Oz Magazine - August/ September 2018 by Oz Publishing, Inc

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MAGAZINE

AUGUST / SEPTEMBER 2018

STAFF Publishers:

CONTRIBUTORS Christopher Campbell

Tia Powell (Group Publisher) Gary Powell

Cover Story: How the Die is Cast, p.28

Christopher Campbell is a writer specializing in nonfiction film and television. He is the creator of the documentary review website Nonfics and an editor for Film School Rejects and Movies.com. He has also contributed to Indiewire, MTV News, Paste, New York magazine and Documentary Magazine. He has a Master’s degree in Cinema Studies from NYU and now resides in Georgia with his wife and children. www.nonfics.com

Editor-in-Chief: Gary Powell

Managing Editor: Neal Howard

Sales:

Kris Thimmesch Martha Ronske

Contributors:

Paul Jenkins

Christopher Campbell Paul Jenkins Mitch Leff Christine Bunish Nicola Breslauer

Cover Artist Paul Jenkins has been creating, writing and building franchises for over 25 years in the graphic novel, film and video game industries. Over the last two decades Paul has been instrumental in the creation and implementation of literally hundreds of world-renowned, recognizable entertainment icons. www.metastudios.com

Creative Director: Michael R Eilers

Production and Design: Ted Fabella (Oz Logo Design) Madeeha Ahmad

Cover Image:

Mitch Leff

Voices: You’ve Made Your Movie. Don’t Forget Your Marketing p.38

Paul Jenkins

Mitch Leff brings almost 30 years of public relations expertise to the Georgia entertainment industry. At Turner Broadcasting, he led public relations efforts for the company’s education division, Turner Learning. He worked across all of Turner’s entertainment properties, including Turner Classic Movies, TNT, the Cartoon Network and Turner South. His favorite made-in-Georgia film is Captain America: The Winter Soldier! Mitch has the uncanny ability to match every cliet’s story to media that will make a difference in their business.

film. tv. entertainment.

Christine Bunish

Feature Story: Time to Shine, p.34

Christine Bunish has been a writer and editor covering the professional film, video, broadcast and advertising industries for more than 25 years. She was a writer at Broadcast Management/Engineering and World Broadcast News and an editor at Millimeter before going freelance. www.ozmagazine.com www.facebook.com/ozmagazine www.twitter.com/ozpublishing www.instagram.com/ozmagazine (404) 633-1779 Oz Magazine is published bi-monthly by Oz Publishing, Inc. 2566 Shallowford Road Suite 104, #302 Atlanta, GA 30345 Copyright © 2018 Oz Publishing Incorporated, all rights reserved. Reproductions in whole or in part without express written permission of the publisher is strictly prohibited. This magazine is printed on recyclable paper.

Oz Magazine - film. tv. entertainment.

Nicola Breslauer

Editorial Contributor

Nicola Breslauer is an avid fan of the big and little screen. Her writing skills took shape while getting her Masters in clinical mental health counseling from Mercer University. While she pursues a career in the mental health field by day, by night she delves into the world of media. In addition, she is credited with running our social media platforms to keep us in touch with our fans between issues.

JUNE / JULY 2018

CONTENTS

A compilation of recent news and hot projects, from and about industry leaders.

40 The Shot List: Q & A with Chosen Jacobs

Ozcetera

Talent

28 Cover Story

How the Die is Cast From Stranger Things to Mindhunter, the casting directors at Netflix institute a highly deliberate checklist when choosing our favorite stars.

Oz Scene

Time to Shine Shelbia Jackson is the first Director of the DeKalb Entertainment Commission. Prepare to be entertained.

55 Creative + Investor Shark Tank 55 “Bling for Bill” Honors Two of the Industry’s Most Beloved Professionals

Voices

The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Announces Winners of the 44th Annual Southeast Emmy Awards 54 Women in Production Summit

Feature Story

You’ve Made Your Movie. Don’t Forget Your Marketing

48 The Notorious RBF For The Resident’s CATHERINE DYER, an innate, steely standoffish-ness has translated into a standout film and TV résumé.

52 55

Let Me Give You My Card

August / September 2018

OZCETERA Turner CEO John Martin

Turner CEO Departs Upon Time Warner Mergerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Closing

urner CEO John Martin is leaving as AT&T closes its merger with Time Warner, as is former Time Warner CEO Jeff Bewkes, who was previously slated to stay on as an adviser for up to 12 months. The Time Warner name will cease to exist once the final deal is inked. Also leaving are Gary Ginsberg, a top Time Warner communications executive; chief human resources officer Karen Magee;

Oz Magazine - film. tv. entertainment.

CFO Howard Averill, executive VP of global public policy Carol Melton; and executive VP of international and corporate strategy Olaf Olafsson. The newly dubbed Warner Media, which will house Turner, CNN and HBO, will now be headed by John Stankey, who will report to a new superior, AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson. Reporting directly to Stankey will be HBO

CEO Richard Plepler; Warner Bros. CEO Kevin Tsujihara; president of CNN worldwide Jeff Zucker; Turner president David Levy; Turner International president Gerhard Zeiler; and Jim Meza, an AT&T exec who worked with the Time Warner litigation team during the mergerapproval process.

August / September 2018

OZCETERA (From left) Leonardo Nam, Amanda Ray, and astronaut Leland Melvin at the Westworld Season 2 premiere

Atlanta Sci-Fi Film Festival Returns Sept. 28

he Third A nnual At lant a Sci - Fi Film Festival (ASFFF) will take place Sept. 28-Oct. 7. Spearheaded by Multicultural Sci-Fi Organization (MCSFO) founder Amanda Ray, and presented by the MCSFO in partnership with Georgia Tech’s School of Literature, Media and Communications, ASFFF’s core mission is to provide a venue for the finest independent sci-fi films both locally and internationally; to increase cultural diversity and interest in sci-fi film and TV; and to inspire and strengthen the sci-fi film community by cultivating an engaged audience. According to the MCSFO, the creation of independent sci-fi films is becoming less daunting given today’s technology. In turn, a fertile ground has evolved for the the nurturing

Oz Magazine - film. tv. entertainment.

of new talent and the exploration of new concepts that would likely be shunned by major studios. A life-long sci-f i fan, Amanda Ray was always drawn to the genre. From Captain Kirk to Lord of the Rings, from Clash of the Titans to classic fantasy literature by Octavia Butler, she absorbed and idolized it all. And, like most fans, she yearned to find a community of like-minded people. Thus, the MCSFO was born. In its infancy, it was little more than a meeting ground for fans of sci-fi and fantasy— be it books, television, or movies. It quickly morphed, however, into something much bigger when Ray recognized the number of women and people of color who regularly showed up. “For too many years, this genre

was only targeted to white males,” she says, “and it was clear to me that they weren’t the only ones crazy for [sci-fi and fantasy]. We needed more stories and sci-fi creatives who reflected all of those who support the genre.” Ray and company proudly presented the HBO premiere of Westworld Season 2 at Fernbank Museum of Natural History in April, complete with a panel discussion featuring cast member Leonardo Nam (see pg. 38 of Oz’s June/July issue, “The End of the World as We Know It,” for a special Nam Q&A and premiere recap). MCSFO also currently organizes private movie screenings, fellow sci-fi festivals, and hosts its self-titled podcast. A children’s sci-fi film festival, Kids with S.T.E.A.M, is on tap for 2019 as well.

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August / September 2018

OZCETERA

Zoe Iltsopoulos Borys Appointed Vice President and General Manager of Panavision Atlanta

anavision has named Zoe Iltsopoulos Borys to lead the company’s Atlanta office as vice president and general manager. Borys will oversee day-to-day operations in the region, and ensure Panavision’s customers continue to receive the highest level of service to support their production needs. “Zoe is a respected partner to the cinematic community and we are pleased to have her on the team at Panavision,” said Michael George, Panavision’s chief operating officer. “Her understanding and familiarity with the needs of our customers will be an invaluable addition to our presence in the region. Filmmakers can be confident that they will continue to receive our superior service, along with our innovative “Panavised” camera systems and premier lenses.” Borys’ 25 years of experience in the motion picture industry includes business development for Production Resources Group (PRG), and general manager for Fletcher Camera and Lenses (now VER). This is her second turn at Panavision, having served in a marketing role at the company from 1998-2006. Throughout her career, she has been responsible for bringing innovative technology to the creative community, empowering them to bring their vision to the screen. She is also an associate member of the American Society of Cinematographers. Panavision’s Atlanta team has provided equipment and services to productions such as Avengers: Infinity War, Black Panther, Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol. 2, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, Baby Driver, and Pitch Perfect 3, among others.

Parallax Lands First R2000

arallax Digital has acquired the HP R2000 Plus Series Latex Hybrid Industrial Press. This is the very first of its kind in North America and is now in production, only at Parallax. The R2000 produces the glossiest, high-opacity whites on transparent and colored media that resists yellowing over time. Latex ink means no unpleasant smells and no UV banding that occur with UV printing. The quality and vibrant color gamut on both rigid and flexible materials set this printer apart from all others. Possible substrates include wood, aluminum, glass, ceramic, and acrylic. The R2000 has image capabilities on materials up to 98-inches wide and 2-inches thick. The new, water-based HP Latex Overcoat ink is durable and flexible for high adhesion and scratch resistance.

Oz Magazine - film. tv. entertainment.

