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Reel Chicago is a daily digital magazine that covers the news in Chicago on all aspects of advertising, film, TV, media and production. The content is original, written by industry experts and contributing Op Eds
PrivilegedAccess.tv’s web-news coverage of the recent 2008 All Candy Expo at McCormick Place was so successful that pleased exhibitors gifted producer Kathy Rivera and crew with 150 lbs. of candy.
Rivera and her partners had created PrivilegedAccess.tv (PA.tv)as a web-based marketing and sales tool for trade show exhibitors and managers.
Talking Pictures Festival founding directors Ines Sommer and Kathy Berger of Percolator Films are documentarians themselves. Their Beneath the Blindfold, about local and international torture survivors, premiered in January at the Gene Siskel Film Center. “Yet it felt a bit unconventional to open our film fest with a documentary this year,” Sommer says.
THEY’RE BAAAACK! Director Michael Bay’s “Transformers 4” starts filming Friday in familiar territory, near where 2010 “Transformers: Dark of the Moon” was shot. McCormick Place will be the site of Friday’s filming and parts of King Drive will be the background for an action scene.
In her first appearance since her Chicago-based show ended in May, Oprah told an SRO crowd at the National Cable & Telecommunications conclave at McCormick Place, Oprah said that the 300 Harpo staffers remaining at the Chicago studio will continue to produce content for her OWN cable network.
Interviewed Thursday morning by Paula Zahn, the host of Discovery Investigation network, Oprah said staff producers will work on “feverishly repackaging” the 4,078 shows in her syndicated library, to air this fall on OWN.
FORGET IMPORTANT SPEAKERS and breakthrough cable technology at The Cable Show Wednesday at McCormick Place. The exhibition floor, filled with about 500 booths, was jammed with a line around the block to meet Paris Hilton, who needs no introduction to tabloid readers. How interesting it would’ve been to hear what she had to say about working in cable — on that one show long ago gratefully long forgotten.
The first 3D technology to run at any Chicago trade show plays at the Chicagoland and Northwest Indiana Chevrolet Dealers Association exhibit at the Chicago Auto Show, now through Feb. 21 at McCormick Place.
A 46-inch JVC GD-463D10 3D LCD HDTV displays a 5-minute loop of 2D spots combined with special 3D content of Blackhawk stars playing hockey against Chevy cars and trucks.
The spots and the video were created by Burback Brothers Animation Group for the Chevy Dealers agency, Mike DeMaio’s Media Nexus.
0 Following the Cubs move to cancel the 2021 Cubs Convention, the Chicago White Sox have now canceled SoxFest 2021 due to the uncertainty over the COVID-19 pandemic. The 28th edition was scheduled for Jan. 22-23 at McCormick Place. “Each season, the entire organization looks forward to bringing our team and fans together at our … Continue reading “White Sox cancel 2021 SoxFest due to COVID”
1+ The mayor was not alone in her decision as New York City, Boston, Dallas, Dublin and other cities dropped their festivities for the holiday. According to the Chicago Tribune, Mayor Lightfoot made her decision after days of speculation. Also included in the decision were the South Side’s Irish Parade and even the smaller Northwestern … Continue reading “COVID-19 claims Chicago & NY St. Patty’s Day parades”
2+ Those who know me best might be surprised to learn that I’ve never attended a comic con, nor have I ever truly attempted cosplay. Conceptual modeling? Yes. Cosplay? Not so much. Last Halloween, I was excited to take on the challenge of creating my favorite Mortal Kombat character of all time (Kitana), while simultaneously … Continue reading “From cosplay to comics, C2E2 comes to Chicago”
2+ The 26th Annual Black Women’s Expo is hosting their two-day leadership and professional development conference in conjunction with the 26th annual Black Women’s Expo NEXT. To again be held at McCormick Place, the expo referred to as the largest multi-city exposition in the country for African American women. The expo had an impressive turnout … Continue reading “26th Annual Black Women’s Expo”
4+ In a joint FaceBook Live announcement on Friday, January 24, Merry Green of MGPG Events and Chelsea Whittington of C WHITT PR shared that the boutique communications firm based in Gary, Indiana has been selected to deliver promotional services for the 2020 Black Women’s Expo. Now in its 26th year, the BWE is the … Continue reading “C WHITT named official PR firm for Black Women’s Expo”
6+ Annual Film and Music Forum will honor Carl Seaton and Claire Simon for “giving back to the community” Chicago Television Director Carl Seaton and Simon Casting President Claire Simon will be honored as a Game Changers at the Global Mixx Music and Film Forum next weekend. Bestowed upon individuals who have “impacted in some … Continue reading “Seaton, Simon are GlobalMixx ‘Game Changers’”
4+ Lucasfilm announced “Episode IX” director JJ Abrams and Producer Kathleen Kennedy will appear on a panel at Chicago convention next month. Keep your light sabers cautiously at half mast. According to ComicBookMovie.com, there will indeed be a Star Wars: Episode IX panel during the 2019 Star Wars Celebration at McCormick Place next month. The … Continue reading “Will Chicago be first city to see ‘Star Wars’ trailer?”
3+ Jedis, droids and Wookies scheduled to invade the annual Star Wars Celebration coming to McCormick Place This April, geeks will not have to go to a galaxy far, far away to get the ultimate Star Wars experience. They just need to hyperdrive to McCormick Place for the annual Star Wars Celebration 2019. LucasFilm will … Continue reading “The “Force” will be with Chicago this April”
4+ Joe Minoso, Colleen Griffen, Joe Chappelle, Dru Anne Carlson, and Josh Greiveldinger are among the short action film’s supporters On October 20th, 13-year-old Bonaparte Moutima was filmed in the starring role of The Serum, a thriller due for release later this year. The Serum is the story of a doctor who develops a … Continue reading “Chicago pros help Make-A-Wish complete ‘The Serum’”
Valuable raffle and silent auction prizes of winter weekend getaways at top hotels and tickets to major sports events will be part of the festivities at the 7th annual CAFM Holiday Hurrah Party Monday, Dec. 14 at the Bottom Lounge.
THE FIRST SPOT for Ald.
The Force is with us! It’s a triumph that the George Lucas Museum of Narrative Art elected to settle in Chicago instead of Lucas’ native San Francisco, where he founded Lucas Film in 1971, or LA for “being the capital of entertainment.”
Can Larry Wert at long last bring home the gold? Now may be the best opportunity in a long time for long-standing NBC-owned WMAQ-Channel 5 general manager Wert and his local news team to make a legitimate run at dethroning ABC-owned WLS-Channel 7, the longtime champion in the late local news ratings competition.
How so? In case you haven’t heard, we are deep into the quadrennial Summer Olympics sporting extravaganza, and millions of eyes in this country are glued to NBC each evening for marathon prime time coverage of the event.
Like the recently revealed Chicago Cultural Plan for expanding the arts, here is a film professional’s vision of how to move Chicago into the top tier of entertainment production.
Chicago needs to step up its game if it plans on competing in the film industry. But if it’s happy competing for film revenues with low-producing Pennsylvania, Ohio and Michigan, then Chicago is headed in the right direction.
