film & tv • print • new media • lifestyle feb/march 2013
Live Streaming: The Next Seismic Shift, p. 22
Greening the Set, p. 34
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in t h is iss u e 22 F E A T UR E S Cover Story - Live Streaming, The Next Seismic Shift
p. 22
Feature Story - Greening the Set
p. 34
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C O LU M N S Ozcetera p. 8 Behind the Camera w/ Drewprops - Give Me the Barrel! p. 32 Voices
Oz Scene - Georgia Entertainment GALA
p. 40 p. 42
How I Got into the Business p. 46 Let Me Give You My Card p. 49 Ad Campaigns p. 50
O Z M A G A Z I N E S TA F F CO V ER A RT Bill Mayer, 2013
Publishers: Tia Powell - Group Publisher, Gary Wayne Powell - Publisher Mukari Butler - Assistant to Group Publisher Editorial: Gary Powell - Ozcetera Editor Elizabeth Carter - Research Contributors: John Kabashinski, Andrew Duncan, Diane Lasek, Monique McGlockton Sales: Diane Lasek, Monique McGlockton IT/Database Administrator: John Cleveland Sherman, III
www.thebillmayer.com
Design: Christina Wingfield - Designer Sarah Medina - Production Artist & Designer Rositsa Germanova - Production Artist & Designer Ted Fabella, Logo Design
Visit us on the web at www.ozmagazine.com, www.ozonline.tv, www.facebook.com/ozpublishing Oz Magazine is published bi-monthly by Oz Publishing, Inc • 2566 Shallowford Road • #302, Suite 104 • Atlanta, GA 30345 • (404) 633-1779 Copyright 2013 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.
cont r i b u to r s Rositsa Germanova is a Graphic Design student at Kennesaw State University. She is very passionate about visual arts and enjoys creating bold and meaningful designs for print and web. Besides graphic design she also loves hiking, biking or just being outdoors with her family. Some samples of her work can be found at rosigermanova.com. Voices Article Design, p. 40
Andrew Duncan, known in the motion picture industry as “Drewprops”, has been writing about the craft of filmmaking from the inside out since the mid-1990’s. His confusing and often embarrassing stories from behind the scenes provide a unique insight into the craft of filmmaking from the perspective of the shooting crew, artists, and designers who bring your favorite films to life on the big screen. www.drewprops.com Behind the Camera w/ Drewprops, p. 32 Diane Lasek has been involved in the film and television industry for 20+ years, most of that time as a marketing and salesperson. She is currently working as a sales consultant on the Oz Publishing team and enjoys getting to know all of the hard-working creative folks working across Georgia. In her spare time she is a beekeeper, master gardener and has a little organic soil amendment company for your gardening needs. That can be found at www.smartdirtorganics.com. Feature, p. 34 John Kabashinski is a freelance writer and owner of Media Stream Pro, providing media streaming consulting, production and website development. John is also a three-time Emmy nominated writer, director and producer with over twenty years of experience creating across multiple platforms, including producing home videos for MTV, redesigning an exhibit for Motorola at Epcot Center and receiving a Froggy Award for best image campaign in the nation from the WB Network. Check out John’s blog at mediastreampro.com. Cover Story, p. 22
Andr out s of film
There are sometime sticks arou
Monique McGlockton is a writer/producer working on several projects with tenacious effort in order to score something BIG.. Previously worked in various areas of production. She is 1/3 of a unique fashion accessory group, MM3. She enjoys wogging (walk/jogging), helping others and is currently teaching herself to play the acoustic guitar! Yowwww.... She can be reached at monique@ozonline.tv. Voices, p. 40
Christina Wingfield is a freelance graphic designer, illustrator and painter. She lives in Northwest Atlanta with her husband Kevin, and two wily dogs, Chewie & Cleveland. When she is not working, Christina enjoys tennis, outdoor festivals, and the Atlanta Braves. christina-wingfield.squarespace.com Cover Story Design, p. 22
FLASHBA
It was n Novem
Oz Publishing, Inc. PRESENTS:
Flight Joyful Noise Neighborhood Watch Marriage Counselor Parental Guidance The Three Stooges Contagion The Odd Life of Timothy Green American Reunion The Goats Jayne Mansfield’s Car The Collection What To Expect When You’re Expecting Good Deeds The Wettest County Papa The Reluctant Fundamentalist Savannah Crackerjack The Trials and Tribulations of a Trailer Trash Housewife Soul Ties When The Bough Breaks Echo at 11 Oak Drive Footloose The Change Up Hall Pass Fast 5 Wanderlust X Men: First Class For Colored Girls Big Momma’s: Like Father, Like Son Terminal Madea’s Big Happy Family Mean Girls 2 My Super Psycho Sweet 16 2 Courageous 96 Minutes Panama City Fishers of Men Eye of the Hurricane The Ivy League The Last Song Zombieland Get Low The Crazies The Conspirator Stomp The Yard 2 Killers Life As We Know It Due Date Lottery Ticket Halloween 2 The Blind Side I Can Do Bad All by Myself My Super Psycho Sweet 16 Why Did I Get Married Too? The Greening of Whitney Brown Delgo The Preacher’s Kid The Joneses Road Trip II The Way Home Van Wilder III Fireproof Living Is Winning The Family That Preys Pastor Brown Madea Goes to Jail Why Did I Get Married? Meet the Browns Conjurer Mrs. Hobbes’ House The Lena Baker Story
