A MAJOR AGENCY CHANGE is at hand as Bob Winter will join Y&R as chief creative officer of the Chicago office, starting in December. He moves over from Leo Burnett where he was SVP/ECD for more than three years on Altoids, Kellogg’s, Greenpeace and Caesars Palace.
Winter succeeds Ken Erke whose departure shocked Michigan Avenue when he joined digital agency R/GA a few months ago as executive creative director. Erke joined Y&R in2000 from Cramer/Krasselt.
In his new role, Winter, whose shelves groan with Cannes Lions, Clios, One Shows and many other awards, will be responsible for overseeing the agency’s creative directors and all client work, including a whole line of Sears brands, Hotels.com and Giant Eagle.
Prior to Burnett, Winter was creative director at Goodby, Silverstein in San Francisco, where he created Budweiser’s “Real Men of Genius” campaign.
Kary McIlwain is Y&R Chicago president and North American managing partner.
Sidebar: Nick Traxler who left Leo Burnett to join the Martin Agency in Richmond, Virgina, is now working for Y&R, New York.
AS SCOOPED IN THE REEL back in early August, best selling “The Devil in the White City” novel by Erik Larson was in the process of becoming a movie, that casting was already taking place in New York and it would be shot in Chicago in 2011.
Now it’s official: Leonardo DiCaprio will star in “White City” as the first known serial killer, the evil Dr. H. H. Holmes, who killed a slew of women during Chicago’s 1893 Columbian World’s Fair.
The movie will be produced by Chicago native Michael Shamberg, who’s currently in town with star-laden “Contagion.”
Shamberg said it will take about nine months before the script ? to be written by an Academy Award winning screenwriter — and casting are completed. So it looks it’ll be 2012 before the fabled White City” will rise again in Chicago.
In August we reported since the book was published in 2003, book rights had been bought and expired and bought again and nothing happened. DiCaprio, who had his eye on the story for a long time, waited patiently until the book rights were again available and snapped them up.
CAN’T MAKE IT to the 2010 Emmy Awards Saturday night? Not to worry. Know that the awards ceremony will be streamed live on the websites of WGN, WBBM, WLS and WMAQ, thanks to WGN for providing the live truck.
ON THE TV SCENE. Fox TV’s “Ride Along” cop drama has assumed a new name ? “The Chicago Code. Producer/show creator Shawn Ryan says the new title “reflects our belief that this is more than just a cop show. It’s about ? politics, the Midwest, history, government, corruption and the city’s code” — or simply, “The Chicago Way,” as Tribune columnist John Kass calls it.
“The Chicago Code’s” first episode airs immediately following the 45th Super Bowl game Feb. 6 ? how cool is that for picking up an audience? Shooting concludes here in mid-December.
Meanwhile, we’re told the producers are tweaking the storyline to heighten the drama.
ABC HAS PICKED UP another five episodes of the Detroit homicide cop show, “Detroit 1-8-7,” thus extending the series to Dec. 17. After a short hiatus, the show returns on Jan. 3 and another nine episodes are pending. All good news for Fletcher Chicago which is supplying cameras for the series.
Seasoned UPM Roger Anderson will handle the Nov. 10-15 second unit exterior shots for “Shameless,” the upcoming Showtime series set in Chicago, starring William Macy as the boozy widowed father of six. Anderson is an experienced hand at this, having produced 15 years of “ER’s” quarterly filming here.
CHANGING TIMES: Producer Jeff Tudor on Nov. 8 joins Big Shoulders as staff producer. He’s been with Resolution Digital Studios practically since it started in early 2005, where he produced “The Moleman of Belmont Avenue,” and many webcasts and broadcasts.
“I’m excited to be working downtown again,” he tells the Reel. Previously Tudor worked at Broadview Media on Ohio Street for three years and prior to that he was with CNN in the Tribune Tower.
HOLIDAY PARTY NOTICES start with the Chicago Latino Network’s 10th annual Toy Drive at Tantrik, 800 W. Superior, starting at 5:30 p.m. Brings toys ? or $30.
SPECIAL GUEST at the Nov. 17 Filmmaker Meetup at Chicago Filmmakers will be Julian Grant, writer/director of “The Defiled,” a new horror film that premiered at CIFF. Grant has produced and directed more than 25 features.
BECAUSE BARRI EVANS’ BIG IDEAS’ screenwriting seminar Nov. 12-14 will be an immersion weekend, i.e., long, intense hours, it’ll be held in a private Edgewater home for a small group of 10. L.A.-based Evans, an NU grad, approaches her material from a producer’s level ? “to help writers discover the right idea for them to write. I’m interested in catapulting careers quickly and I love to work with new writers,” she tells the Reel.
Before forming her own company, Evans worked her way up through the executive ranks starting as a development executive. One of her first projects was “Assassins,” the Wachowski brothers’ first screenplay.
Ultimately, she supervised and packaged numerous major movie studios and cable networks. She’s currently in development of a character-driven dramatic thriller starring Tobey Maguire, who will both star and co-produce.
For more information about the seminar and to register, see SIGNUP@bigbigideas.com.
