedy, “The Promotion,” are hoping that the film’s Sept. 2 DVD release will reach an audience that failed to turn out to the June-July theatrical run.

“The Promotion” is the feature directorial debut of Steve Conrad, who wrote “The Weather Man,” “The Pursuit of Happyness,” and “Wrestling Ernest Hemingway.”   More >

Big Teeth partners Greg and Elise Jaffee

An international campaign for local Navteq, which powers Google Maps and supplies technology to many popular GPS production, has pushed three-year-old Big Teeth Productions into the high-end video marketplace.

The Big Teeth campaign, a series of videos for the Navteq website and retailer training, is the company’s first consumer-targeted spots after a history of B-to-B-centered marketing.   More >

“I.O.U.S.A.” producer Christine O’Malley and director Patrick Creadon

Director Patrick Creadon and producer Christine O’Malley present their sobering exposé on the U.S. national debt, “I.O.U.S.A.” in an unprecedented HD satellite broadcast to 350-plus theatres nationwide Aug. 21, including 21 Chicago-area screens, followed by a broadcast of a post-screening discussion.

“To my knowledge this event is the first time this sort of thing was tried with a traditional documentary film,” Creadon said.   More >

Zacuto partner and videographer Jens Boghegn

Zacuto USA has opened a full service showroom to display and demonstrate Panasonic and Sony cameras outfitted with Zacuto accessories as part of its expanded River North space.

With the addition of the first floor, 1,500-sq. ft. showroom, Zacuto camera sales and rentals now occupies 9,000-sq. ft. of space on two floors, connected by an interior spiral stairway.   More >

Nick Celozzi

After nearly 20 years living and working in Los Angeles, actor/filmmaker Nick Celozzi moved back to the Chicago area last week, citing Chicago as a better place to live and raise a family.

The Celozzis have settled into a house in Palatine and the filmmaker will commute to the Coast as needed to attend to business there.   More >

SCC partner and ECD Tim Condon

Romani Bros., a small but mighty ad agency run by partners Bernie Pitzel and Denny Hebson since 2003, was acquired by Schafer Condon Carter, a privately held, independent mid-sized local agency.

Pitzel and Hebson become creative directors, along with SCC’s CDs Suzanne Martineau and Ron Sone. Romani art director Christen Young also moved to SCC.   More >

Filmmaker D.P. Carlson, premiering a movie started in 2001

A lot has happened to filmmaker D.P. Carlson since he started shooting his pseudo-doc, “Johnny Dodgeball,” with a bunch of junior high school boys back in 2001.

He produced a series of sports shows, made a trio of highly acclaimed feature-length documentaries and became the father of two sons with wife Jessica.   More >

Common

SINCE MICHAEL KUTZA began the Chicago International Film Festival as the first competitive film festival in North America in 1964, the local festival scene has steadily grown in size of submissions and attendance to emphasize the importance of these annual events.

Now dozens of festivals span the calendar, catering to a spectrum of audiences, ethnicities and interest groups, even as some local events like Indiefest have closed.   More >

August 29 - PEACE ON EARTH FILM FESTIVAL (POEFF), presented by a non-denominational conscious awareness group, non-profit New Thought Chicago headed by Nick Angotti, is the first annual festival dedicated to peace and non-violence.

At Victory Gardens Biograph Theatre, 2433 N. Lincoln. Phone 773/276-0232; see www.peaceonearthfilimfestival.org.   More >