The Hill Good Intentions Dance of the Dead Three Can Play That Game Facing the Giants The Signal We Are Marshall One Missed Call Daddy’s Little Girls Stomp the Yard Revenge of the Nerds Motives 2 Megahertz The Yellow Wallpaper Baby Blues Dirty Laundry Charlie And The Chocolate Factory Crystal River Madea’s Family Reunion Randy and the Mob Shiver The Derby Stallion The Gospel The Last Adam ATL Dark Remains First Offense Beauty Shop Delgo The Unseen Heavens Fall Diary of a Mad Black Woman A Complex Occupation The Lady from Sockholm Stroke of Genius 2001 Maniacs The Undertow Motive Say Yes The Last Goodbye Dumb & Dumber 2 The Clearing The Adventures of Ociee Nash The Fighting Temptations Drumline Sweet Home Alabama We Were Soldiers Tara Delivery Boy Chronicles Honeybee Losing Grace The Gift Run Ronnie Run Unshackled Good Neighbor Brass Tacks The Accountant (Short) The Legend of Bagger Vance Road Trip Remember the Titans Forces of Nature The Initiate False River Letters From A Wayward Son The General’s Daughter Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil Scream II In the Flesh Raney The Gingerbread Man Claudine’s Return The Real Reason That Darn Cat
How I Spent My Summer Vacation Black Dog Wild America Something to Talk About Now and Then Beat Daddies The Neon Bible Electric Tribe Cobb Fluke A Simple Twist of Fate Forrest Gump Deadly Run The War Drop Squad Camilla Gordy Kleptomania Midnight Edition The Real McCoy Boxing Helena Kalifornia Consenting Adults Pet Sematary II Trespass Hot House Fried Green Tomatoes Basket Case 3 My Cousin Vinny Robo Cop 3 Free Jack Dutch The Three Muscatels Livin’ Large Love Potion #9 Paris Trout Love Crimes Golden Boy Not Without My Daughter Career Opportunities Flight of the Intruder Blue Plate Special Driving Miss Daisy Glory Fast Food Blood Salvage The Return of Swamp Thing No Holds Barred The Judas Project 1969 Sleepaway Camp III Sleepaway Camp II Now I Know Now Blindside School Daze Stars and Bars Leader of the Band Dead Aim Mosquito Coast Made in Heaven Friday l3th: Jason Lives Funland Manhunter Impure Thoughts From a Whisper to a Scream The Local Stigmatic Summer Rental Annihilators A Killing Affair Tomorrow Invasion Doorman The Heavenly Kid Something Special
The Slugger’s Wife The Bear Blast Fighter Door to Door Blue Heaven Mutant Tank The Long Ride Marvin and Tige The Big Chill Byline (American Snitch) Stroker Ace Tennessee Stallion The Sender Six Pack Sharky’s Machine Tales of Ordinary Madness Heartaches If You Could See What I Hear The Slayer Baker County Hard Feelings White Death Scared to Death The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia Escape from New York City Four Seasons Cannonball Run Fear National The Sheriff and Satellite Kid II Smokey and the Bandit II Tough City Phobia Never Trust an Honest Thief Hopscotch Edie and Ely Long Riders Carny Little Darlings The Prize Fighter Wise Blood The Sheriff and the Satellite Kid GORP The Visitor Swan They Went Thataway and Thataway The Double McGuffin Our Winning Season The Lincoln Conspiracy Smokey and the Bandit Greased Lightning The Great Georgia Bank Hoax The Grasshopper Whiskey Mountain Grizzley Squirm False Face Gator Kiss of the Tarantula The Farmer Bingo Long Let’s Do It Again Return to Macon County Line The Night They Robbed Big Bertha’s UFO Target Earth The Longest Yard Cockfighter Poor Pretty Eddie House on Skull Mountain Moonrunners Distance Conrack Buster and Billie The Fantasy World of Charlie Moon The Last Stop Deliverance
Crew & Talent from television series, documentaries, commercials & on-air talent are included as well. For an entire list of productions shot in Georgia, visit www.ozmagazine.com/shotingeorgia.
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Crawford’s Natural History
Anna Chase Joins Tribe Anna Chase has joined Tribe, Inc. as account coordinator. Tribe is an internal communications firm working with national and global brands to build employee engagement. As account coordinator, Chase provides a high level of support for the entire account management team. She previously was a market research representative for CORA Rehabilitation Clinics in Orlando. Chase also worked with Jewett Orthopaedic Clinic on social media and helped physicians there develop presentations for a lecture series. She has also worked in marketing for the Florida Marlins as well as FOX Sports Network. Chase earned her B.A. in Journalism and Mass Communication, with distinction, from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Schultz Joins Hayslett
New Hayslett Group senior account manager, Catherine Schultz. Hayslett Group LLC has hired Catherine Schultz as the company’s newest senior account manager. Previously, Schultz spent three years on the corporate communications team of an Atlanta-based financial technology company. She brings with her experience in social media management, internal communications, and project management, among other disciplines. Schultz graduated from the University of Milwaukee-Wisconsin with a degree in English.
Crawford Media Services mobile app for Fernbank Museum of Natural History.
Crawford Media Services recently completed work on a new Mobile Application for The Fernbank Museum of Natural History. Using innovative and highly accurate location-based technology for the application and Wi-Fi network (free to the public), Crawford collaborated with AT&T, Cisco and Meridian to bring Fernbank’s vision of a new kind of learning experience to life. The Crawford team provided content creation and design for The Meridian Mobility platform. The Meridian platform and content management system allowed Crawford to focus on the user experience and the design of walk-through companions including gamified content for one of the key features, The Paleontologist’s Journal. Exploring the Museum as a paleontologist will be the first journal experience which includes a combination of audio, video, touch-screen interactives, animation, sketchbook activities and location based question-andanswer challenges. This unique experience is available via the Fernbank Meridian application for both iOS and Android.
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Crawford’s Natural History (cont.)
