AN ENVIABLE PROJECT. A post job for Leo Burnett and client Philips Sonicare dental hygiene that Machete editors started in May and kept growing and growing finally ended two weeks ago.
“Philips is an international player,” notes Machete partner Luis Landgraf, “and the number of spots kept growing and they were sent back and forth to Germany, Holland and Japan.” Everybody edited, he says, meaning: Marty Bernstein, Scott Cohen, new addition Kenan Legg and Mary Roland.
NEW AT RADAR. After months of searching, Radar added Megan Mitra as post producer, moving over from a year producing post at Airsteam Audio and four years as associate producer at Ebel productions. Calling her job “too good to be true,” Mitra says “it’s cool to be involved in the whole process, production, post and special effects. There’s tons of creativity that comes out of this place,” including a lot of Burnett business right now.
$1 MILLION WAS CONTRIBUTED to the Museum of Broadcast Communications capital campaign by radio newscaster Paul Harvey and his wife, Angel — a total of $3 million Harvey contributions to MBC since 1987. The public programming venue at the new museum will be named the Angel Harvey Center The Harvey contribution comes a week after the Oprah Winfrey Foundation contributed $250,000 to help fund programming. The new MBC opens in 2006 at Kinzie and State.
A TOAST to the late Bob Enrietto, who founded Columbia College’s a Semester in L.A. and was its heart and spirit, will be given by Columbia College West Coast alumni at its Dec. 27 meeting at Goose Island Bar and Grill, 7 p.m. Email Louis Pradt, windycitysftball@cs.com.
WHO’S NEW. Jack Morton Worldwide named Chris Hiland general manager and Pat Shipps as director of production. JMW moved its offices several months ago to 640 N. LaSalle, phone 312/274-6060 ? Scott Larson, former Leo Burnett and Grant/Jacoby copywriter rejoins his old G/J boss Bernie Pitzel, at Pitzel’s Romani Bros. ad agency.
FORMER CHICAGOANS and top ex-Ch. 11 producers Jamie Ceaser and John Davies, who were at Ch. 11 back in the day of “Sneak Previews,” launched “Movie Club with John Ridley,” a new movie-review show for AMC network. A panel joins screenwriter-novelist-director Ridley each Friday night to discuss latest movie and DVD releases. Panelists include Nathan Rabin, The Onion’s locally-based film critic, Josh Kun, San Francisco Bay Guardian arts columnist, and Zorianna Kit, KTLA-TV/L.A. entertainment reporter.
AMP, the Association of Music Producers, set Feb. 28 as entry deadline for its 2005 AMP Awards for Excellence in TV Commercial Mixing. AMP, representing music producers and composers, will host an awards evening to announce the winners in April.
SECOND CITY ENTERTAINMENT and Sony Pictures Television have started working on several new television projects featuring the new generation of Second City stars. SCE and Sony in 2003 signed a 2 year development deal to discover “new voices and comedic points of view.”
THE GRAND BALLROOM of the Grand Ballroom of the Four Season Hotel will be the new venue for the April 19 presentation of the 17th Annual DePaul Theatre School Awards for Excellence in the Arts Benefit. The gala includes cocktails, dinner, awards presentation, live auction, raffle, dessert and dancing. Whew!
 |
GEORGE RICCI, Paragon Media’s chairman/CEO (right) received an award for “Printing Innovation with Xerox Imaging” I the category of “Short Run Digital Color,” presented by Xerox chairman/CEO Anne M. Mulcahy at the Graphics Show in Chicago. Paragon’s Midwest sales manager Don Conway is at left. Paragon is a leading provider of video/CD/DVD/digital print services. See www.paragongroup.com.
BIG THANKS TO COMCAST. Comcast and the City of Chicago joined forces to address both the short-term and long-term funding problems at CAN TV. Comcast’s proposal for interim funding over a three-year period was accepted by CAN TV at the Dec. 1 City Council meeting. CAN TV and the franchised cable operators were directed to work with the city to complete a plan to address CAN TV’s long term viability by Dec. 1, 2006.
Happy holidays to our readers and friends! Start the new year with a resolution to share your news with ReelChicago.com readers. (Besides our massive database, we get an awesome 800,000 hits a month!) Send releases, notes, what have you to Ruth@reelchicago.com. Photos always welcome, too.
