FLASHPOINT ACADEMY named former agency producer Linda Wolfe director of student placement, a new position, announced Flashpoint president/CEO Howard Tullman.
Her mission, she says, “is to build and maintain relationships with companies in the booming film and digital realms and create job opportunities for our students.”
Wolfe is a former FCB executive producer who left the agency to freelance for 10 years primarily on high-end national commercials.. She also had a 3-year stint as broadcast production head at J. Brown & Associates (now the G2 division of Grey Advertising).
Reach Wolfe at 312/332-0707.
SIGN OF THE TIMES. Like far too many ad agencies these days, regardless of size, 30-year old E. Morris has shrunk to a core staff following the loss of the Wal-Mart account earlier last spring. Nonetheless, the agency continues to work on long-time ComEd account.
THE LOTTERY’S BUSINESS has been put out for review. R.J. Dale is the incumbent for the state Lottery’s $23 million general market advertising account. Marketing director Sarah Cummins said RFIs were sent to 16 4As agencies, of which 10 replied. (See Lottery story.)
RAPPER COMMON will miss being honored as Emerging Artist at the Oct. 18 Black Perspectives “due to unexpected scheduling conflicts,” according to event sponsor, the Chicago International Film Festival
But Sidney Poitier definitely will be there to receive a Lifetime Achievement Award. His career will be celebrated with film highlights and a one-on-one conversation with Johnson Publishing CEO, Linda Johnson Rice.
COULD “CITIZEN KATE” emerge as the next Katie Couric? Fox News Chicago was so impressed with a recent “Kate” interview, they want her on the weekday morning show, reports the webisode creator Cary Lundin. “They are considering her to cover election day.”
Upcoming webisodes: “Kate” talking with Cindy McCain, John McCain, Matt Gonzalez, Green Party, two music videos and more campaign fun, “and hopefully , a groundbreaking alternative party debate,” Lundin declares.
Actress Kate Soglin portrays the peppy citizen journalist.
CALL IT THE DEPAUL SCHOOL OF BROADCASTING. DPU Continuing and Professional Education offers a certificate in commercial voiceovers “to help you put your voice on advertising,” states the pitch to former grad students.
“The course “emphasizes the business side of the industry and the performance skills necessary to work consistently in the field.” Surely that “emphasis” will include the enormous competition among union actors and decreasing opportunities afforded them. IN MEMORIAM. Adman Marion Dawson, 67, who gave the lasting iconic label of “Die Hard” to a Sears’ car battery and created Rusty Jones and the Car-X man, died at his San Francisco home after a long illness. Mr.Dawson was a principal of Dawson, Johns & Black (with the late account executive Powell Johns and art director Jim Black), one of the hot, medium-sized local agencies of the late ?80s and ?90s.
GOV. BLAGOJEVICH BOASTS” that the total estimated $21.5 million revenues from production here of “The Express,” and $3 million each from “Eagle Eye” and “The Lucky Ones,” was ? according to the press release — a result of the 20% tax incentive that “put Illinois back on the film industry map.”
The release had the testicular fortitude to quote the governor as saying: “By renewing the tax credit, we have held on to our competitive position and are helping to ensure that filmmakers will continue coming here to make their movies.”
Right. As of now, the ONLY Hollywood scouting Chicago is a secret DreamWorks project. DreamWorks is also exploring Michigan which projects $400 million 2008 revenues from film production.
Local 476 has members working in Michigan, and that’s where Fletcher Camera’s Tom Fletcher and Zoe Borys are spending a lot of their time.