Crawford Media Services creative director, Jim Bowhall, who worked with the team at Fernbank to develop the content said, “One of the goals of this project was to create and introduce a platform for growth, using cutting edge technology and engaging content. The platform will expand and grow over time, allowing for continued development of limitless experiences for scientists and knowledge seekers of all ages.” Other members of the Crawford team included lead developer Andrew Enyart and user experience designer, Michael Allenberg. The new Fernbank app uses the intelligence of the Wi-Fi network to triangulate and deliver pinpoint information to visitors and allows them to experience the museum in new ways. This includes initiating multimedia content as the visitor walks up to static exhibits. Special “journals” that are customized and focused on scientific disciplines aid in educating users, with the option of sharing their experience through social media feeds. Crawford Media Management is buzzing with activity, branching out in Latin America, increasing their migration abilities, launching a major digitization project for Cox Enterprises, launching the prestigious American Archive project and adding personnel. CMS expanded its capacity for digitizing legacy formats. In addition to our 24 existing digitization streams, they have installed a new video migration pod that provides an additional 14 streams of simultaneous ingest, working around the clock. The national cultural institution of Mexico is known as Conaculta. Conaculta’s public broadcasting network is Canal 22. In one of their most
ambitious projects, Crawford, working with Impactel in Mexico, has taken on the task of migrating 15,000 hours of Canal 22 content for Conaculta. Crawford was able to migrate all 15,000 hours in a record 75 days. Comprising over 37,000 hours of content from 42,000 sources, The James M. Cox Foundation and WSB-TV chose the Media Management Division of Crawford Media Services to digitize its legacy formats. In addition to creating master and proxy files of the content, Crawford is photographing each source’s footage log and tape label. Crawford also created a unique solution for file delivery by establishing an Ethernet private line directly between Crawford and WSB. Completed files are delivered directly into the WSB Avid production environment via the network connection. CMS has begun digitizing assets for the much anticipated American Archive project. The Crawford Media Management team, in collaboration with CPB, AudioVisual Preservation Solutions and WGBH, will digitize 40,000 hours of public broadcasting content over the next 18 months. And finally, Crawford introduces two new experts in the media management division. Clark Cofer has over 20 years of experience in the media industry and is bringing his extensive background of project management, salesmanship, production and corporate consciousness here to Crawford. Deborah Catrini has worked in communications, marketing and television for over 30 years. She has a rich background in selling, media relations, and media production.
Goat 4 Sale Kudos to Pogo Pictures for being selected as a Doritos Crash the Super Bowl 2013 Finalist. By the time you have this issue of Oz Magazine in your hot little hands, we’ll know if their hilarious commercial, “Goat 4 Sale,” made the final cut and ended up on national TV during the broadcast of Super Bowl 47. Pogo Pictures owner Steve Colby is a goat owner. One of his Doritos loving goats, Moose, stars in the commercial. Pogo’s Ben Callner directed.
Pogo Pictures’ “Goat for Sale” may knock it out of the park for Doritos on Super Bowl Sunday.
Fingers and toes crossed!
www.ozmagazine.com OZ MAGAZINE
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cetera
Radiant3 Makes a Move
Radiant3 shifts focus and location.
Radiant3 celebrated its 5th birthday in January with a move to a spankin’ new office location affectionately nicknamed “The Ranch.” “The new space represents our shift in focus toward production and production services,” said founder James Boston. “We still handle our fair share of post, but our new setup is great for helping us better manage production for ourselves and our clients.” During this short time, Radiant3 has amassed a diverse client base that spans the globe. The R3 team has recently worked on creative commercial and industrial projects for Beats by Dre, AT&T, the Untie Atlanta commercial campaign and music videos for national recording artists Gavin DeGraw and T.I.
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In December, Elle Richardson joined Radiant3 as executive producer and project manager for corporate accounts . . . and anything else that needs storytelling. Since then she’s been busy putting together the 2013 video campaign for Professional Photographers of America. Richardson received her degree from the University of Georgia and is a past president of Women in Film and Television Atlanta. OZ MAGAZINE www.ozmagazine.com
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ASO’s Embarrassing Moments Fred Funk in skinny jeans? Fred Couples as an art critic? Funk on the dance floor at a family wedding, captured on camera phone by Corey Pavin? These situations are certainly out of their normal pro golfer comfort zones in Mitsubishi Electric US Cooling & Heating Division’s (“Mitsubishi Electric”) new ads on TV and online. Developed by agency of record, Ames Scullin O’Haire (ASO), three of six new spots debuted on the Golf Channel’s coverage of The Mitsubishi Electric Championship at Hualalai. Mitsubishi Electric is a corporate sponsor of the PGA Champions Tour. ASO handled both the creative development and the media buy, which targets homeowners 25-54 with a household income of $75,000+.
Credits include: Advertising Agency, Ames Scullin O’Haire; Chief Adman, Patrick Scullin; Creative Director/Copywriter, Mike Bourne; Creative Director/Art Director, Ryan Mikesell; Senior Broadcast Producer, Shaun Campbell; Account Supervisor, Maureen Dabrowa; Media, Director – Engagement, Steve Harding; Director, Chris Bean, MacGuffin Films; Production, Golf Channel; Music, Genuine Music; Composers, John Ferreira and Mike Bourne; Audio Mix, CRC – Chicago Recording Company; Audio Engineer, Mark Ruff; Producer, Rose Razal; Editorial, Beast Editorial; Editor, Jeff “The Hammer” Jay; and Executive Producer, Molly “Paid In Full” Baroco.
News Flash: Make-Up Artist Does Own Makeup
Atlanta make-up artist and “her girls.”
Make-up artist and hair stylist Melody Knighton is not what she seems... at least when she portrays any of the celebrities that she impersonates. Though she enjoys working with all manner of film and TV productions, most of her time is spent traveling the world performing in theaters, award banquets, casinos, trade shows, festivals, fundraisers, television, parades and private parties. She’s even made internet appearances. Knighton not only looks like her girls, Dolly Parton, Lucille Ball, Joan Crawford, and Marlene Dietrich, she’s worked hard to sound and play the parts as well. We are still determining whether she does makeup on set while made-up as one of her girls.
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Cartoons with a Cause Timbuktoons work landed on two new ABC’s “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” Specials. The creative services donated were part of Timbuktoons’ “Cartoons With A Cause” project. Timbuktoons collaborated with people across the nation, including the design team from the show, to produce custom illustrated room murals for two deserving families. The creative services were part of the show’s Lincolnton, North Carolina and San Antonio, Texas builds. Previously, Timbuktoons worked on the Augusta, Georgia build. “One of our core values at Timbuktoons is ‘childhood is important,’ and donating our time and skills to the EM:HE builds fits with who we are as a company” said owner and founder, Todd Hampson. “We’re just big kids, so it was really fun to tap into our inner child and work on projects that will encourage creativity and play for two great children,” said Sean Copley, Creative Director. “Plus, we got to design wall murals with three of our favorite things, Toy Story, robots and superheroes.” For the Lincolnton build, Timbuktoons worked with the design team in LA to create a custom illustrated and decorated room that portrays the child as creator, artist, superhero and star of his own show. For the San Antonio build, they were privileged to incorporate characters from Disney/Pixar’s Toy Story into a wild west themed wall treatment complete with real train sets.
