KUDOS TO CUTTERS for winning three top 2012 AICE awards at the ceremony held Thursday in Marina Del Ray Ritz Carlton. Editor Chris Hafner scored Best of Chicago and Best Automotive for Fiat 500 “Karl Abarth,” and John Binder of Another Country aced Best Sound Design for Allstate. Optimus Design won for Best Design for Craftsman.
There were 31 Best winners, out of 95 best-of-the-best editorial finalists from throughout the country.
Chicago finalists were Beast’s John Dingfield, Best of Chicago and comedy; The Whitehouse’s Matthew Wood, Best of Chicago and dialog, Carlos Lowenstein, Best of Chicago, Grant Gustafson, The Whitehouse (now with Cutters), PSA; Utopic’s Jan Maitland, Best of Chicago and Cutters’ Nadav Kurtz, regional campaign.
BEAST’S FIRST PROMOTION since the Chicago branch opened in May, 2009 is Morgan Bradley’s ascent to editor from having been Angelo Valencia’s assistant for four years. Bradley is now Beast’s fourth editor, alongside Valencia, John Dingfield and Sean Berringer.
“Morgan is incredibly talented and possesses the magic combination to be an editor; she’s creative, technically organized, has an amazing personality and her clients adore her,” says Beast executive producer Melissa Thornley.
Bradley is currently editing spots for the Illinois Lottery, Bayer products and Blackberry.
CELEBRATING ITS 12TH YEAR OF SERVICE, Free Spirit Media, founded by Jeff McCarter, a long time filmmaker, who worked in television and on features, holds its annual Focus Party fundraiser, Thursday, May 17. The non-profit hopes to raise $80,000 to help provide media education for some 500 Chicago youth, supported by 20 paid instructors.
Tickets include hors d’oeuvres, open bar, a raffle and music by DJ Juicy Jelie; at Room 1520, 301 N. Justine.
SCRIPT GURU PILAR ALESSANDRA, director of L.A. writing program “On the Page,” returns to Chicago with her popular “Coffee Break Rewrite” class May 16 at the Sutton Place Hotel, 7:30-10:30 p.m. The class is designed to help screenwriters take their project through six different rewrite passes in three hours.
Host is Linda Frothingham’s ChicagoHollywood.com, which presents events where pros share their filmmaking and screenwriting expertise. Frothingham says to mention ChicagoHollywood.com when registering and receive a free copy of Alessandra’s book, “The Coffee Break Screenwriter.”
A LOVING TRIBUTE FROM THE STUDENTS of Tribeca Flashpoint is shared by instructor Amy Rising. “One of my students, Evan Graveel, started classes this fall battling cancer,” she writes.
“He had to stop classes and return to the hospital in November, right before the production of his first film, titled ‘Mind over Matter.’ He passed in February of this year. His classmates (the 15 or so that made up his production class) decided to produce the script that he wrote to honor his memory and give it as a gift to his family.
“’Mind over Matter’ has been quite an experience for the students and I am extremely proud of them for investing so much of themselves into this project,” Rising says.
The students have started an Indiegogo Campaign and have raised nearly $4,000 towards their $5,000 goal.
KELSEY GRAMMER took time off from being “Boss” to narrate a military documentary that fittingly premieres on Memorial Day at the Directors Guild theatre complex in L.A. The doc, “Until They are Home,” chronicles the search for the remains of missing World War II Marines killed in the horrific battle of the island of Tarawa in November, 1943.
EMPLOYERS, JOB SEEKERS AND OTHERS: THE REEL’s Classifieds section is open for business, delivering the wide, targeted audience you want for your ads. (Goes for display ads, too.) The revised section makes it easier to post and reply to employment opportunities and services listings.
What’s new? Send details for all to see to Ruth@reelchicago.com.