August / September 2018

OZCETERA Marcy Hendryx and Katie, the sea lion

Jen Sienkwicz

Former LionStar Producer Marcy Hendryx Signs on with Georgia Aquarium Executive Producer Jen Sienkwicz Joins Beast Atlanta

re a t i ve e d i to r i a l h o u s e B e a s t h a s hired veteran executive producer Jen Sienk wicz to help lead its Atlanta team. With more than two decades of experience producing high-profile, short-form content, she will support clients and talent for Beast Atlanta, part of Deluxe Entertainment Services Group. Sienkwicz comes to Beast Atlanta from 72 and Sunny’s New York office where she helped launch in-house creative editorial operations. She has also served as head of production at Final Cut New York and held senior production roles at Berwyn and Crew Cuts, in addition to managing projects independently. Under her new title, she’ll work closely with Soraia Callison, the facility’s head of production. Beast Atlanta’s current roster includes editors Eddie Kessler, Matt Barron and Jason Painter, all of whom specialize in commercial and creative editorial. The facility is also frequently host to visiting editors from other Beast locations to suppor t the region’s thriving filmmaking community, as agencies and production companies increasingly tap Georgia for shooting features, television and commercials. Additional services available onsite through co-located studios include color, f inishing, visual effects and sound mixing. “Jen has a wealth of high-level experience and great relationships with brands, agencies and talent alike,” says Beast Atlanta manager, Billy Gabor. “She’s an expert at balancing the nuances of creative editorial post production, and her support enables us to enhance our studio’s exceptional work.”

Oz Magazine - film. tv. entertainment.

ormer senior producer at LionStar Films, Marcy Hendryx, has found a new home as production supervisor with the Georgia Aquarium. Hendryx is an Atlanta native who graduated from the Art Institute of Atlanta with a degree in digital filmmaking and video production in 2010, before moving on to work for CBS 46’s Better Mornings Atlanta. “This is where I met a penguin for the first time and fell in love,” she says. Upon Hendryx’s departure from LionStar late last year, Jessica Fontana, Georgia Aquarium’s director of communications, began reaching out to her with an opportunity that she ultimately “couldn’t pass up.” After having Pitch Perfect 3 film at the Aquarium last year, Fontana realized that the

downtown attraction is an amazing location for production on multiple fronts. In turn, the venue is making a greater push to let the Georgia entertainment industry know that they are open to accepting future requests for movies, TV series, commercials and still photography. An added, feel-good perk is that the filming fees go direc tly towards the Aquarium’s conservation and research efforts. Among other logistical responsibilities and, most importantly, while ensuring that the animals’ well-being remains a top priority, Hendryx will now serve as Fontana’s liaison for all media inquiries, in addition to helping promote the location as a premier f ilming destination. Intercity

Producer Lindy Lucas and InterCity Courier Launch Entertainment Division

o c all y ow n e d I n te r C i t y C ou r ie r a n d longtime producer Lindy Lucas have launched courier ser vices tailored to the entertainment industr y, effective July 30. Wonderland Courier will offer on-demand courier service to the film industry throughout the Greater Atlanta Metropolitan Area and to the Southeast at large. Lucas was a commercial TV producer in Los Angeles for many years. Prior to this, she had her own delivery company before jumping into the film world. Lucas’s understanding of the

film business will provide the experience and know how to meet some of the unique needs of the film industry. InterCity Courier is owned by Perry McCullen and has been in business since 2000. They have a fleet of trucks, vans and cars and looking forward to expanding their interests within the film community. Wonderland will be offering one, two, and three-hour deliveries, scheduled/routed pickups and deliveries, plus out- of-town and exclusive use service (individuals and companies).

OZCETERA

August / September 2018

OZCETERA Shaquille O’Neal poses with a mouse lemur, the world’s smallest primate

Brennen Dicker

Georgia-Based Shaquille O’Neal Capitalizes on Mass Appeal

eginning with the June 29 release of Uncle Drew in theaters nationwide, beloved athlete and entertainer, Shaquille O’Neal, has been making a rather triumphant and prolific return to the screen as of late. O’Neal, who lives in McDonough, Ga. and films Inside the NBA at Turner Studios in Atlanta, is regarded as one of the most marketable celebrities in the world due to his vehemently apolitical persona, which is an increasingly valuable commodity in an increasingly polarized media landscape. According to Marketing Evaluations Inc., a New York-based company that compiles Q scores (a measure of the familiarity and appeal of a brand, celebrity or company), O’Neal boasts a better score than the top five current NBA stars: LeBron James, Giannis Antetokounmpo, James Harden, Stephen Curr y and Kevin Durant. Among former athletes of any sport, only Michael Jordan enjoys a higher Q score. His slate of upcoming projects includes the Facebook Watch reality show Big Chicken, named after and chronicling the opening of his first restaurant chain; an animated show for Universal Kids Net work based on his inspirational Little Shaq book series, which

chronicles lessons from his childhood; and two scripted TBS comedies, one of which will co-star Ken Jeong. The network approached the basketball legend and the Hangover breakout about collaborating after their wellreceived duel on TBS’ rap battle series, Drop the Mic, that aired in April. Those projects come on the heels of a busy spring that found O’Neal launching Shaquille O’Neal Presents: All Star Comedy Jam: I’m Still Laughing on Showtime in March; voicing a role in Global Road’s animated kids film, Show Dogs, in May; and bantering with Charles Barkley as part of Turner’s NBA Playoffs broadcast team, which ended in late May. In the 1990s, at the height of his NBA career, he fronted studio movies like Paramount’s Blue Chips ($23 million) and Disney’s Kazaam ($18.9 million). According to Forbes, O’Neal has amassed $700 million both on the court and off. Much of his wealth comes from Madison Avenue, where he has masterfully parlayed his broad appeal into endorsement deals with companies of every stripe, from Icy Hot to Ring Home Security.

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Brennen Dicker Hired as CMII Executive Director By Nicola Breslauer

r e n n e n D i c k e r, a f i l m a n d v i d e o professional with 20 years of industry experience, has been named executive d i re c to r of G e o rg ia St a te U n i ve r s i t y ’s Creative Media Industries Institute (CMII). Before joining Georgia State, Dicker was the general manager of Atlanta operations for SIM International, a company that provides production and post production services to the film industry. In that role, he worked with companies such as HBO, Warner Bros. Television, AMC and Netflix. He also was the chair of the Atlanta Advisory Council for the Savannah College of Art and Design. As chair, he helped to create an international festival to showcase trends in design and innovation for media production, and intensive, 48-hour media production workshops for students. “ Th e o p p o r tu ni t y t h a t l ie s a h ea d … i s i n c r e d i b l e,” s ay s D i c ke r, “a n d I a m deeply honored to lead the next chapter of CMII. By focusing on creativity, innovation and collaborative par tnerships with the industry, we will connect our students and faculty with opportunities locally, as well as internationally.”

OZCETERA Amy Seimetz

Fifth Atlanta Alum Scores Deal with FX Production

f i f t h m e m b e r of t h e At l a n t a f a m i l y has scored an overall deal with F X Produc tions. Amy Seimetz, perhaps best k n o w n f o r co - c re a t i n g , co - w r i t i n g a n d directing the first two seasons of Starz’s The Girlfriend Experience, will now develop TV projects exclusively for FXP. She previously

collaborated with the network by directing the “Helen” and “Champagne Papi” episodes of Atlanta: Robbin’ Season. The Girlfriend Experience, based on the Steven Soderbergh feature of the same name, garnered a Golden Globe nomination in 2017. As an actress, her credits include Alien:

Covenant; Stranger Things; season two Epix’s Get Shorty; The Killing; and Family Tree. Her debut as a director, Don’t Shine, won a special jury prize at South by Southwest 2012, as well as earning her two Gotham Awards nominations.

August / September 2018

OZCETERA Stephanie Booker

(Left to right) Lakeith Stanfield, Donald Glover and Brian Tyree Henry in Atlanta.

(Left to right) Lakeith Stanfield, Donald Glover, and Brian Tyree Henry in Atlanta

Beck Media & Marketing Expands to Atlanta

eck Media & Marketing has expanded its operations to Atlanta. Georgia native Stephanie Booker, a nineyear veteran of the Santa Monica-based agency, will head the new off ice. Booker relocated to Atlanta to establish Beck’s new outpost in Atlanta’s historic Ponce City Market. She is joined by Dianna Bonvino, who has relocated to Atlanta from the agency’s New York City office. “ W i t h A t l a n t a’s r e n a i s s a n ce a s a n entertainment and technology hub,” says CEO Todd Beck, “establishing a local presence in the market makes tons of sense for our clients, for the agency, and for Stephanie. It’s a win on every level.” Beck’s Atlanta office leads PR for local and national clients, including MGM subsidiary Orion Television and Tender foot T V. In addition to its Santa Monica headquarters and new Atlanta outpost, the company has additional offices in New York and Austin.

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Oz Magazine - film. tv. entertainment.

FX Renews Atlanta for Third Season By Nicola Breslauer

tlanta has been renewed for a third season at FX, the cable network announced in June. It was something of a given that the Donald Glover-helmed hit series would be making a return. The critical praise has been overwhelming since its debut in 2016, after which Season 1 earned six Emmy nominations and walked away with two wins: Outstanding Lead Ac tor in a Comedy Series and Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series, both of which went to Glover. Season 2, aptly titled Atlanta: Robbin’ Season, currently holds a 99% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Meanwhile, the question remains when the newly greenlit third season will premiere. Season 1 debuted in September 2016 and

Robbin’ Season didn’t hit the airwaves until March 2018, in part because Glover has found himself in ever-increasing demand for a myriad of projects. He recently appeared as Lando Calrissian in Solo: A Star Wars Story, and “This Is America,” the latest single from his musical alter ego, Childish Gambino, has already logged more than 306 million YouTube views. Atlanta’s fellow stars are also becoming mainstays in major film projects. Zazie Beetz recently shared top billing in the blockbuster sequel Deadpool 2 opposite Ryan Reynolds and Josh Brolin; Brian Tyree Henry will star in the upcoming films Hotel Artemis and White Boy Rick; and Stanfield plays the lead role in Sorry to Bother You, which premiered in July.

Craig Miller Does Southern Co. Proud

or the fourth consecutive year, Craig Miller Productions has produced the opening video presentation for Southern Company’s annual stockholders meeting. The video utilizes

the imagery of Jim Schnepf and Philip Wages. Art direction was provided by Kelly Dickson of Leap Communications. The production is presented each year on a 40’ x 10’ screen.