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Awards with a Mountain View
Big Things Big Picture Casting is doing some big things. Their first major feature film, “A.C.O.D.,” is going to Sundance Film Festival. BPC cast over a dozen roles from the Southeast. Congratulations to all the filmmakers and the fabulous cast. In addition, their first TV pilot casting, “How to Live to 100,” starring Jason Wrobel (a.k.a “King of Superfoods”), premiered in January on the Cooking Channel. The pilot was written, directed and produced in Atlanta. Other recent client projects included Moe’s, AutoTrader, Perrigo, Georgia Lottery and Coca-Cola.
LEGOLAND Builds with The Dalton Agency LEGOLAND® Florida has selected The Dalton Agency to provide national public relations and social media services for the rapidly expanding theme park. LEGOLAND Florida, Central Florida’s newest theme park, is a 150-acre interactive theme park dedicated to families with children between the ages of 2 and 12. The park features more than 50 rides, shows and attractions and a new water park. It is one of the only Central Florida theme parks solely focused on providing rides and entertainment to young children and their families. The agency will use an integrated approach to public relations and social media based on their experience with multiple clients in the tourism industry to help build consumer awareness and loyalty.
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Mountain View Group, Ltd. and its client partners were recognized recently by several international competitions with prestigious awards for its work in video and digital communications. “UPS My Choice” is a series of five interconnected webshorts focusing on a newly offered UPS service. They feature Joe Montana as spokesman. This campaign, which was commissioned by MSL Worldwide, won an LACP Platinum Award (plus top 100), a MarCom Gold Award, and an IABC Bronze Award. Mountain View Group also received IABC and LACP Gold Awards as well as a MarCom Platinum Award for “Journey to Shared Value.” This enhanced presentation was developed closely with Joe Tripodi, chief marketing officer of The CocaCola Company, and was given at the 2012 Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity. An employee engagement piece, “Spark Launch,” introduced GE Energy’s customer success digital storytelling initiative. The video was honored with an LACP Gold Award, a MarCom Platinum Award, and IABC Bronze Awards. “Atlanta Food and Wine Festival” is a sizzle reel highlighting the first culinary event weekend in the US focused exclusively on the South. It received an IABC Silver Award (for communications program) and a MarCom Gold Award. Work for Raytheon garnered a MarCom Platinum Award. “The World is a Dangerous Place” facilitated a strategic dialogue meeting between top executives at Raytheon and highlights current hotspots and security threats across the world. Mountain View Group was also recognized for the excellence of its commercial production. The “One Day” television campaign for Kennedy Space Center was named most inspirational at the LACP Awards, in addition to garnering LACP and MarCom Platinum Awards. MarCom also recognized a series of television commercials showcasing Albany Medical Center’s heart care expertise. And, “Alcon: Leading Innovation in Eye Care,” an external sales tool piece, was awarded with an LACP Platinum Award (plus top 100) as well as a MarCom Gold Award. Mountain View Group was also awarded for documentary filmmaking with “Big Bets.” The six-act documentary tells the story of the critical decisions and key people of Southern Company, a major electric utility. The film received MarCom and LACP platinum awards (plus top 100) as well as an IABC Gold Award.
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Company 3 Launches New Sound Division Award-winning post house Company 3 (CO3), is pleased to announce the launch of its brand new audio division. Located within Company 3’s Atlanta and New York facilities, CO3 Sound boasts three 5.1 audio suites designed to handle surround sound for commercial, feature film and television clients providing the highest level of sound design, original music composition and mixing. The new division is a complement to Deluxe’s strong sound offerings in facilities around the world. CO3 Sound’s radio and television mixing roster includes clients such as USA Network, Turner Broadcasting, Red Bull, Georgia Lottery, espnW, Ford, Kia and Toyota, to name a few.
Living to 100 Eclipse teamed up with Crazy Legs Productions to complete a new 30-minute special for The Cooking Channel. “How to Live to 100” twists comedy, healthy recipes and all the secrets to a long life into one megashow of deliciousness! Detroit-born chef, Jason Wrobel, serves a sublime fusion of food and humor as host of the new special. Known as the “King of Superfoods,” which are powerful ingredients proven to increase your longevity, Wrobel turns up the heat and whips them up into culinary masterpieces.
“Adding sound services to our current offerings further bolsters Deluxe’s strong sound offerings in its facilities around the world and more perfectly positions Company 3 to provide all our clients a complete package of services,” says Stefan Sonnenfeld, President and Founder of Company 3. “ CO3 Sound in Atlanta recently completed work on Activision’s most successful video game franchise to date, “Call of Duty: Black Ops II,” providing sound design, Foley and 5.1 mixing for all cutscenes used to advance the game’s plot. The team also provided some sound services for the feature film, “Devil’s Knot” starring Reese Witherspoon and Colin Firth. CO3 Sound’s New York location has been working with USA Network, Red Bull’s “Red Bulletin” and Sharp Entertainment’s “Adam Richman’s Best Sandwich in America” for the Travel Channel.
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PRSA Recognized Good Work The Georgia Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America has inducted Judy DeRango Wicks, APR into The Order of the Phoenix, the Chapter’s highest honor. The formal induction was held at the chapter’s annual Awards Celebration at the Cobb Energy Centre in suburban Atlanta. Wicks, who is vice president of corporate communications at Fiserv Inc., also enters the PRSA|GA Hall of Fame at the Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication at The University of Georgia in Athens, GA. At Fiserv, Wicks oversees media relations and corporate and executive visibility. Since 1999, Wicks headed corporate communications for CheckFree Corporation, which was acquired by Fiserv in December 2007. Wicks was given the Radiant Star in memory of Dyar Massey award at PRSA|GA’s 2011 Awards Celebration, recognizing a Chapter member with more than 20 years of experience and industry leadership. A technology public relations veteran, she was the keynote speaker at the PRSA Hyperconnections national conference in 2012. Wicks is a member of the Arthur W. Page Society, 2011 co-chair of the PRSA|GA Leader Board, and a member of the Advisory Council of the College of Charleston Department of Communications. She holds a Master of Journalism and Communications degree from the University of Florida and a Bachelor of Arts in English from Stetson University. Other award winners were: Renee Kopkowski: Radiant Star, in memory of Dyar Massey, recognizing a member with more than 20 years of experience; Alison Tyrer, director of communications for the Georgia Department of Economic Development: Luminary Star Award, for a member with 13 to 19 years of experience in public relations.
