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Celozzi’s Sam Giancana doc bows Saturday at Siskel

By Ed M. Koziarski Mar 6, 2012

“To me he was an uncle,” Nicholas Celozzi says about Sam Giancana -— his great uncle, actually. “He was a generous man, took care of all his family and a had great...

New directors infuse Radar with international flavor

By Ruth L Ratny Mar 4, 2012

For most of its 12 years in business, Radar integrated production studio’s busy, sole director was co-founder Don Hoeg. Several years ago he was joined by staff dir...

Top TV pros speak at TV Academy Career Day 3/10

By Mike Morgan Mar 3, 2012

TV ACADEMY’S CAREER DAY, Saturday, March 10 will update visual media professionals, TV Academy members and college students on the latest changes in the television industry, s...

Brand alert! Facebook Fanpage to use Timeline format

By Jacob Young Mar 2, 2012

Starting March 30, 2012 all Facebook Fan Pages will be switching over to the Timeline format for personal pages. Is your brand ready? Here are some ways that brands can pr...

Curtain Calls

Tokyo’s Second City to train performers for theatre

By Kerry Reid Mar 1, 2012

SECOND CITY ANNOUNCED their first theater opening outside North America. As first reported February 15 by Chris Jones in the Chicago Tribune, the comedy behemoth is joining with...

Lewis Lazare

Ch.2 ratings right behind Ch.7’s dropping numbers

By Lewis Lazare Mar 1, 2012

According to Nielsen’s February sweeps book, local late news ratings competition is tighter than it was a year ago. Though still No. 1, longtime frontrunner ABC-owned WLS...

Whitehouse’s Matt Walsh to Cutters as partner/editor

By Ruth L Ratny Mar 1, 2012

In an a seismic personnel move, The Whitehouse’s A-list editor Matt Walsh, joins Cutters March 1 as a partner/editor. He becomes Cutters Chicago’s tenth editor and the...

Lewis Lazare

Taco Bell’s massive brand revamp is tamer than before

By Lewis Lazare Mar 1, 2012

Looks as if JCP isn’t the only national brand undertaking a major marketing revamp. We can add Taco Bell to the list. Taco Bell’s new TV campaign, just launched, is ti...

Daniel J. Travanti stars in feature development short

By Ed M. Koziarski Feb 29, 2012

An old man that he saw reading The Odyssey in a café set the ball rolling for Richard Cohen. “It was, for me, a striking image,” Cohen says. “The rest just ca...

Talking Pictures Festival place for many local films

By Ed M. Koziarski Feb 29, 2012

Talking Pictures Festival founding directors Ines Sommer and Kathy Berger of Percolator Films are documentarians themselves. Their Beneath the Blindfold, about local and interna...

Lewis Lazare

Doubtful JCP’s new approach connects with audience

By Lewis Lazare Feb 28, 2012

So all you advertising-savvy readers. We’re now taking bets. How long do you think J.C. Penney — oh excuse us, JCP — will stick with this absurdity that is th...

Bridges Media starts new digital video content firm

By Ruth L Ratny Feb 28, 2012

The Cavalry is ready to charge into action as Bridges Media’s entry into interactive video for the web, live events at venues incorporating multiscreen displays, touch screen ...

Windy City West party guest list filling up fast

By Ruth L Ratny Feb 27, 2012

THE GUEST LIST for the 25th Windy West Party in L.A., bringing together Chicagoans in the Hollywood industry and Chicagoans flying in for the occasion, is growing longer as we s...

Indie Focus

Digital media grants available to indie producers

By Mike Morgan Feb 27, 2012

Content aimed at advancing social change has a good chance of winning a Chicago Digital Media Production Fund that’s open to indie video and filmmakers in the Chicago area.&nb...

‘The Interrupters’ wins Best Doc at Spirit Awards

By Ruth L Ratny Feb 26, 2012

The elation producers Steve James and Alex Kotlowitz felt when their Kartemquin Films’ “The Interrupters” won the Spirit Awards Saturday for Best Documentary was surely mi...

Curtain Calls

All the world’s a stage – with Chicago connections

By Kerry Reid Feb 24, 2012

ALL THE WORLD’S A STAGE, but Chicago’s global theater connections continue to grow. March 27 marks the 50th celebration of World Theatre Day, and John Malkovich (an early St...

TeamWorks’ Globetrotter doc bows on ESPN 2/26

By Ed M. Koziarski Feb 24, 2012

Harlem Globetrotters owner Mannie Jackson is on a mission: to raise the historic profile of Reece “Goose” Tatum, a star for the team in the 40s and 50s and a trailblazing sp...

Lewis Lazare

NBC’s “Smash” ratings decline in Chicago. Again.

By Lewis Lazare Feb 24, 2012

We said we’d keep you updated on the ratings story for the heavily-hyped NBC prime time series “Smash.” And we are. “Smash” is the show — executive produc...

Lewis Lazare

New Upshot Post Cereal spot sure to brighten the day

By Lewis Lazare Feb 23, 2012

Upshot/Chicago has joined the ranks of agencies making television commercials to sell cereal. In late 2011, Post Cereals brought on board Upshot as agency of record for two...

Indie Focus

Party launches Evanston’s Talking Pictures Fest

By Ed M. Koziarski Feb 23, 2012

A PRE-FEST PARTY Feb. 23 launches Percolator Films’ 4th annual Talking Pictures Festival from 7-10 p.m. at the Hilton Orrington Hotel’s Indigo Lounge, 1710 Orrington Avenue ...

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