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OZCETERA

August / September 2018

OZCETERA Chris Brown and Ludacris at a Ludaday Weekend event for the Ludacris Foundation; or Studio City Atlanta

Studio City Atlanta Announces Board of Directors and Ludacris Foundation Benefit

tudio City Atlanta (SCA), an organization d esigne d to he lp p ro m ote At lan t a’s entertainment industry, officially launched recently with the announcement of their board of directors and first “Cocktails for a Cause” event, benefiting the Ludacris Foundation, to be held Sept. 13 along with sponsor Goza Tequila. SCA will focus on the development of professionals in the entertainment industry, as well as facilitating a more streamlined bidding process to offer equal opportunities for Georgia entities. By focusing on continued education including a newly developed masterclass series, charitable causes tied to the city, and a co-working space for entertainment-industry businesses, SCA will also further connect Atlanta to the Hollywood and New York-based sectors of the industry. SCA was founded in January 2018 with a mission to provide Atlanta’s entertainment businesses the same opportunities available in Hollywood and NYC—i.e. building networks, connections, and job opportunities for qualified members. SCA’s f irst board of direc tors

Oz Magazine - film. tv. entertainment.

meeting was held in June. It is comprised of board president Laurie Lockliear, managing partner at Saunders Lockliear Entertainment; vice president Willard “Chuck” Lewis, chairman and CEO at Nova Street Capital and member of MediaVestor; treasurer Natina Marie Adams, co-founder and COO of Blossom Digital; Alex Bente, producer, editor, writer and cameraman; Darius Evans, CEO of The LoFi Agency; AZ Yeaman, founder of the Content Creators of Atlanta Awards and executive director of Bridge 17; and Jernard Wells, celebrity chef, Food Network star and author. Inaugural education programs will be focused on evolving business practices and tax-incentive guidelines. These programs will target those individuals and companies already working in the industry. In addition to business programming, there will also be three masterclass events for 2019 that offer members the chance to learn from world-class professionals. The first masterclass event will focus on production design, and will be led by internationally acclaimed production designer Moira Tait.

Ben 10

Three Squared Does Ben 10

urner Broadcasting engaged the three squared team for DVD authoring services associated with Cartoon Network’s Ben 10 franchise. The new release, entitled Ben 10 – Season 1, Vol. 2: Omni-Tricked, contains 17 total episodes and will release through the summer. This is the second home video set release this year for the reboot of the franchise. Three squared recently completed work on the latest Goodwill Recruiting program. Goodwill’s Career Services team will utilize the program in to drive individuals seeking employment towards the brick & mor tar Goodwill Career Centers as well as to promote the Career Connector online portal. The three squared team also recently produced a series of videos titled On the Line for the Shaw Floors human resources department. These programs focus on the men and women who help manufacture and produce flooring products, from carpet and hardwood to the leading edge technology that goes into producing Shaw’s resilient flooring.

OZCETERA

August / September 2018

OZCETERA Dan Reichard will rep Tube, Shea Jones joins Tube as client specialist

The New Tube Gang

an Reichard, owner of Reichard Reps, will now represent Tube. An industry veteran on both sides of the camera, Reichard has built an impressive roster of award winning creatives. As a design centric, post production b ou t ique, Tub e f ill s in as a well sui ted complement. Reichardâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s clients since opening

Oz Magazine - film. tv. entertainment.

Reichard Reps have included: TNT Sports, BET, Times Warner Cable, HGTV, Macyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s, Scripps Networks, Vonage, Floor & Decor, and Hospital Corporation of America. Shea Jones joins Tube as client specialist, and has experience in the acting world both in Atlanta and Los Angeles. She recently

graduated from Kennesaw State University with a Media and Entertainment degree. Jones will be in charge of social media content, working with clients, and attending networking events regularly.

OZCETERA

August / September 2018

OZCETERA Young Jeezy and Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms

Jeezy and Bottoms Team Up to Benefit Multiple Nonprofits

i t y o f A t l a n t a M a y o r Ke i s h a L a n ce Bottoms and rap superstar/entrepreneur Jeezy recently joined hands to run the AJC Peachtree Road Race on July 4. Their effort was geared towards raising money to support three nonprofit organizations that share the common goal of promoting healthy lifestyles and empowering children to make smar t choices: the Atlanta Track Club’s Kilometer Kids, Jeezy’s Street Dreamz Foundation, and

the Mayor’s Youth Scholarship Program. “Exercise is an essential and regular part of my routine,” says frequent runner and first-time Peachtree Road Race participant, Bottoms. “I was excited to run the Peachtree this year with Jeezy in support of nonprofits that are committed to fostering healthy habits for our residents, and especially our children.” For a full month prior to the race, Jeezy underwent intensive training and maintained a

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strict diet, all of which he shared with his socialmedia followers under the campaign banner #JeezyRunsPeachtree. He also encouraged those followers, along with his vast network of celebrity friends, to show their support by making a minimum donation of $10 to his Street Dreamz Foundation. The total raised was presented to all three charities following his and Bottoms’ completion of the race.

OZCETERA

August / September 2018

art of what draws us to a new series is the cast of actors. And part of what keeps us watching are those actors’ performances. So, compiling the right ensemble for a Netflix show is very important. The people on screen are not selected by a director or producer, nor by a talent agency or computer algorithm. They’re chosen by casting directors. Casting directors find the people who make up the casts of movies and TV shows, from the leads to the smallest of speaking parts. Sometimes projects come with a big name attached, though usually only if it’s because they’re also one of the producers, as in the case of Ozark star Jason Bateman. Otherwise, the job starts with merely an empty slate and a script. “The script is the most important element,” says three-time Emmy Awardwinning casting director, Alexa L. Fogel. She works with a filmmaker or producer—Chris Mundy and Bateman in the case of Ozark—to define what the characteristics are in each of the roles, how they relate to the other characters and what their arcs are over time. And, with ongoing series, what they're going to

Oz Magazine - film. tv. entertainment.

be. Fogel points out that, “A lot of the stuff that I work on has unique characters, but you may not see them fully. Things are going to happen later, and I have to know it then.” For Ozark, Fogel also works with regional casting agents Tara Feldstein and Chase Paris, who are based in Atlanta, where Ozark is filmed. Feldstein and Paris pull from Southeast talent agencies. “We divide up the work depending on the budget,” Paris explains. The larger the budget, the more actors can be accommodated from out of town. “Sometimes we will get a movie or TV show with some great roles. If they don't have the biggest budget, they'll book some actors locally. [But] if they can bring in every single role, they will. Each one is its own little puzzle to solve.” Open casting calls are not as common as you’d think, though, even for local or lesser-known talent. “We don't do a lot of open calls unless it's something very, very specific that would be hard to find,” Feldstein notes. “Most of our roles that we cast here in Atlanta, we don't need open calls. There are more than enough actors. We don't need an open call to

find, for example, a nurse with under five lines.” Casting directors are “an essential and integral part of the creation of any project,” according to John Papsidera, a two-time Emmy Award winner who populated HBO’s Westworld and found the actors for Netflix’s reboot of Lost in Space. He says it’s very rare for him to get a project with actors already in mind. “Even the Batman [movies] that I did with Chris Nolan, there was no Batman before Chris and I started on it.”

THE COLLABORATIVE ART Papsidera has cast a lot of movies and TV series, though his work with Nolan, going back to the director’s 2000 breakthrough feature, Memento, is what he’s best known for. He sees casting as one of the first steps in the collaborative art of production, because the job entails meeting with creatives to discuss the roles before the search for actors even begins. “You talk about how you see those characters and who might be right,” Papsidera says. “It's a collaborative process. They have their own thoughts

"His physicality was so much of who that character was that you're not going to forsake that." Laray Mayfield

and likes and dislikes, but that's the genesis of what you then start to create from. Then it proceeds to checking with who’s available, who might be interested in the project, to auditioning people, reading them, and then negotiating their deals, and finally you get a cast.” Not every casting collaboration is so intimate, of course. “On a feature film, for the most part, you're trying to get the director and producer and an executive or two on the same page to make decisions,” Papsidera explains, distinguishing the experience of casting movies versus the writer’s medium of a TV series. “On Lost in Space, it was probably trying to get 20 people on the same page. Because there are so many people involved, you're trying to find a common denominator, and it takes many more choices to try to find that.” When collaborating with writers on casting, the challenge is to get them to let go of what’s in their heads. “‘I get it, you wrote it,’” Papsidera says, addressing an imaginary creator. “‘You wrote that a month ago, change that. You're casting human beings to fill this world.’ That's what my focus is, trying to get the most

multidimensionally talented human being to flesh out this role and have it be maybe something you hadn't even thought of. That's the seesaw battle. You try to find a balance between how it was written, how they imagined it, and what you bring to the table about the characteristics of these actors that will fill in that character.” Even more committed to their vision, Papsidera reveals, are people who come out of animation. “They have not only a sense of what's on the page, but also some vision that they drew in their head. It's so concrete, they're always trying to refill this,” he says. “My point to them is, ‘Yeah, but you want a three-dimensional human soul that fills that.’ This is not about red hair and freckles.”

THE REAL CHALLENGE Ironically, casting characters based on real people seems less of a challenge despite there being an exact likeness to refill. “We don't really go for lookalikes,” says Laray Mayfield, the casting director for Netflix’s Mindhunter, which depicts stories of actual FBI agents and serial killers. “We like to have people who are

very similar, and as you can see on Season 1, we had great success with finding people who were. But what you're looking for is the emotional consistency and the tone of that person.” She says that resemblance can be very important, however, if that matters to the role. Size definitely needed to be considered when she and Mindhunter executive producer David Fincher cast towering actor Cameron Britton as serial killer Ed Kemper, who stood 6 feet, 9 inches tall. “His physicality was so much of who that character was that you're not going to forsake that.” Mayfield has worked with Fincher for more than 30 years, initially collaborating on his music videos. Together, they cast Jesse Eisenberg and Justin Timberlake in The Social Network, another drama populated by characters based on real people. “I don't think tons of people knew at that time who Sean Parker or Mark Zuckerberg were,” she says of the now iconic figures. “What's really interesting and very exciting is when they go and look, to learn about them.”