(L-R) Judy DeRango Wicks, APR received PRSA|GA’s Order of the Phoenix; Debbie Fitzgerald of Fitzgerald PR, Inc.; Ray Crockett APR, Hartman Public Relations.
Patty Gregory, manager of public relations at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta: Shining Star Award, reflecting six to 12 years of experience in public relations. Kelsey Schmitt, communications coordinator at Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen: Rising Star Award, given to a member with five or fewer years of experience. Congrats also to two recent PRSA|GA Chapter Champion honorees: Ray Crockett APR, Fellow PRSA of Hartman Public Relations and Debbie Fitzgerald of Fitzgerald PR, Inc.
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cover story
Live Streaming
The Next Seismic Shift
by John Kabashinski
cover story
E
conomically and culturally we have gone through some seismic shifts lately. But in our lifetime we can expect even bigger changes. We’re now a world without borders. From Kansas City to Katmandu, there are telephones in every ear and video screens in every pocket. Our economic engine shifted from manufacturing to information technology and transformed from analog waves to digital bits streaming over a global communications backbone. Media streaming has VOIP (voice over internet protocol) taking over telephony, text-based messaging becoming the global social networking forum and music and books experienced and sold through devices. Multibillion dollar industries are turning upside down. The good news for creative’s and producers is that video streaming is a shift in their favor. In fact, video streaming is the next seismic shift. Broadcasting giants are now on an even playing field in the competition for eyeballs with all content creators. With incredible rates of growth, live video will be streamed globally, cheaply and portably. Last year, YouTube’s Robert Kyncl predicted that in 2013 “90% of all web traffic will be video.” Economically, live video will impact how we work, buy goods and where we live. According to the Social Times, people that watch videos of products or services are 85% more likely to make a purchase.
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Culturally, the younger generation will drive the live streaming market changes, and it will change how we see the world. How fast and how impactful will these changes be? Many behemoth economic and cultural change agents have only recently appeared. Ten years ago in 2003 Skype was first released and Apple introduced the iTunes store. Facebook launched in 2004. YouTube was founded in 2005. Twitter formed in 2006. This was about the same time two West Point grads who wanted to help their friends in the Iraq war communicate with their families formed Ustream, while nearly the same time another group created a virtual television studio and embeddable video player now called Livestream. In 2008 we first saw YouTube Live and CNN delivered 25 million live streams during the Obama inaugural. In 2010 Apple released FaceTime. And in 2011 Google Plus launched video hangouts. In 2012 NBC delivered 159 million live streams during the London Olympics. More and more live mobile video streaming technologies, platforms and devices are being born. Streaming is exploding as a viewing habit, and simultaneously the democratization of video production has lowered the costs from the hundreds of thousands to the hundreds, period. We are entering an age when anyone can create their own broadcast network with a global reach.
WHAT WILL LIVE STREAMING CHANGE? What will this new video world look like and how will it happen? We asked three media streaming leaders about live streaming today and its future impact. Scott Brown is the General Manager, USA and Vice President of Strategic Technology Partnerships at Octoshape, an internet technology firm. David Kennerly is the Director of Technical Operations, Turner Studios Production Services. William Chapman is a pioneer in new media and currently leads Creative Convergence Solutions.
“The barriers of entry to doing live production are getting lower and lower for all different reasons. One is the cost of capital and the cost of the technology is coming down. Two is the consumer expectations of production value are coming down. Then third is the distribution piece and it’s cost. What is cool is if that’s all down then a brand new ecosystem of stuff can happen.” – Scott Brown, Octoshape “Because of the metrics available on the internet, it is easier than ever to understand what the content consumer wants. With the nature of technology as always growing, if not exploding with change, then what people can or want to do with that technology grows at an equally explosive rate.” – David Kennerly – Turner Studios “As the transmission or distribution model shifts, it opens doors, so that accessibility no longer requires an FCC license and then it explodes. So I can have my own tv channel any day I want. It’s not an over–the-air spectrum, it’s not a cable delivery via MSO. I can monetize it myself. The barrier to entry to becoming a content creator is nothing now.” – William Chapman – Creative Convergence Solutions
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What are the signs of change? A new Nielsen report shows that the number of U.S. household ditching their cable providers, or “cutting the cord,” is on the rise. The folks keeping broadband internet with free broadcast TV has risen 22.8% in the last year and this trend shows no signs of slowing down. People are dumping expensive access to program packages with multiple channels when the programs they want are available for free directly from the networks. Chapman adds, “The number of eyeballs watching is not decreasing, but how they get content and the kind of content they are choosing is changing dramatically. This ‘cutting the cord’ trend is growing at much faster rates than cable TV consumption. Why should I pay my traditional content provider when I can buy the online version for a tenth of the price with comparable quality? There is a shift in user experience, which is about accessing what I want, when I want it. Amidst the multitude of choices the average family watches only six or seven channels.” Content packagers get around this by “windowing,” or making high-end content available immediately on broadcast and later online. According to TechCrunch, the internet may not be an alternate medium but an alternative to watching TV entirely. Broadband access is growing, while paying for cable programming has peaked at 90.4 percent of households. The more ominous trend according to Nielsen may be that children under seventeen are watching the least amount of television of any age group and are the largest mobile video viewers. The “no cord” generation is already here. When exploring the future of broadcasting and video production different themes develop: adaptability, authenticity, authority, relevance, added value, deeper engagement and accessibility. When searching the streaming industry for “What will cause the next big shift?” answers were as varied as, “If I knew, I’d be rich!“ to Kennerly’s observation that, “Streaming and other forms of low cost, small footprint, quick turn around content production is a cultural driving force that could be equivalent to rockand-roll. We should all work toward accepting where its going to go, and work within that framework, rather than saying ‘we should take it where we want to take it.” The broadcast industry will be more responsive to popular demand than ever before.
