| Reel Chicago – At the intersection of Chicago Advertising, Entertainment, Media and Production
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
A Ford spot produced by Liz Laine Reps’ client, designer / animator J.J. Sedelmaier Productions in partnership with Bill Plympton, aka “The King of Indie Animation,” was nominated for “Best Animated Television Commercial” by the Annie Awards.
CHRIS BOOTHE, CEO OF MEDIAVEST|SPARK is the 2016 recipient of the Chicago Advertising Federation’s (CAF) Silver Medal Award, which recognizes a distinguished member of the Chicago advertising community for their career contributions and accomplishments.
He will be feted at the Jan. 17 CAF dinner in his honor at the Radisson Blu hotel.
DDB Chicago’s award-winning Diane Jackson was elevated to the newly-created and wider-ranging position of Chief Production Officer, from EVP/Director of Integrated Production.
She has headed an award-winning production team since rejoining the agency in 2007 and will continue to report to DDB CCO John Maxham.
Roy Skillicorn, who built a big, Chicago-based bicoastal production company, has been hired by Digital Kitchen to launch and lead its new DK Studios, aimed at fulfilling the myriad content needs of the ever-evolving advertising industry.
BUSY PRODUCTION IN WEEKS AHEAD on the streets of Chicago. On the feature side: “Batman vs. Superman” moves after months in the Motor City to the Windy City and opens an office at Cinespace next week. Shooting starts Nov. 3-14. Scheduled locations include the farm house in Plainfield, the subway and the “Daily Planet” atrium at Willis Tower.
WOMEN IN FILM HONOREES for the 2013 Focus Awards coming up Wednesday, Oct. 16 are director of photography and Michigan native Lisa Wiegand, working here on “Chicago Fire,” a veteran DP of numerous TV series and one of the very few female DPs of TV series;
Sandro, the esteemed still photographer who turned his talents to directing commercials last year, has joined Seed Media Arts, the hybrid production-ideation-consulting company of Chicago’s veteran sales rep and executive producer Roy Skillicorn
New York editor Michael Coletta exchanges the Mad Ave scene for Michigan Ave – more accurately East Illinois St. — when he returns home Aug. 16 after a nine-year absence.
He joins Red Car from Nomad Editing, bringing with him that New York panache from having worked with bi-coastal A-list spot directors for the biggest agencies and the most famous brands.
Red Car managing director Craig Duncan characterizes Coletta as “a natural storyteller with impeccable comedic timing.
THE AUDIENCE AWARD for the best documentary went to Fulton Market Films’ “Being Bucky,” at the recent Wisconsin Film Festival in Madison, one of only films so honored out of the festival’s 199 entries.
Award-winning Scott Smith, who grew up in Madison, directed the 80-minute doc about the seven students who play “Bucky Badger,” the University of Wisconsin/Madison mascot during the 2007-2008 school year.
If it feels to you like the spot business has picked up over last year, you’re absolutely right.
The Chicago Film Office, which keeps track of these things, reports a whopping 70% increase in the number of commercials shot here to date (as of Aug. 13).
CFO noted 61 commercial projects have filmed in the city, representing 104 shooting days to date. Compare that to last year’s 42 projects and 74 shooting days.
Among recent commercials produced:
Artisan of L.A.
0 The Bigger Picture has emerged from the complexities of 2020 to lean in to enhanced storytelling with the addition of two new directors Humbi Entress and Martines. Both bring a global perspective and award-winning, original style and voice to their collaborations via the LA-based company, which also features Directors Caswell Coggins, Jones, Amir Mokri … Continue reading “Bigger Picture adds directors Humbi Entress & Martines”
0 Chiara Chung will rep Union Editorial as well as its sister finishing and VFX company, Hunter. The companies are handled by Melissa Ross of Melissa Represents on the West Coast, and the team of Katrin Aul and Katie Goldstein on the East Coast. Keith Quinn is Union’s Director of Development. “We’ve taken a long … Continue reading “Union Editorial chooses Chiara Chung as midwest rep”
2+ Daring to break the traditional agency mold, Highdive is producing exciting work that pushes the envelope in new ways. Most recently, the Ad Age Small Agency of the Year partnered with Jeep to create a Super Bowl spot celebrating the 90’s classic Groundhog Day, starring Bill Murray. The commercial resonated with audiences as it … Continue reading “Diving into Highdive and their Emmy nomination”
3+ Watch host Marcus Kronforst eat a salad made of greens picked from an alley in Chicago at wttw.com/urbannature If you know where to look, you’ll find the most surprising slices of nature thriving amidst the urban jungle of America’s largest cities. In season 2 of WTTW’s digital series Urban Nature, University of Chicago evolutionary … Continue reading “WTTW premieres season two of ‘Urban Nature’ March 20”
4+ Chicago-based equipment rental house to award winning filmmaker with nearly $10K in cash, gear, and goodies Camera Ambassador is offering creators a chance to win nearly $10k worth of funding, gear, and other goodies by way of a Builders Grant designed “to recognize accomplished individuals, as well as provide opportunities for young and emerging … Continue reading “Camera Ambassador announces Builders Grant”
ENERGY BBDO’S NEW SPOT in its wildly successful Wrigley gum’s “Give Extra, get Extra” campaign, is “The Story of Sarah and Juan,” a 2-minute video currently playing on You
While working on an instructional video project for non-profit Illinois Heart Rescue, Pink Hippo Productions and Cates Collaborative decided that bucket drummers, funky rhythms and hip hop lyrics were essential components to educational messages about treating heart attack victims.
CHICAGO’S COMMERCIAL PRODUCTION continues to hum along, either with a crush of work crammed into several weeks, or stretches of head-scratching as to where the business went. The last three weeks were fairly typical of the former, when mostly out-of-town companies descended upon the city to shoot spots for their prestigious clients.
NBC’S CHICAGO-SET “SHAMELESS” will have two units filming around the city for a full five days starting next Monday, Aug. 25, for the sixth season of the comedy series about the twisted Gallagher family, headed by single father Frank (William C. Macy).
DON’T EXPECT THE DGA to fill the executive director’s position in the Chicago office anytime soon – if at all. The LA-based DGA has told ReelChicago that “no hiring decisions have been made” to fill the vacancy left two months ago when Dan Moore retired after 28 years.
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