August / September 2018

Cameron Britton (left) plays 6'9" serial killer Ed Kemper in Mindhunter, alongside Jonathan Groff

Alexa L. Fogel receiving a 2014 Emmy for her work on HBO's True Detective

Mindhunter offers a similar experience. Viewers of a certain generation recall some of the characters from the news 40 years ago, but maybe not what they looked like. But they tend to look up the real people, Mayfield says, “Then they decide for themselves if they think we did a good job casting that or not.” In the end, if the physical appearance is off, hopefully the performance is what viewers come away with. “I think that’s what you see in all of these roles with what David and I do. We don't cast people to mimic. We cast wonderfully talented, fluid actors who take on the role and make it their own.”

DISCOVERING TALENT Both Mayfield and Papsidera were allowed some freedom with casting Mindhunter and Lost in Space, respectively, in that these series didn’t need big stars. That means finding new actors or elevating lesser-known talent, which can be a satisfying part of the job. “It is fun to get an opportunity to expose Taylor Russell to the world, or Mina Sundwell or Max Jenkins,” Papsidera admits of his Lost in Space actors. “Molly [Parker] and Toby [Stephens] certainly have had big careers

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already and were known, but both of them are showing different sides to what they’ve shown in the past.” Rarely, though, has there been a discovery quite like that of Shannon Purser, who played the supporting character Barb on Stranger Things and has gone on to a substantial career rather quickly. Feldstein and Paris, who won an Emmy for their work on the Netflix series (with Carmen Cuba), found the then-17year-old locally and were surprised and delighted by Purser’s breakout success. “I don't think anyone anticipated the ‘Justice for Barb’ movement,” says Feldstein. “What's amazing with that role is she's only actually alive in two episodes. To bring that kind of movement to a role that has only appeared in two episodes, and briefly at that, means she brought something very unique and special to that role that you can never predict. She just did something magical with it.” Particularly with how streaming series are produced and released, there is often more preparation put into a show by the creators from the start than there used to be. It’s more common to see sudden breakout characters elevated from guest spot to regular, like in the old days of sitcoms. “I'm fortunate in that I work with a lot of writers who have things mapped out pretty clearly, for the first season and subsequent seasons,” Fogel says of this benefit. “Sometimes there can be a character that, say, David Simon (The Wire, The Deuce) wants to see more of, but mostly it's pretty clear what's going to happen. The writers I'm working with are so clear with what their stories are.” “In doing long-running series like I did with Ray Donovan,” adds Papsidera,

“the writers and creators would have an idea of where those characters were going to go three seasons in, which I wasn't necessarily always privy to. But I think as the casting director, my job is to try and give projects the most talented actors that I can in every role, so they have more bullets in the gun as they go on. I take that as a real responsibility, trying to find people who can give them multidimensional performances over time.” Another great kind of discovery for casting agents is when an established talent rises to a new occasion. “People knew who Jesse was,” Mayfield says of the former child actor turned Oscarnominated The Social Network star. “Sometimes you're just super, superfortunate to have a perfect role and an actor at the time who's perfectly suited for that role; who gets to be seen in a completely different way. We all enjoy that. The audience enjoys it, I enjoy it as a casting director. The director enjoys it very much. So does the actor. It's nice when that happens.”

CASTING CHILD ACTORS Feldstein and Paris have also cast a number of young actors for Stranger Things and Ozark. Working with kids is one of the great challenges of movie and television production, and finding the right child performers can be a lot more difficult than casting adult roles. “You're trying to find a kid that understands the environment that you're putting them in,” Feldstein explains. “The younger you go, the harder that becomes. A lot of times kids between 4 and 6 years old don't know why they're saying the

"You're casting their family."

Shannon Purser, who played Barb in Stranger Things Season 1

words. They're just repeating. To find a kid who really grasps and understands what's going on is very, very difficult. We have to see a lot of kids to find that something special.” Casting kids is also challenging “because you don't know a lot of people that age,” says Fogel. “You have to create the time to see many more actors than you would if you were seeing actors in their 40s and 50s. I know a lot of those actors already.” Papsidera adds that you’re not just casting the kid, “You're casting their family,” referring to their need of a guardian and the potential relocation of the actor, their parents and their siblings all for a part. More importantly, “You're casting someone who is in the process of morphing into a different kind of human being.” He doesn’t just mean physically, although Max Jenkins, who plays young Will Robinson on Lost in Space, had a substantial growth spurt from the time of his casting to when the first episode was shot. “Those are things that you don't necessarily worry or think about when you're casting adults.” Finding the right Will Robinson had already come with certain challenges. Papsidera notes that the character was already in the lexicon of American culture with Bill Mumy’s iconic portrayal in the original version of the show in the 1960s. There was an expectation to cast another memorable young actor. One who could also fit Will’s unique relationship to another significant character. “I remember we were talking about the relationship between the robot and Will,” Papsidera tells of the casting process, “and there was a younger actor who was fantastic. One of the creators or

writers said, ‘Here's the thing, though: Him being that young, he wouldn't necessarily choose a friend as much as an older boy would.’ It came down to that. If you're too young, you're not choosing your friend. He's just a protector for you. But it's a two-way street with Will and the robot. Will chooses him to help him. You needed someone a little bit older who was cognizant and active in that relationship. That's also the exciting stuff. You're talking about subtle differences about a boy's relationship with a robot. That was a tricky part.” Lost in Space was also an interesting job for Papsidera in that the series involves a smaller ensemble than most shows. “It was different in that you really wanted to create a family,” he says. “The priorities are a little bit different. In Westworld, you're dealing with a huge world with different storylines. With this you wanted to be part of the Robinson family. It was interesting and challenging, and I'm really proud of the family unit; not just in matching people to be in one family on a physical level, but also that you really care about all of them. There's not one throwaway in that group. They've all had a real opportunity to shine.” Of course, the most notable element of the casting of Lost in Space was the choice of a woman, Parker Posey, to play Doctor Smith, a role previously filled by men in both the original series and the 1990s film adaptation. The decision to alter the character’s gender came from the creators and posed another interesting challenge for Papsidera, who knew such a change would draw a lot of attention. He never wants any casting choice to be a distraction. “One of the big parts was there’s no wink at the camera,” he says of the show’s seriousness and lack of selfawareness. “So how could you find someone that was a bit left of center and off-kilter and a villain, but to do it in an unassuming way? Someone who can also sneak under the radar and infiltrate it. Who would fit the eccentricity of Doctor Smith without making it too jokey? Parker started to check those boxes.” Having Posey play the role of Doctor Smith wasn’t an idea informed

by any trend or call for more female representation in Hollywood. But inclusion is definitely on a lot of casting directors’ minds at the moment, especially when they’re often blamed for a lack of diversity. “People have just laid that on the doorstep of casting directors,” Papsidera admits. “We try. We try like crazy. You should really be talking to writers. They create those roles. There's only so much leverage we can have by saying, ‘Hey, what about this as a woman? What about this as a person of color?’ At the end of the day, they make the decision of ‘No, that's not how I wrote it.’”

Maxwell Jenkins in Lost in Space

Parker Posey as Doctor Smith, Lost in Space

August / September 2018

Chase Paris and Tara Feldstein receive a 2017 Primetime Emmy for their casting work on Stranger Things

Feldstein says diversity has always been on her mind when casting. “Our job is to populate the world as we see it. And the world is diverse,” she says. “In the entertainment industry, there is a push for that—and rightfully so. We need more actors to be recognized.” But sometimes the world being depicted in a series isn’t inclusive. Fogel has cast a lot of series with widely diverse ensembles over the years, from Oz and The Wire to, more recently, The Deuce and Atlanta. But one of her current gigs isn’t so varied in its representation. “Ozark is set in a very specific place,” she acknowledges of its lack of diverse roles, “and it's about being authentic to that place. So, it’s not something that I think about. I just think about the material.”

CASTING IN ATLANTA For Ozark and Atlanta, both of which film in Georgia, Fogel works closely with Feldstein and Paris. The duo set up shop six years ago, filling a growing need for casting agents in the area. While a lot of movies and shows, especially those with large budgets, still cast predominantly in L.A. and New York, more and more talent (like Purser) is being found locally. “We have several shows where nice big roles that people would normally cast out of town cast locally now,” says Paris, recognizing an increase in work for

Oz Magazine - film. tv. entertainment.

talent based in the Southeast. He points to Charlotte-based actor Robert C. Treveiler, who plays Sheriff Nix on Ozark. “I think it's a bit of a misrepresentation when actors think the opportunity's not there. It absolutely is. Much more than it was last year, and the year before. Every year it gets better. I think the leads are probably [still] going to be names. A lot of the bigger roles are probably [still] going to be coming from L.A. or New York, but they are seriously considering locals nowadays. That's one of the big changes from four or five years ago.” “At some point there's not going to be that much of a bias towards the L.A. actor versus the Atlanta actor,” Feldstein adds. “A lot of people are actually moving from L.A. because they aren’t able to get the auditions that they're looking for in L.A. They're coming to Atlanta because it's a really great way to start your career. To start getting auditions, especially for dayplayer roles, and getting the experience they need, and then building up a resume, and then moving back out there or to New York—or wherever they feel like their career takes them.” Competition is growing in Atlanta as the talent pool is widening—“more fierce,” Feldstein says—but there is plenty of work to go around at the moment. This means there are also more and more gigs for casting directors. Many others have set up in Atlanta since Feldstein and Paris

began, and there are no rivalries among them due to the amount of business. “We're happy to hear when other casting directors have more work,” Feldstein says. “It's not really a dog-eat-dog kind of world.” What about when awards come into play? All of these casting directors have won or been nominated for Emmys, but they’re not in the profession for the accolades. “You never know what’s going to come down the line,” Feldstein says, “so you just do the best you can on each and every project, and if it turns into an award, that's amazing.” What makes a project awardworthy? Well, they all have their own ideas about what makes a great casting director. “Someone who loves actors, who interprets material well, who understands character, and can help people the material with actors who feel authentic to that material,” Fogel suggests. For Papsidera, “The most brilliant casting is seamless casting. Where it allows you to lose yourself in this world, in this story, without hitting a lot of bumps in the road.” He adds that a great casting director is “somebody who helps create a world that has longevity, that has believability, that is stocked with talented people—all those things. It’s about being empathetic to actors and kind to people, and getting the best out of actors. There's a real wide range of things.” Compassion for what actors are going through is also high on the list for Mayfield, who says you have to have integrity with how you approach your job and the roles. But most importantly, she says, “What makes a good casting director is that you get up every morning enjoying what you do.”