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One of the biggest shifts with streaming media is culturally: from a top down information path to bottom up. We are leaving an environment where a few sources of information dictate relevance. With a completely unfiltered communication platform, the voice of the people will create cultural shifts that we cannot imagine. People have direct contact with events as they happen, and people choose relevance and grant authority. When you look at the impact of Twitter on the Arab spring and then think about the coming technology and what its global access will do to our information diet and cultural norms, it is possible to see live streaming one day, as even bigger than rock and roll. In this communication ecosystem, truth has an opportunity to rise faster. The end-user’s “truth” is no longer choosing based on what they are told, but on what they intuit is the better choice. In media, top down communication of “you need to think what I want you to think” is quickly becoming “now I need to respond to what you are thinking.” It’s a reversal of the power structure. Kennerly adds, “In different parts of the world technology develops in totally different ways that are influenced by the culture and then influence the culture at the same time. Twitter for example may be a novel way to communicate here in the west, but in the Middle East it influenced revolutions and massive change.” The exploding trend of unfiltered information has also created the “authoritative thinker” who is leading the conversation. Trust is valued more than production value. Truth supersedes slick presentation, and relevant engagement keeps winning more and more audiences as they become increasingly fragmented. The viewer experience is moving from “What is on?” to “How is it relevant to me?” Content creators who are reliable sources of relevant entertainment, news or sports will become the brands. It goes with the frequently used buzzword of “authority”. Consumers of content return to sources they trust. Brown adds, “Look at the book industry. It is not the publisher readers go to, but it is the author they know or a review from someone they trust that lures them in.” The same thing is happening with live video streaming, because it offers a small footprint and low-cost production which adds authenticity, live chat which increases
engagement level, and a niche subject which makes it more relevant. The ever-present change agent is technology. The new device, application or online destination can change everything, so how should producers prepare themselves? “Content creators should not worry about that technology component. There are many players out there and it will change,” offers Chapman. It’s difficult for a streaming provider to know where to go because of this rate of change. Professional people want to do one thing with it, consumers want to do another thing with it and because of the price point and ubiquity of access, they are trying to serve all of those markets at the same time. “It opens the door for more and more products and levels of professionalism to be created and grown. The main response to this condition of explosive technology in the business space is what I call aggressive adaptability,” says Kennerly. Whoever can adapt quickly…wins.
One clear trend emerges: make sure your productions are mobile. “The biggest development lately is using things on mobile devices like FaceTime. There are going to be a lot more streaming devices from all these different companies that have smaller footprints that don’t require hard line internet and can use Wi-Fi, 3G, 4G. There are already a number of them out there and they are improving all the time. To be portable, small and able to go anywhere … that’s really going to really open the door to create some stuff that is the earth shattering “rock and roll” impact. Something you would never otherwise see,” Kennerly adds. The one thing technology can offer is creative opportunity. You can think of things you would never be able to do before. GoPro cameras and POV production are an example. It changes the user experience and also opens new doors for creatives, technicians and advertisers. As producers, aggressively adapting to technological developments while seeing the bigger trends develop is the key. Just imagine the broadcast industry ten years from now and try to position yourself, your content. What might be the next Skype, Apple Store, Twitter or Facebook?
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WHAT IS HAPPENING NOW WITH LIVE STREAMING CONTENT PRODUCERS? With the development of multiple screen sizes or platforms, live streaming is currently being used widely as a “second screen” or second-tier content experience. According to Nielsen, 41% of tablet owners and 38% of smartphone owners use their device daily while in front of the television. Social networking is a top reason, but they are also shopping and looking up information related to what they watch. Second screen content production is a big growth area for video content creators. Look no further than job sites to see that digital producers are growing in demand. For traditional broadcast producers, second screen is a necessary component of any pitch. The second screen is now part of the production business. Currently, the second screen world is populated by the sports and entertainment super-fan who is looking for a forum, a deeper discussion about their passion. The trend online is fan-sites that are dedicated to a sport, personality or program, attracting the super-user of broadcast content. Kennerly offers, “They will go back and forth for about thirty-minutes about technical things that are happening now, about what happened historically, and there is not really another venue for that on TV.” He adds, “The real interesting thing about what’s happening right now, with what Turner tends to be doing, is you make these companion webcasts and apps that go with the live broadcast and that’s where you can flesh out all those details that people want to talk about and read about.” Broadcasters are increasingly meeting the second screen audience demands, hoping to develop a “sticky” product that surrounds the live event or scheduled program. Sticky means keeping the audience attached, even when the program is not on the air, by having them return to a digital forum. Sporting franchises are doing much better at exploiting second screens because they have a naturally sticky product. They have all the actions leading up to the event, the back-stories of the athletes, the data scheme of the franchise, i.e. fantasy football, fantasy basketball, etc. Chapman adds, ”The big thing right now in second screen is prediction and polling. Part of the production budget may be used in producing an app for predicting a live event or athlete’s performance. They are using these assets, which are not necessarily video or audio, to repopulate the story into these different avenues. The more fans that are interacting with that prediction or poll, the more they can put a user-stamp on them that is defined as audience numbers, which equates more to the traditional ad buy.”
