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Milwaukee agency Lori Lins Ltd. opens branch here

By Anne Gallagher Mar 30, 2012

Wisconsin’s biggest talent agency, Lori Lins Ltd., has opened a Chicago office in the person of founder Lins’ son, Trent Raffaelli, in the West Loop. The office will s...

Indie Focus

April 29 Ebert Fest screens Bhargava’s first feature

By Ed M. Koziarski Mar 30, 2012

14TH ANNUAL EBERT FEST Ebert Fest in Champaign April 29 will feature Prashant Bhargava’s Patang (The Kite), a family drama about a father and daughter returning to their homet...

Curtain Calls

Nonprofit MEMA motivates CPS kids’ music appreciation

By Kerry Reid Mar 30, 2012

LONGTIME MUSIC PROMOTER Jeanne Warsaw-Gazga plans to give Chicago public school students a taste of “Glee” with a retro twist. Her new nonprofit, MEMA, (Motivation Encourage...

50 movies and live music mix at April 12-15 CIMMfest

By Carey Lundin Mar 29, 2012

There’s going to be a whole lotta shakin’ goin’ on when movies about punk rockers like The Mekons, Detroit’s MC5 and The Stooges and special appearances by musicians, fi...

Lewis Lazare

Not so curiously, Burnett’s TV bank spots don’t work

By Lewis Lazare Mar 29, 2012

The passage of at least some time hasn’t made Leo Burnett/Chicago’s new campaign for Fifth Third Bank, “the curious bank,” any more palatable than it was when we fi...

Lewis Lazare

Ch. 7 still late night news leader, but a point down

By Lewis Lazare Mar 29, 2012

With one day to go in the Nielsen March TV ratings book, the results in the local late news ratings competition show ABC-owned WLS-Channel 7 continues to hold on the No. 1 ...

Diversified enters AV field here with ex-Roscor pros

By Ruth L Ratny Mar 28, 2012

With the hiring of six former key Roscor System Integration experts, Diversified Systems of New Jersey, with branches throughout the country, has made its first foray into...

Optimus ups Ciacciarelli to ECD, Bauer to design CD

By Mike Morgan Mar 27, 2012

Optimus has made two important personnel changes, naming of 13-year post house veteran Mike (Chick) Ciacciarelli to the newly created position of Optimus executive creative dire...

Sketch Fest director launches Women’s Funny Festival

By Ed M. Koziarski Mar 27, 2012

In her decade as executive director of the Chicago Sketch Comedy Festival, and years more performing with and managing the Cupid Players, Jill Valentine has seen a steady rise i...

Lewis Lazare

Energy BBDO’s launches new WBEZ ads for tiny budget

By Lewis Lazare Mar 27, 2012

For the first time in nearly a decade, Chicago not-for-profit public radio station WBEZ-FM (91.5) is getting ready to launch a major advertising campaign. The campaign will be d...

ki edit+design acquired by online tastytrade network

By Ruth L Ratny Mar 26, 2012

For the second time within the span of a week, a privately-held local visual media has been acquired by a larger entity. Trio Video’s purchase by Pittsburgh-based NEP wa...

Curtain Calls

Daisey’s fabricated Steve Jobs monologue retracted

By Kerry Reid Mar 23, 2012

THE BIG BOMBSHELL this past week involves celebrated monologist Mike Daisey, whose The Agony and the Ecstasy of Steve Jobs was pulled from a planned presentation at the Chicago ...

Lewis Lazare

Former Saatchi CCO Derek Green joins Cramer-Krasselt

By Lewis Lazare Mar 23, 2012

Cramer-Krasselt/Chicago is bringing on board yet another new executive creative director: Native Australian ad man Derek Green, who most recently has been chief creative officer...

World’s biggest mobile TV firm acquires Trio Video

By Ruth L Ratny Mar 23, 2012

After 29 years as a privately-held provider of mobile HD production facilities, Trio Video has been acquired by Pittsburg-based NEP, the world’s largest truck vendor operating...

Indie Focus

Wexler wraps ‘Roundabout American’ comedy feature

By Ed M. Koziarski Mar 22, 2012

WRITER/DIRECTOR BORIS WEXLER of Escape Films has wrapped postproduction on the feature comedy Roundabout American starring French actor Edouard Giard as a young French chef who ...

Lewis Lazare

Lewis Lazare

Tim Pontarelli lands at Energy BBDO as group CD

By Lewis Lazare Mar 20, 2012

Tim Pontarelli has landed. After more than a year off that he spent reflecting on life and the world of advertising and freelancing, Pontarelli is signing on at Energ...

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