August / September 2018

eKalb County creatives and businesses supporting film, television, music and digital entertainment have a new friend. Shelbia Jackson has been named the first Director of the DeKalb Entertainment Commission (DEC). Launched last year, DEC is charged with attracting and expanding the entertainment industry in Georgiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s third-largest county. Jackson has served more than ten years with the Decide DeKalb Development Authority (DDDA), the countyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s economic development

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Shelbia Jackson at Blackhall

department, and was in the forefront of establishing the DEC to be a userfriendly agency spanning all aspects of entertainment. DeKalb County was one of the 16 inaugural counties named Camera Ready Communities in 2010 by the Georgia Film, Music, Digital and Television Entertainment Office. The DeKalb Board of Commissioners and Chief Executive Office created the DeKalb Film Commission the following year, and the county has played host to hundreds of motion pictures,

television projects and commercials. Now that commission has expanded to become the DEC, which is overseen by the DDDA.” “I started managing film permitting at the DDDA in 2013 when people had to call every department to get permits,” says Jackson. “I met with location managers and producers asking how other places handled this, what were the best practices we could implement to move to a simple, consistent process for the industry.” Her initiative led to establishing one-stop online permitting where every agency that needs

to be involved comes under the umbrella of a single final approval – a welcome change for those wanting to bring their projects to DeKalb County. And the entertainment industry is eager to work in DeKalb. The DEC’s baseline research, prepared by Robert Lann Consulting LLC, shows the positive impact the entertainment industry already has had on the county: $1.98 billion in 2016 and a 12 percent growth in industry jobs in the five-year period from 2011-2016. It’s also estimated that every job created locally in

the entertainment industry generated 1.45 additional jobs in other areas. Despite these very positive numbers the DEC believes this initial analysis to be quite conservative. “We knew anecdotally that people were leasing space to entertainment companies, they were renting parking lots, caterers and restaurants were servicing entertainment projects,” Jackson says. “But we needed to measure the growth this industry has had on DeKalb so we conducted a study to measure the impact. No one expected the business to grow as it has; no one expected

August / September 2018

Black Hall Studios

Dekalb Ent Expo 2017- Ryan Millsap Blackhall Studios and Dan Rosenfelt Third Rail Studios

"Producers have gotten over the misperception that Georgia does not have a deep, high-quality workforce..."

it to be as big as it is. We’ve responded with the DeKalb Entertainment Commission to establish a foundation to support the industry here.” Although it’s still early days for the DEC, a five-year entertainment strategy plan will address the film/television, music and digital media sectors, she notes. An Advisory Board of industry professionals will offer guidance on workshops and events; members serving two-year terms represent important cohorts such as SAG-AFTRA, IATSE Local 479, the Georgia Production

Michael Thurmond

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Partnership, the Georgia Game Developers Association and Georgia Music Partners. And alliances with key groups such as the Georgia Film Academy will bolster the DEC’s ability to support every aspect of the business. DeKalb County is already well positioned to experience continued growth in entertainment. Its workforce is solid, diverse and expanding. “Some members of the workforce are county residents who have been in the industry for a long time and have worked everywhere. Some are people who have moved here from LA or New York, and some make their homes around Atlanta but work on projects here in DeKalb,” Jackson explains. “Producers have gotten over the misperception that Georgia does not have a deep, high-quality workforce, and that they have to ship in workers from other states. We have a dedicated and committed workforce of experienced professionals and well-trained millennials just coming into the business.” Studio infrastructure in DeKalb offers a combined 13 soundstages at Blackhall Studios, Eagle Rock Studios and Third Rail Studios. The Warner Bros. base in Decatur, home of The Vampire Diaries for eight seasons, is now servicing other Warner Bros. productions. Additionally, smaller facilities,

Third Rail Studios

Eagle Rock Studios Atlanta

such as Wilder Studios in Decatur and Oakcliff Studios in Doraville, fill the needs of independent producers and artists. “We’re developing a database of all the studio properties in DeKalb that cater to different types of clients,” says Jackson, “so those looking to rent or lease space will find all the details on studio dimensions, parking, available equipment and other services. Developers are also looking at sites for new infrastructure, and support businesses are opening offices. Mole-Richardson has a satellite office here. Now we need to expand facilities for post production to provide a full range of services.” DeKalb County is rich in locations, as well. “We have everything the market needs: small towns, downtowns, main streets, railroads, historic sites, lakes and beaches, forests, Stone Mountain and the surrounding open land,” Jackson points out. “It’s a simple process to find locations in our database, call our office for a personal locations services coordinator, and use our online permitting.” She notes that a number of current series shoot here on a regular basis, including Stranger Things on Netflix, Black Lightning on the CW, MacGuyver on CBS and Greenleaf on OWN.

The DEC has announced a strong roster of summer and fall classes and workshops for residents and businesses. They range from a two-day, bootcamp-style Production Assistant workshop and a course on “How to be a Film Friendly Vendor” to the multipart “Intro to the Film Business,” “Starting a Career in the Film Business” and “Producer Series.” “We’ve worked with the Atlanta Film Society to develop these classes and workshops,” says Jackson. “We’ll be building out the schedule throughout the year. We want to track participants as they go through and ask if the class has been helpful, what happened afterwards and what else they need.” Last year the DEC held its first DEC Entertainment Expo with panel sessions across film/television, music and digital media. The next Expo is set for October 20. “This year will have different panels and actual workshops, including headshots, casting and how to pitch your project right there to our guests.” Jackson has attended SXSW and Georgia Night in LA and is looking at how to expand DeKalb’s presence at other industry festivals and events. “We’re working with the Association of Film Commissioners and the Location Managers

Guild on events,” she reports. “And the State of Georgia represents DeKalb and the DEC when they attend events, so we have to make sure they have what they need to support us.” While Jackson believes there’s a good foundation for the film and television industry in DeKalb County, she wants to ensure that music and digital media get their fair share of business, too. “We need to work on those verticals, which qualify for Georgia tax credits as well – that’s a big boost for them. We want to build classes around those sectors, support those companies already here, and see that students get training in those fields.” DeKalb County’s best-kept secret may have something that’s hard to quantify in a survey or analysis. “We still have a smalltown feel,” says Jackson. “Residents and business owners are open, positive and happy. I may be biased because I’ve lived here all my life, but when people in the entertainment industry come here they just love how it feels!”

August / September 2018

VOICES

You’ve Made Your Movie. Don’t Forget Your Marketing. By Mitch Leff

’ve been doing public relations and marketing here in Georgia for about 30 years now. I love what I do, and I’ve made an effort over time to work in as many different industries as possible. So that’s translated to working with attorneys, financial services firms, private schools, nonprofits, sporting events like the Super Bowl and the Olympics, small tech startups, and even a turkey farm. Along the way I did a stint working for a division of Turner Broadcasting, which gave me a taste of the TV and film industry. When the industry really started taking off in Georgia a few years ago, I started trying to figure out how I could get involved in a way that didn’t require me to move to California. With all the changes over at Turner in recent years, there are a lot of us “former” Turner employees out here with lots of knowledge in our heads. As it turned out, we didn’t have to move west, the industry came to us. It’s bred an ecosystem of set builders, prop houses, caterers, wardrobe designers—all the things that a production needs. Many of the needed pieces have fallen into place. But one thing we didn’t see was a strong marketing resource. For several years, the industry was growing rapidly, but it was all somewhat under the radar. I hate seeing great ideas slip under the radar like that. My colleagues and I work to help companies tell those untold stories. A great new business idea always starts with asking the tough questions, but sometimes you need to figure out what questions to ask. In turn, we started with what is often called a “concept committee” to see if there really was a “there” there. Our team, which eventually grew into what we now call the Georgia Entertainment Public Relations Alliance, spent the better

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part of a year looking into that. Our questions: “Is anyone helping companies in the entertainment industry in Georgia to market themselves?” “If not, why not?” “Is there a profitable business concept in this idea?” And, the really big question: “Where’s the money?” In the course of our research, we met with associations, government officials, and businesses large and small. We met so many great companies that were creating new film and television content, music and digital gaming. Some are local Georgia companies who’ve been in the business for many years, but many have been drawn to our state in recent years as the entertainment industry has grown, thrived and found a new home here. Many, of course, have been drawn here by tax incentives and an environment friendly to business. As with any business, most know their own areas of expertise. They’re creating excellent content and products, and they’re executing superb services. Their business plans are usually welldeveloped for creating their product.

-Equipment: Check. -Office space: Check. -Legal Counsel: Check. -Staff: Check.

What is often missed are the necessary elements to make potential customers aware of their business. That’s the marketing piece. If no one knows you exist, well, that’s just not a good business plan. So, how can you go about making sure you’ve got a good marketing plan in place? It’s important to recognize where your strengths lie. A doctor may be great in the operating room, but knows he needs to hire a plumber to put in a new sink. By that same token, filmmakers

must recognize that they should find a marketing partner once they’ve completed their film. You can jumpstart your marketing effort by knowing your audiences, creating good messaging, and conducting a good analysis of your strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. That might sound like a lot to do, but if you do it in small manageable pieces— little bites—it’s not too hard. Start by answering these questions: Audiences. Who are your customers? Who are the people, or “audiences,” you need to reach who might buy your products or services, partner with you, or refer customers your way? Often a film will have a strong appeal to a certain age, ethnic or religious community. Look for ways to reach those audiences, but don’t forget the potential broader community. By contrast, some organizations in our local entertainment industry might have a lot of other important groups to keep in mind. For example, we are currently working with the new DeKalb Entertainment Commission, and their important audiences include county officials, local businesses, studios, music producers, and digital gaming companies. Oh, and don’t ever forget your own employees. They’re a very important group to keep in mind. Messaging. How are we talking about our company, products and services? It’s important that everyone talk about the company in the same way, both internally and externally. I’ll never forget a cocktail party I attended with a client a few years ago. She was describing to someone what her company did, and I was thinking, “That’s absolutely NOT how her boss talks about their company!” But it was a great opportunity to get the company to talk as a team about how they really wanted to describe their business.