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As with all production, monetization is the driving force of what gets done, whether it is about how to make money or finding the money you need to create. In traditional broadcast, second screen live streaming is gaining attention from advertisers with ad buys for video streams based on user hits or views. Chapman says, “Now live streaming is a much more viable monetization engine because the ads you put into the stream are captured and measured in terms of user metrics. The fact that you can measure in-stream ads in a live video is huge. Now, there are analytics you can sell to an advertiser or subscription model. In a linear television world they can measure quantitative, but they have a hard time with qualitative metrics like, ‘Were they doing laundry when it was on?’ In a digital world, especially with mobile platforms, there is a much higher user and user-interaction rate. It is sticky content that is interactive and participatory.” The move in media for the last ten years has been from a “lean back” model of watching TV with a remote, to a “lean forward” model with a second screen that offers a much deeper level of engagement. It often is developed in a conjunction with a linear story-line process, whether it is following a sporting event, a dramatic narrative or the characters in a reality show. Finding the story lines or visuals make it an added value to the viewer. Live streaming is a low cost solution to exploit these second screen opportunities with a high engagement value, whether it is more information, expanded story or greater access to content creators like athletes, cast, writers, producers, peer to peer contact, social groups, etc. Like tentacles that follow the linear story, these become modular components of the second screen experience which are ultimately chosen by the viewer. The power of the digital domain is the access to metrics. Producers can quickly determine what works and what doesn’t with the content consumer. In the production business, new business models are developing around the popularity of the second screen and live streaming. Digital rights or second tier content rights have become more important to the financial success of the content creator. Freemantle, for example, is trying to define the space for reality programming second-tier content with its push into a digital distribution model. They are rethinking how they negotiate future deals and developing content through a connected delivery or direct-to-consumer model. Mainstream broadcast content will continue to go to broadcast, but producers need to understand live streaming, second tier rights and connected broadcast models to maximize their financial returns. The direct-to-consumer or connected model is also growing with first-run programming as well. In Europe, Freemantle has launched a second screen first run game show called “Intuition.” The Sea Shepherd (seashepherd.org) is another example. They put lots of content on their site, including live streaming. They
build a fan base and then license the content for television afterwards. Many content creators can take years to pitch a show and get it on air. Online it may take years to build an audience, refine a product and create a voice of authority. But if producers are willing to invest those years, the audience you develop online becomes scalable. “Right now, if you own all the assets and the content and build it through a connected method, you could care less about the cable and broadcast networks, most likely, because you are going to have a bigger audience delivery method through that scalability and direct-to-consumer business,” Chapman offers. By and large, as the method of delivery for first-run content shifts to streaming, it is an advantage to content producers. They can get out of the business of asking for permission to create content.
WHAT TRENDS ARE FORMING IN LIVE STREAMING? While there is no crystal ball to determine what will happen with live video streaming, there are trends appearing which might give us a clue. Beyond the second screen supporting broadcast, there are three models rapidly developing for live streaming that are capturing eyeballs: niche-casting, social-casting and corporate-casting. Niche-casting is live streaming information and events that appeal to small or niche audiences that are underserved by the broadcast model. Right now it breaks down into two categories: “expert” and “event.” Examples of the “expert niche-cast” are the TED conferences or Huffington Post Live, but it is expanding to serve the appetites of retiring boomers who want niche infotainment about a variety of subjects from fishing, golf, self-help, etc. The “event niche-cast” is a live stream of any event, like sports, music, comedy, theater, auctions, etc. There is big growth in live streaming of high school football, college sports that don’t get on television and entertainers who want more exposure or control over the ticket window. An example is Atlanta-based PlayOnSports.com. iHeart Radio’s live stream of the Superstorm Sandy Benefit concert or comedian Louis CK’s big success streaming his live show at the Beacon Theater are two more examples. Social-casting includes live streaming on a variety of social networks through one on one, small group and larger broadcast models. Right now you can live stream with Facebook,
Twitter, Google Hangouts and YouTube Live. This trend is going to explode the fastest and drive viewing habits, communication and cultural change. Other more classic streaming venues like Livestream have redesigned their interface to be a more of a social format like a blog. Social-casting is ad-based or free live streaming social networks that will thrive with mobile technology development. Corporate-casting may be the most beneficial to the production community. Corporations see the advantage of accessing a key demographic online . . . building an audience. The low costs of production and distribution can help with a larger return. With younger people moving away from broadcast viewing, reaching future customers online will be more and more important. For the price of a national commercial, a corporation can create their own TV channel; constantly positioning their brand, experts, features and benefits to an audience they wouldn’t reach any other way. An example of a company doing this very well is Red Bull TV (redbull.tv) and their focus on extreme sports. Corporate-casting may combine successful niche or social-casting models with a brand attachment. This trend may grow rapidly as companies realize that like in most marketing, being first matters. The other trend that is developing is the response by broadcasters to the explosion of live streaming and second screen experiences. As audiences keep getting more fragmented, the questions are changing. Instead of asking, “What can I get them to watch?” with linear TV, there is a shift towards, “What else can I give them to watch that will serve them?” That can mean an online forum to continue a discussion, watch the rest of an interview, see behind the scenes or share with a community. Kennerly offers, “Memes are developing within minutes of a broadcast event happening and being shared and spread virally while it is still happening. It is a new kind of engagement that has a lot of value, and broadcasters are searching for how that natural development of the digital culture can be leveraged for growing a brand or audience.” The key is a shift in mindset from control to adaptability. To really leverage these emerging opportunities, the most adaptable and quickest to respond get rewarded. Media is creating itself and this fan-generated media is about following what happens and turning what happens into an opportunity rather than trying to control it as they have in the past. Media streaming’s explosive growth model rewards this kind of “aggressive adaptability.”
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Netflix is a good example. Netflix is essentially live streaming that happens when you pick a movie. The distribution technology is the same with live streaming and video on demand. They began as a content packager, offer live streaming as a sideline to enhance their mail service and ended up dominating internet traffic. Netflix streaming now accounts for one-third of all North American internet traffic. The content distributers saw that they were competing with themselves. When it came time to renew contracts, what was $30 million Netflix obligation became a $300 million bill, crippling the growth of the new streaming model Netflix just created. Netflix responded by becoming a content creator, developing its own original programming. The final trend developing in live streaming besides mobility is image quality. Says Chapman, “People still think live streaming has to be on your PC or phone and it’s going to look ugly. That is a mindset. It is not true.” Image quality keeps getting better because of demand. Viewers want online content on their new smart telephones to look as good as broadcast. Netflix proves it’s possible on a large scale, but if the growth of digital broadcasting happens anywhere as fast as Netflix, eventually we are going to hit a bandwidth wall. We are not going to be able to distribute that much high definition video with the current technology.
