SHERRY LANSING departs Paramount Pictures after 12 years in 2005 as a dual result of a management shakeup and the fact the last six pictures made under her tutelage were box office disappointments. Paramount has not been a significant source of Chicago location shooting. In the past decade, it produced four pictures: “The Weatherman,” 2004, “Save the Last Dance,” 2000, “The Relic,” 1995 and “Losing Isiah” in 1994.
Charges of racial harassment that allegedly occurred by Local 476 workers during “Weatherman” have yet to be resolved as the union continues to fight Paramount to clear the charges and the case is in the hands of the EEOC. Lansing is married to another Chicago native, Oscar winning director William Friedkin.
ERICH FUNKE is headed back to Southern California after less than a year as BBDO’s group creative director. Funke came from TBWA/Chiat/Day in L.A. to give BBDO some new creative luster, and has returned to FCB’s Irvine ofice. BBDO creative head Marty Orzio said he’ll try out candidates on a freelance basis before making a decision.
THE WACKY OF WORLD OF ADVERTISING is being portrayed in a comic strip called “Art & Commerce” from by David T. Jones, an FCB GCD, set, not unexpectedly, in a Midwestern ad agency. He has submitted the cartoon to advertising trade publications which certainly could use some humor.
WITH THE CLOSING of editor Mickey Mitidiero’s Lake Shore Productions after a 30-year run, business development executive George Sosnowski moved across the hall at 540 N. Lake Shore to ki editorial+design, the collaboration of Anthony Izzo and Paul Kopchak. Latest project: Editing a video celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago.
WE HEAR? The only Chicago location shoot scheduled for 2005 so far is 12 days for an English pilot. The Brits will bring in all their keys.
COIL COUNTS FORD & CHENEY tapped former Leo Burnett VP/account director Karyn Chipman Rockwell as its new president.
NEW AT AV-Edit of Highland Park: a Canon XL-2 video camera, enabling AV-Edit to handle all jobs in 4:3 and 16:9 formats and 60p. 30p and 24p. AV-Edit offers clients steady cam shoots and a Avid Media Composer editing system, music beds, sound effects, 3D motion graphics.
BILL KURTIS’ “Investigating History” started its second season on A&E.
CONGRATULATIONS ? to Joanie Palatto, vocalist, producer, engineer and Bradley Sparrow Parker, self-taught, multi talented (pianist, composer, writer producer, engineer) on the 20th anniversary of their Southport Records ? to Lee Flaherty on the 40th anniversary of marketing company Flair Communications.
LEGENDARY (her own assessment of herself) Lauren Bacall will be first guest Nov. 11 in Columbia College’s new program series, “Conversation in the Arts: Up Close with ?” hosted by Sheldon Patinkin, Columbia’s theatre department chairman. At the Dance Center of Columbia College, 1306 S. Michigan. Tickets are $35; call Ticket Web, 866-468-3401.
LOOKING AHEAD: The 19th annual AICP Show Nov. 19 again held at the Historical Society; $75 for food, drinks and major mingling ? Dec. 2 is the 3rd annual ACRONYM Holiday Bash for advertising, marketing and PR industries hosted by Chicago chapters of organizations AMA, BMA, CADM, CAF, SMEI and WDMI. At Germania Place, 6:30-10 p.m., $65. Proceeds to benefit Tribune Charities.