Marketers talk about “good messaging,” which just means you’re describing your film or your company in a way that’s concise and persuasive. It’s easy to get too deep into a technical description, but it’s important to keep it human and conversational. This is about how you might describe what you do if you were in an elevator and had 30 seconds to tell a fellow rider about the business. Analysis. Do a good, honest situation analysis of your business. What are your strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats? Sometimes folks call this a “SWOT” analysis. Gather up a representative group and have a frank, honest conversation about all four of these areas. This isn’t the time to be cautious. Be totally honest around the table and you’ll be amazed at what comes out. Often, we find that people have very different opinions about what really makes their company strong. Play up your strengths and take advantage of those opportunities. But anticipate threats and areas of weakness, and be prepared to address or respond to them.

Keep on Touching Your Audiences Once you’ve done all of the above, you can start thinking about tactical ways to encourage your audiences to action. Marketing isn’t about using just one tactic; it’s about doing a number of things, designed to “touch” your audiences a number of times, encouraging them to take action. That call to action is a key part of your marketing. You want people to react, to do something, or to encourage others to act, when they hear about you. That might include: -Buying tickets to your film -Telling a friend about it -Posting a review on social media -Contacting you to see if they can work on your next production -Offering to invest in your next project -Inviting you to speak to a group about your work

So now, let’s get into it:

1. Are you a member of any organizations that can help?

5. Do you have a website that is both informative, engaging, and easy to navigate?

Look at local organizations that can help you

Creating a website is no longer the incredibly

get your message out. There are many film,

technical process it once was. Nowadays,

music and gaming associations that can

you’ve got the option of doing it yourself or

connect you with the right people, including

hiring someone to build it for you. I started

the Georgia Production Partnership, Georgia

my business with a site I built myself through

Music Partners, and the Georgia Game

a service that offered all kinds of templates. I

Developers Association, to name a few.

managed my own content and edited all the

text on the site myself.

Nonprofit and service organizations will

also give members a forum to speak about

many topics. These include Rotary, Kiwanis,

the financial resources to hire a site manager

Chambers of Commerce, and Convention

who I expected to build a site that did a bit

Bureaus.

more and had a more unique look.

2. Have you considered advertising?

An Example of How All This Comes Together

Your advertising options include print, radio,

One is a project we worked on recently with

television and online. Remember that one of

Howling Wolf Productions, a Los Angeles-

the keys to an effective advertising campaign

based production company. They were

is duration. Don’t put all of your money into

premiering a new film, Restoring Tomorrow,

a few days. Rather, spread it out over several

here in Atlanta. The documentary chronicled

week or months.

the restoration of the historic Wilshire Blvd.

Temple in LA, with proceeds from the premiere

Think also about the time of day that

Eventually, as my business grew, I had

you’re buying. Different times will impact

supporting the launch of a restoration effort

different demographics.

for Fountain Hall on the Morris Brown College

An ad campaign will require an

campus.

investment in designing and producing your

advertising, plus the actual cost to place each

marketing effort, including visits to local

Howling Wolf implemented a multi-part

one.

Jewish temples to explain the film, a mediarelations effort to place stories in local media,

3. What about adding public relations to the mix?

a program to leverage the Morris Brown

Public relations, often referred to as “earned

community, and a strong social-media effort.

media,” doesn’t require the same level of

The Regal Tara 4 theater also marketed the

financial investment as advertising and often

film through their channels. This overall

has a great “third-party credibility,” since

effort resulted in a successful premiere and a

reporters are telling stories (positive ones,

two-week run.

hopefully) about you.

As with advertising, you can target your

For our work with the DeKalb

Entertainment Commission (DEC), we had the

PR to specific publications, shows on certain

good fortune to be able to start from scratch.

days or times, or online media that have lots of

Our team worked with DEC to develop their

reach.

message, name, logo and website. Once that was done, we worked with them on several

4. Are you actively engaging on social media?

launch events and helped them begin building

Make sure you’re talking about your film,

relationships with their audiences.

project or service regularly on all of your

appropriate social media channels. Don’t just

has generated earned media across metro

post once and forget about it. Share on multiple

Atlanta. We continue to work with them to

days and times to best reach your audiences.

create innovative events and to position their

executives as “thought leaders” in Georgia’s

Different social channels appeal to

An ongoing public-relations effort

different demographics. Instagram skews

entertainment industry.

young, while Facebook appeals to an older

crowd. Sometimes Twitter is a great choice, but

longer becoming a leader; it has arrived. It is

for another project, YouTube might be better.

a game changer. You are part of this state’s

success. And if you need guidance to help your

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Oz Magazine - film. tv. entertainment.

August / September 2018

TALENT OZ: We know you first and foremost as an actor, but you also saw a bit of musical success with your It-inspired single, “The Losers.” Are you currently working on an album? CJ: I won’t classify it as an EP or LP, but I’ll just say that I have something coming out soon. I have a lot of music I’ve been working on since It, so stay tuned for that. You know, it’s just all fun. That’s the way I'm trying to keep it: all fun. Of course it’s work, but it’s so much fun just being in a creative space. It’s probably good for preventing burnout, too, to flip back and forth between artistic mediums like that. Right. Very true. You know, I remember I heard someone say before that the audience is smart. They can tell when you’re actually having a great time when you’re recording, or if you’re just kind of phoning it in. The energy is even more important. It’s one of the most important aspects of a song. I could sound bad, but if you really felt what I was saying, you would feel attached to it if it was genuine. Good energy is even more important when it comes to acting, isn’t it? I imagine you’ve gotta do something to relax your mind before going on set. For me, I just pray to be myself. I think that’s the biggest thing. Of course you’re getting into your character, but one cool thing about acting is that you’re only being asked to do things that you’ve felt before in real life—or that you’ve seen somebody go through—and just stretching it. If they tell me, “OK, your sibling died in the scene.” My siblings are alive, but I know people who have experienced profound loss. Every life experience you’ve had is driving the scene. No matter how outlandish the scene may be, if I can find something real and something tangible in my life to attach to it, it can be genuine to me. Like seeing an alien: I’ve never seen an alien before, but as children, we think we see a monster under our beds. As long as I can attach something tangible or that’s real to me, the possibilities are endless. That’s the awesome thing about 42

Oz Magazine - film. tv. entertainment.

Jacobs as Will Grover, Hawaii Five-O

the acting industry: I play make-believe for a career. Hawaii Five-O on CBS was more or less your breakout role, right—your first substantive paycheck, first substantive screen time? That’s correct. Man, I love shooting that show. We shoot in Honolulu and it’s so much fun. You literally couldn’t have a better location than that. I know. It’s funny, because that was my first real gig actually being on set and shooting and having lines and everything like that. Most people are shooting in LA or Canada, but I get to shoot in Hawaii. I’m a little spoiled now. You can hit the beach at 12 o’clock at night and it’s still warm enough. In your mind, who is Will Grover, your character from Hawaii Five-O? Will Grover is a very fortunate kid. He’s a kid who has role models he can look up to. He’s a strong believer in family. Even though he and his dad go back and forth, it’s all out of love. I think that’s the most important thing. In families, you’re always going

to have your problems, but as long as the love is still there, you’re good. He has a huge family network, from his mom, to his dad, to the whole Five-O family. I think that’s a really important thing for any youth to know: “I have somebody behind me who has my back.” Everything that comes from Will Grover comes from that foundation. What are some differences you can note between working on a major network TV set and a major studio film set?

"Every life experience you've had is driving the scene." TV is much faster. A film is maybe an hour and 45 mins to two hours, and it takes months and months to shoot. But because you have that time, you can explore different things. When you’re on a TV set, you have eight days—something around that—per episode, so you’re much more on script, and it’s much more, “OK, let’s knock this scene out, then the next scene, then the next scene.” When you’re on a film, you’re like, “OK, I have four months or five months. How about we explore this, or try that?” You have the luxury of time. It’s a lot more immersive and much juicier as an actor, I suppose, to be able to get really deep into the character. It’s like a movie is a stretched-out episode. When you’re shooting television, you get your problem, your catalyst, your climax, and your conclusion all within

one episode. But with a movie, you actually get to sit with one problem for a whole shoot. You actually get the time to be like the character, and the problem is taking time, because it’s taking months to shoot the film. So, the bad guy—whatever the opposing force is—on the project, you get to sit with that and take it meticulously with each step, like you do in real life.

Again, sizing up both major films and network TV, which skills in your toolbox do you think you’ve sharpened as a result of working in each? For film, the skill I think I’ve sharpened is the professionalism of just being able to do things on the spot—if that makes sense. Actually, I’ve sharpened that with both film and television, because you can say a line and it could look really great on paper, but sometimes they’ll just say, “Do what’s natural for you.” Sometimes the wording isn’t sounding right, but you want that message to be there. As an actor, I’m better able to define my characters now. I don’t need the script; just memorizing my lines and going out there and doing it, I’m actually being a creative and saying, “OK, what do I think my character would say? How would he react to this?” And I think that’s a very

important thing, because it makes you more attached to your character. No one is telling you what to say; you just know how you feel in the scene, and therefore, your words will stem from that. Let’s talk about It for a minute. First of all, what a great film to be your boxoffice breakout. It’s a blessing. I’ve been a professional actor for about four or five years now, but just being out in L.A., a lot of my friends were in Pampers commercials. They’ve been doing this their whole lives. But some things are just a blessing. I can’t make a director like me for a role, but [Mike Hanlon, my character from It] will have a special place in my heart for eternity. It really was a special thing to be able to say, “Man, this was a great experience.” And outside of the acclaim, it was so much fun; my first introduction to a big set was so much fun. We were having sleepovers every night after shooting, going out to eat—you know, just having a real summer. That’s what kept the feeling genuine, like we talked about with music. It all ties together. If the feeling is there, then things work out. Isn’t it cool how that happens? Specific to you guys—and girl—in the main cast, i.e. “the Losers Club,” that bonding offscreen seems so critical to the onscreen chemistry. It’s important. It’ll bleed onto the screen. My momma used to tell me, “Everything bleeds into every other area. You can’t just keep one thing isolated.” Same thing on set. If I love being around my cast, you’ll feel that energy on the screen because it’s genuine. I don’t have to act. I don’t have to manufacture those feelings. It makes my job easy. “Oh, act like you’re friends.” Well, we are friends, so that’s easy.

