Adman/screenwriter Colin Costello heads for L.A.

Colin Costello

ADMAN AND SCREENWRITER COLIN COSTELLO is starting the New Year in a big way.  His new home base as of Jan. 8 will be Los Angeles, where he will continue to build on his successes as a comedy screenwriter over the past 10 years and use his advertising copywriting skills freelancing for an L.A. agency.

“I know there were false alarms about moving before, but this time I know it’s the right move for me.   I was told earlier this year that I used to take risks and I didn’t anymore. Well here we go. I’m taking the mother of all risks for 2013.”

Costello, an advertising copywriter for more than 20 years, has been freelancing since leaving Burrell Communications as a VP/group CD position in 2006.  Earlier, he had held CD and VP/group CD position at FCB and DDB and has been freelancing as a copywriter on a variety of accounts for top agencies. 

At the same time, he’s been busily writing feature comedy and horror scripts of which one, “The Stream,” for Dreaming Tree Films, will be released this fall and a romantic comedy for local Hesperidian Films will be shot this fall; two scripts are development and another is in the works. 

Friends will gather Friday night at the Radisson Blu Aqua at 7 p.m. to lift a glass to wish Costello well in the next promising chapter of his always interesting and productive career.

WHILE THE CHICAGO SCREENWRITERS GROUP loses Colin Costello as president it gains a welcome new private room venue for its monthly Sunday night meetings. Christina Wollerman steps up from vice president to president and The Fifty/50 restaurant at 2047 N. Damen replaces the Pork Chop in the West Loop. 

The upcoming Jan. 6 meeting is a table read of the first five pages of members’ scripts and L.A. screenplay consultant Bari Evins returns Feb. 10 with a can’t miss session on writing and analyzing query letters and loglines.

FLETCHER CAMERAS’ optics technician Al Collins on Thursday, Jan. 4 explores and evaluates Fletcher’s whole new crop of professional PL mount lenses: Cooke S5/i Primes, Cooke Panchro (Mini S4s) Primes, Leica Summilux C Primes, Arri Alura Lightweight and Studio Lenses, Canon Lightweight and Studio Lenses, Fujinon Premier Zooms and Zeiss Master Primes.

At Fletcher Camera, 1000 N. North Branch, 1:30-3:30 p.m., $75. Space is limited so RSVP to 312/927-2700. 

WHO’S NEW. Ogilvy & Mather’s Social@Ogilvy, the largest social media marketing communications network in the world, recently hired two senior social media experts to lead the business: Lori Dicker as VP/Group Director and Liz Taylor as SVP/ECD. 

Dicker has more than 10 years social media experience, mostly in L.A. where she held top level positions with Moxie/Zenith Optmedia and earlier with entertainment companies, including the Walt Disney Company.

Taylor previously held several senior-level creative leadership roles at Tribal DDB and Element 79.  

Two by Four added four hew creatives: copywriters Alexandra DiBucci, formerly freelance and Bryce Isaacson, from Hearst Magazines in New York, and former freelance art directors Andrew Merritt and Aaron Sanfillippo.  

CHICAGO’S BEST LAWYERS OF THE YEAR 2013, a listing of 70 top practitioners in as many categories, included three intellectual property experts: Jeffrey Brown, partner in Michael Best & Friedrich LLC for advertising law; Linda Mensch, Bryan Cave LLC, for Entertainment Law/Film & TV; and Peter J. Strand, Leavens, Strand, Glover & Adler for Entertainment Law/Music.  

CAF’S CHOICE OF JOHN MUSYNSKI, who comes from the media side, as the recipient of the 2012 Silver Media Award is a change of pace of previous years’ agency management and executive creatives honorees.  

Muszynski, chief investment officer of Publicis’ SGM Exchange (SMGX), is a 32-year media veteran of Leo Burnett and Publicis, who had been charged with building Publicis’ new SGMX when it was formed in 2009.  SMGX manages the estimated $22 billion worth of media buys for the combined operations of Chicago-based Starcom and New York-based MediaVest.

Muszynski said At the time SMGX was formed, Muszynski said, “This is an enormous opportunity that goes far beyond the aggregation of dollars.  This is a redefinition of what scale is … a push on innovation and a harnessing of all the data and intelligence that exists today.”

The Silver Media Awards starts with a 5:30 p.m. reception and 6:30 p.m. dinner at the Swissotel.  Tickets for CAF members are $150, non-members, $170.  For tickets, register here. 

Start your New Year’s resolution to send news of your activities to ReelChicago today.  Ruth@reelchicago.com is the address.