Jacobs as Mike Hanlon, It

To me, Mike is the most layered character from a backstory perspective. The other kids are dealing with a range of typical adolescent issues, but Mike’s struggles are compounded by the race factor. As a young black man, how did Mike’s plight speak to you personally? August / September 2018

TALENT

"Was I proud of it? Was it something that I learned from?"

everyone has faith in me, if I doubt myself, I won’t make it.” Excellent point. And things are made even more difficult for him, because he’s the most isolated of the kids until he meets the other Losers.

Looking at Mike’s character, I think he just represents being human. Like you said, all the Losers—actually, everyone in [the town of] Derry—has their issues, everyone has their conflicts. That’s what makes it a great story, a great movie, and a great script. The thing that makes Mike’s character special is that being himself is something that he’s having to contend with. It’s one of the few things that makes him special within the film. Most of the other guys’ problems are external, but Mike’s conflict has less to do with somebody’s expectations of him than it does with somebody’s idea of what he isn’t. It’s more of an internal struggle, rather than, “Oh, somebody’s coming to hurt me.” The real struggle is, “Man, I’ve gone through all these things; I’ve seen things happen. I don’t even know if I’m worthy, or if I can even handle good things in my life.” That is what’s so special about Mike the character, because that’s so real. The hardest battle is the internal battle. “If everybody doubts me, but I have faith in myself, I can make it. But even if 44

Oz Magazine - film. tv. entertainment.

Right. He’s never experienced that. I even feel like, when you look at his grandfather, some people may say he was harsh to him. But, as a grandfather, we don’t know the things he has experienced. I don’t even think he’s trying to be harsh, I just think he’s trying to prepare him for what the world is going to be. And as a child, you can’t understand that. You’re like, “I don’t understand why you’re being like this,” because you don’t know the consequences of what life is yet. So, even that outside pressure of, “Man, I go to town and people are bullying me; I come back home, and I have all this pressure from my grandpa. I don’t get a break.” But that’s what he gets from the Losers: people who aren’t pressuring him. “Just be you. Do what you like to do.” That’s why he cherishes those relationships. Tell me about It director Andy Muschetti’s style on set, with regard to working with his actors. He’s an actors’ director, man, he’s awesome. The whole production team, they are so amazing. Being on set, it’s dangerous to work with young actors, you know? Because we are young, I bet there are times on set when we’re goofing off a little bit too much, and that just comes with it. They let us know, though, that they

have faith in us, and that’s a real boost in confidence. It wasn’t, “Hey, are y’all gonna be ready?” No, it’s, “I know y’all are ready. Have a good time and I’ll see y’all on set.” And that energy he brought to the table boosted our energy. It was, “We can do anything, because our director, our producer, everybody thinks that we’re capable. Therefore, we must be capable.” And that’s the thing I love about Andy, the fact that he’s an actors’ director who cares about his actors. He doesn’t just care about the bottom line—“Oh, I’ve gotta get this film done.” He cares about, “Oh, what do you think about this? What do you think your character would say? How does this make you feel? As an actor, how do you think Mike feels in this situation?” It’s really empowering, and I love that. Are you still friends with any of the Losers in real life? Yes, we hang out so much. Like I said, because we were together so much and had such a great time, we’re friends outside of the film. Every time we’re in each other’s cities, we all hang out. When we do events together, we all hang out; we have group chats and things like that. We’re gonna be lifelong friends because we did It together. Everybody has a special place in one another’s hearts.

Have you talked to Finn Wolfhard since he started shooting Stranger Things Season 3?

Very, very young. I grew up in Atlanta, it’s just that my family is from Massachusetts. Like, my sports teams are all Massachusetts. I always let everybody know, because once a sports conversation comes up, I’m siding with those teams. But I love Atlanta. I love Georgia. Is it true that your first acting job was for a Hot Wheels commercial? How did that come about? Did you just audition like every other kid? Yep, I just auditioned, man. I got an agent, I auditioned, and I got the Hot Wheels commercial. I was ecstatic and I got to play with Hot Wheels all day. I came home with a Hot Wheels set. I couldn’t have asked for more.

"That's what's so unique about this group: We weren't just acting, we're real friends. And it carries through the film." Yeah, yeah. His band, Calpurnia, they had a show in Atlanta, and I hit him up to wish him good luck. It’s just a real family vibe, you know? With each other’s successes outside of It, it’s like, “How you doing? You did a good job on this. Good luck, and I can’t wait to see it.”

Who was your agent at the time?

J Pervis in Atlanta.

You mostly live in LA now, but is it refreshing to still have a home base here in Atlanta, so that you can bounce back and forth? I love it. Whenever I just need a break and need to slow it down, we have a place in Buckhead, right around Lenox. Atlanta is awesome for that. You know, just coming home, I know where the good food is, and I get to see family and friends … It’s just different vibes. Totally different. You get a different cup of tea. Everyone’s going to LA to chase after their dreams. Here, everybody’s just

trying to have a good time and eat. “You need some sugar? Come over and knock on my door. I’ve got you.” Let’s talk It: Chapter 2. Have you guys already started filming? No, we haven’t. We haven’t gotten a date yet, we just know it’s this year. I don’t even know who’s playing my older version yet. (Editor’s note: Shortly before deadline, it was announced that Isaiah Mustafa will play the older Mike Hanlon). They haven’t released that information, but I’m excited for when it comes out. Let’s move on to what we’re here to promote primarily, which is Castle Rock. (Editor’s note: This interview was conducted prior to Castle Rock’s July 25 premiere on Hulu.) I’ve read as much as I can on it, but I'm not sure I fully understand the format over the course of the season. Is it a continuous storyline, or is it individually wrapped episodes within the sphere of the town of Castle Rock? The best way I can explain it, without giving up too much, is that Castle Rock is a compilation of Stephen King stories. I can’t say too much about what’s happening within the season, but if you watch the trailer, you’ll see different Easter eggs for different Stephen King projects. Therefore, it’s a big jumble of Stephen King material with a touch of J.J. Abrams. It’s going to have that similar vibe that Stephen King always brings to it.

That’s nice to hear. Because from what I’ve gathered in the 12 years I’ve been interviewing entertainers, it’s somewhat rare to retain close friendships after filming. That’s what’s so unique about this group: We weren’t just acting, we’re real friends. And it carries through the film. You were born in Massachusetts. At what age did you move to Atlanta?

(From left) It cast members Sophia Lillis, Wyatt Olef, Jack Dylan Glazer, Finn Wolfhard, Jeremy Ray Taylor, Jaeden Lieberher, and Chosen Jacobs at the 2018 MTV Movie & TV Awards. They later took home the honor for Best On-Screen Team August / September 2018

TALENT Will there be any new Stephen King material, or are we repurposing classic pieces?

long as I get better. You know, “What’s my best?” It’s all about improvement.

It’s everything. I can’t specify which ones, but it’s everything. I can say that.

In other words, you’re all about mastering the craft and letting the rest follow? Yeah, just homing in on it. The biggest joy and obstacle to acting is just choosing the roles you’ll love and the roles that are going to stretch you. Choosing It was a no-brainer for me because I loved the history and I knew it would be an awesome experience to shoot that film. So, that was one choice for me. Going forward, it’s about, “What is that role that’s gonna be different and unique for me, and am I gonna grow from it?” It’s about being very meticulous about the roles and everything else I choose— the music or the acting. Whatever adventures I get into, it’s about choosing the opportunities that will suit me best. If it’s successful or unsuccessful, that’s not the point for me. It’s, “Was I proud of it? Was it something that I learned from?”

Have you signed on for any new projects for the near future, or is your plate pretty full with It: Chapter 2 and Hawaii Five-O?

"I think the main goal is always just growth." Actually, I worked on a new show called American Woman that premiered June 7. That was actually the first time I had ever shot in L.A. Other than that, right now it’s just It: 2, Castle Rock and Hawaii Five-O. If you could have your way, where would your ideal career trajectory ultimately lead you?

Oz Magazine - film. tv. entertainment.

Well, first off, I think the main goal is always just growth, whatever form that comes in. As long as I can look back and see that I improved—let’s say from 16 to 20, 20 to 30, and so on and so forth—as

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TALENT

Oz Magazine - film. tv. entertainment.

August / September 2018

TALENT

"My Mother called it the Irish freeze."

rojecting as loudly as possible over the cacophony of traffic at a busy intersection near her Eastlake home, Atlantaraised actress Catherine Dyer stirs her midday coffee with a deliberate, measured intensity and lasers her ice-blue eyes directly into those of her interviewer. “My mother called it ‘the Irish freeze,’” she says, mimicking the affect that has become her golden goose. “She would give you that look, and it’d be like, ‘OK, Mom, got it!’”

Oz Magazine - film. tv. entertainment.

The look in question is one best categorized as severe, incisive, intelligent, cutting—that of a woman not to be trifled with. And over the past several decades, Dyer has managed to wield it to her advantage like a rusty sling blade. Jokingly, she dismisses it as a case of genetic “RBF” (resting [expletive] face), yet she acknowledges its effectiveness in the casting room. Her list of credits is indeed a running litany of no-nonsense women who aren’t afraid to emphasize the “B” sandwiched into that unflattering acronym. Take, for instance, Dyer’s menacing turn as Agent Connie Frazier in Stranger Things; her appearance as the disapproving Mrs. Smith in The Blind Side; her quickly evolving role as Chastain Park Memorial Hospital’s head-busting head nurse, Alexis Stevens, from the hit Fox medical drama, The Resident—a quick cross-referencing of each yields an obvious common thread. “One of the producers said, ‘We need a good, head-[expletive] nurse,’” Dyer quips of the latter. But thankfully, the character didn’t remain one-dimensional for long. “The first episode, yeah, she was harsh. But

the second episode, they had her soften a little bit. Which I thought was interesting, because I was prepared to keep going harsh. But they had written her as having a heart and being fully behind her favorite nurse. Even though she’s tough with her, she knows she’s a great nurse.” Despite her career’s tried-and-true selling point, Dyer is certainly no onetrick pony. She’s been committed to the craft since she was in her teens, and was formally trained at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York long before her first onscreen appearance alongside Glenn Frey and Aries Spears in the early’90s detective series, South of Sunset. At the Academy, Dyer says, “I learned a love of theater, of reading, of history. Back then, it was all theater. No on-camera classes. Everything I know about on-camera work, I learned on set.” Following graduation, she earned her sea legs on the off-off-Broadway stage, tending just enough bar and waiting just the right number of tables to eke out the next month’s rent. “I was doing theater in the East Village at University of the Streets,” Dyer reminisces, “real guerrilla

theater.” She later dabbled in a pinch of voiceover work as well. Her emergence as a renowned, highly sought actress didn’t actually hit until 2009, however, when The Blind Side detonated over the domestic box office like a thermonuclear bomb. In the decades between, she learned the business inside and out as a development assistant for Lifetime’s Original Movies Department; a supervising producer for A&E Biography (work for which she earned an Emmy nomination in 2003); and a recurring role as Lt. Col. Margaret Riley on the popular Lifetime series, Army Wives. “Of course, no one knew how big The Blind Side was going to be,” Dyer marvels. “At the screening, it was still considered an independent film with a big name, Sandra Bullock, attached to it.” But you better believe it was a rented mule that Bullock’s castmates could beat all the way to the bank, if parlayed with any semblance of talent and tact. Dyer packed plenty of both, so to this day her schedule stays packed to the hilt. In 2018 alone, she filmed eight major projects apart from The Resident, including the highly anticipated An Actor Prepares, opposite Jeremy Irons (“You haven’t lived until you’ve stepped on Jeremy Irons’ lines,” Dyer jokes); The Darkest Minds with Bradley Whitford; and Nappily Ever After with Sanaa Lathan and Ernie Hudson. The Resident Season 2, meanwhile, is scheduled to begin filming later this year.

August / September 2018

OZ SCENE Reception

Lauren Rudeseal

June 14

The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Announces Winners of the 44th Annual Southeast Emmy® Awards

he 44th Annual Southeast Emmy® Awards had a special ceremony at the Grand Hyatt Buckhead in Atlanta on June 17th, 2018. Winners were announced in 86 categories including News Anchor, Reporter, Outstanding Documentary and Interactivity, among others. The awards recognize outstanding achievement by individuals and programs broadcast throughout the 2017 calendar year. Atlanta NBC affiliate WXIA-TV was the most honored outlet with 29 Emmy Awards, including Overall Excellence and News Excellence. WSB-TV’s Channel 2 Action News at 5 received the Emmy Awards for Outstanding Newscast. WSB-TV and WGCL-TV tied for Outstanding Morning Newscast Emmy Award. Individual honors included WGCL’s Adam

Harding (General Assignment Reporter, News Reporter-Live), WXIA’s Cheryl Preheim (News Anchor) and WXIA’s Erin Peterson (News Producer). WRBC’s Rick Karle received the Emmy Award for Sports Anchor and WTVA’s Matt Laubhan was honored as Weather Anchor. In addition, the Governors’ Award was bestowed upon Wilbur Fitzgerald, Shay Bentley-Griffin, Melissa Goodman and Ric Reitz. This group was instrumental in securing the 2008 Entertainment Tax Incentive that propelled Georgia to a leading position for network television production. Because of their vision, Hollywood has come to Georgia and brought with it thousands of jobs and billions of dollars in economic impact. CNN Anchor Fredricka Whitfield emceed the gala. Other presenters included

Pinewood Studios Atlanta President Frank Patterson, “Stranger Things” actress Bethany DeZelle, from “Spotlight” and “The Post”, Michael Cyril Creighton and many highly acclaimed journalists working across the Southeast. With more than 1200 entries from a fivestate region, the 2018 ceremony marks the most entered EMMY® Awards season in the organization’s history. A detailed listing of all awards verifed by the independent accountancy firm of Salus Consulting is posted at www. SoutheastEmmy.com. This extraordinary gala is made possible by SCAD, Premier Partner of the 44th Annual Southeast EMMY® Awards. Special thanks to our Official Sponsors, including Chick-fil-A, Home Depot, Pinewood Atlanta Studios, TBS and TNT.

David Chandley

Marcie Peterson and Erin Peterson Gutierrez Paula Cristina Rodriguez 52

Oz Magazine - film. tv. entertainment.

Matt Pearl

OZ SCENE

(Left to right) Melissa Goodman, Ric Reitz, Shay-Bentley Griffin, and Wilbur Fitzgerald

Karyn Greer, David K. and Darryl B Cohen

Michael Cyril Creighton

Brendan Keefe

Shiba Russell and Myra Sky

Fredericka Whitfeld from CNN

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August / September 2018

OZ SCENE Rachel Watanabe-Batton MCU

June 16

Women in Production Summit

Lynne Hansen Make (Films Like A Girl with Summit poster

he Women in Production (WIP) Summit is a story of numbers. For the third year, five organizations representing women in the media and entertainment industry filled hundreds of seats with women who want to create the most inclusive and women-friendly media market in the country.. It’s also an exploration of how these organizations can raise the numbers of women working across a spectrum of industry jobs and include varied voices in Georgia-generated content. WIP Summit is organized by Producers Guild of America Women’s Impact Network (PGA WIN), Women in Film & Television/ Atlanta (WIFTA), Black Women’s Film

Network (BWFN), Film Fatales and the Alliance of Women Directors. The Atlanta Film Society is the event’s fiscal sponsor. This year’s Summit, held on June 16 at the Plaza Theatre, tackled the idea of “Culture Shift,” with featured speakers Rachel Watanabe-Batton, Esther Pearl, and Judiffier Pearson. The Safety Shot Initiative, which was formed by Gabrielle Pickle, Laura Lundy Wheale, Deborah Gonzales, and Suzan Satterfield to study and offer information about how to combat sexual harassment in the film/media industry, offered updates including state senator Deborah Gonzales’ efforts to pass legislation in Georgia to address current loopholes.

Dianne Butler

Safety Shot Panel with Deborah Gonzales & Suzan Satterfield

Plaza Theatre lobby reception Judiffier Pearson

Meredith-Riley-Stewart Producer Flip The Script

Oz Magazine - film. tv. entertainment.

Speakers & Planning Committee: Back Row: Saptosa Foster, Judiffier Pearson, Suzan Satterfield, Lisa Ferrell, Fran Burst, Meredith Riley Stewart, Deidre McDonald Front Row, Kristina Adler, Laura Lundy Wheale, Rachel Watanabe-Batton and Esther Pearl

Esther Pearl Camp Reel Stories

OZ SCENE (From left) Shark Attack panelists Chris Helton, John Adcox, Erin Bethea, and Stan Shkilnyi

Host and founder Bernadette Boas presents the Best Pitch Award to Bora Ercan, 32 Seconds of Sanity

June 21

Creative + Investor Shark Attack

James Walchle, Mrs. J

n late June, Ball of Fire Media presented the Ritz Group’s Fourth Annual Creative + Investor Shark Attack at The Ivy in Buckhead, sponsored by Kugarand Capital Holdings. The event included both an educational and social forum to connect, learn and grow with the aid of a workshop, “How to Package, Finance and Sell Your Film.” Content creators were encouraged to bring their stories to life while putting Georgia talent to work, leveraging the infrastructure that has made Georgia the number-one state for filmmaking in recent years. With capacity crowds filling the venue for yet another run, the capstone “Shark Attack” pitch event, created by Ritz Group visionary Larry White, has been produced by Atlanta-based screenwriter and Ball of

Fire Media CEO, Bernadette Boas, since 2015. A full roster of industry experts contributed their tips, advice, and reality-checks. Among them were Erin Bethea and Drew Waters of Argentum Entertainment; John Adcox of Gramarye Media, Inc.; Stanislav Shkilnyi of Crogan Filmworks, LLC; Chris DeBlasio of Agency 850; Karen Rands of Kugarand Capital Holdings; Eileen O’Neill of EY; and Chris Helton of Silver Line Films, Inc. Community Partners included Women in Film and Television Atlanta (WIFTA); Morin Entertainment Law; Production Accounting and Crew Services International (PACS); Atlanta Nova House; Agency 850; Cromwell Parkes Photography; and Burst Video/ Film Inc.

Shelby Hofer, Film Incubator/Heroine

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Mark Goodman, Forgiving a Good Man

July 2

“Bling for Bill”

ormer Crawford, and industry colleagues gathered together in support of two of their own, Nena and Bill Thompson. Bling for Bill celebrated the love that grows between the couple even as Bill’s memory fades—one of the far-reaching consequences of early onset Alzheimer’s. In partnership with India Hicks lifestyle brand, Bling for Bill brought folks together in a beautiful setting, sampling wine and cheese, and sharing stories, and laughter among dear friends. 25% of all sales were donated to assist with Bill’s ongoing care.

Brennen Dicker, Karen Oberman, Giulia Bundesmann, Carol Cottrill, Kathy Schlesinger., Craig Miller, Nena Thompson, Kathy Gray, (front) Candice Alger

From 2006-2010 Bill Thompson was the Deputy Commissioner of the Film, Music and Digital Entertainment Division of Georgia’s Department of Economic Development. Through his hard work with his team, and working with The Georgia Production Partnership, IATSE 479 and other key contributors, they achieved the passing of the Georgia Entertainment Industry Investment Act which put Georgia on the map as a dominate player in film & television production.

August / September 2018

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