WHAT iS THE NEXT BIG SHIFT? While nobody truly knows what the future holds for live streaming there are folks who hope they found the answer. Octoshape’s Brown explained how their new internet video streaming system that blends in a suite of multicast technologies may be the answer. By borrowing small bits of encrypted data in a secure environment from many sources, it allows high quality images to be distributed globally at a fraction of the bandwidth of the current http solutions. This technology, which is downloaded within an app or can work as a Flash-based plug-in or action-script, also offers higher quality video, faster startup and lower buffer times within a fixed cost structure. Effectively, what Octoshape is offering is a broadcast satellite that is based on the internet, which vastly expands the bandwidth capabilities of the current infrastructure while solving the variable pricing problem. According to Brown, “Taking an example of streaming a major high quality sporting event with a traditional streaming technology, it may generate up to 1 Terabit of traffic into the last mile networks. When the event is broadcast using Octoshape technologies the last mile provider can simply enable Multicast in their broadband routers. This enables them to utilize a fraction of that, perhaps 50 Mbps of traffic, from the internet instead of 1 Terabit, and deliver it efficiently without lifting a finger. No extra equipment to buy, no extra money to spend.” He adds, “We
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launched our Infinite HD-M ™ Multicast suite of technologies for production in April of 2012, and now we are talking to many telcos and cable operators around the world about deployment.” Octoshape’s technology not only benefits large content distribution networks but helps corporate networks as well, “Another market that benefits from the multicast distribution system is the enterprise. We can send one stream into an enterprise to serve 50k + viewers without disrupting their network or business operations.” Brown adds, “For a broadcaster, satellite provider, OTT provider or even mom and pop content distributor, we offer an efficient way to deliver high quality signals to the last mile, with global reach, faster start times and lower buffer time. We bring the promise of TV scale to the internet. Today, five million simultaneous is a tough proposition on the internet. With multicast, audiences of tens of millions is achievable without breaking a sweat, and the quality is there because of our resilient transport mechanisms.” It is easy to see why live streaming faces explosive growth and how streaming may cause seismic shifts in our culture, especially in the video production industry. It is vital for content creators to understanding how live streaming may affect their future as they face a global audience who can see their ideas come to life, faster, cheaper and easier than ever before. It may not be as big yet as rock and roll, but it’s getting there. Here are some closing thoughts about the future from our live streaming experts: “The future is about content creation and ownership rather than content creation and selling it. The emerging content buyers like Sony, Netflix, Hulu, Samsung will be coming to content owners saying we want to buy your content for our platform.” - William Chapman “There is also a lot of opportunity in media streaming meeting the demand of when people want to watch things. There is a daytime viewing opportunity that seems to want to emerge that we may see develop. What do people want to watch on the train commuting? How long will the format be?” - David Kennerly “The monopoly of the pipe will disintegrate. Asking for permission to be hired by the pipe owners and distributors to create content is over as technology shifts and moves everyone to a scalable global access pipe that is available to everyone and accessible by everyone.” Scott Brown
behind the camera with drewprops
Like a lot of kids I grew up watching behind the scenes specials about movies like Star Wars and Indiana Jones and was always impressed with how much planning went into these films, particularly the storyboards they used to plan out every shot. It wasn’t until I was standing in the streets of Gotham City on the backlot of Pinewood Studios that I learned that even the most action-packed of movies rarely have everything storyboarded. The vast majority of what you see onscreen is invented the day that the cast and crew arrive on location; a location like a lovely bend in the Yellow River, just south of Porterdale, about 40 miles east of Atlanta. There we were, making an independent film called “False River”, best described as a cross between Fellini meets Scooby Doo. I’d read the script several times during prep and was on set every day of filming and I still had no idea what it was all about. On this fine Monday morning we had just returned to work following a weekend of torrential rain and the river was high. Really, really, really high. Remarkably high. In the early morning light we could see dark shapes appearing along the top of the churning, rock-strewn rapids then slipping back beneath the water. A nearby fisherman explained that those were turtle heads. Snapping Turtle heads to be precise... and they were everywhere. Dozens of them covered the width of the bend in the river where we would be filming that day. By our fifth trip carrying equipment across the stupid river, it hadn’t gotten any easier to navigate the twisted jumble of rocks lining the bottom from shore to shore. Two steps forward and you were up to your knees, two steps more and you were up to your neck. Every five feet you’d bash your shins against a hidden rock shelf. I didn’t check with any of the others who were making the crossing, but my anticipation of being bitten by a snapping turtle was running higher than
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the river, and it didn’t help that I was towing an old-fashioned water-heater behind me. It was supposed to be some sort of giant corroded “nuclear” battery with a great big grab handle on one side, but I kept calling it a water heater because I’m delightfully unpretentious and my shins were smarting from banging against all those rocks. After what seemed an eternity, we were ready to shoot. The cameras and most of the crew were all back on the bank where we first started, more than 50 yards away, but it was out here on the rocks where the action was set to occur. All I had to do was stay hidden in the rapids behind a rock out-cropping and release the “nuclear battery barrel” into the current on cue, so that it coincided with our actors, Salvator Xuereb and George Faughnan, as they dove into the river to escape their fictional pursuers. Tied to the barrel was a safety line, which I was supposed to use to pull the actors back to the rock when director Rex Hauck called “cut”. I knew this, and the actors knew this. We all knew this. With radio confirmations back to shore that YES, we fully understood the plan, the actors were instructed to go to their start marks inland from the bank, at which point I moved 20 feet upriver and dropped down onto a slippery shelf behind one of the big rocks in the whirling rapids, all the while running through a mental rehearsal of the timing for when I would release the barrel. I really wanted to get my part right. At the last-minute my radio burbled forth with a change in plans from the director that we would not, repeat would not, be using the barrel on this take. “Do NOT release the barrel, Drew…. got that?” Got it. This was an important piece of information, and I assumed that the actors heard the update from the PA crouching in the trees behind them. Not so much.
Cameras rolled, ‘Action!’ was called and the actors came running out of the woods and hit the water……first one…. SPLASH!! …..then the other…. SPLASH!! They started to splash around (George’s character had been shot in the neck, so Salvator was forced to play the lifeguard and keep him afloat). From my vantage point I could see the boys sloshing around in the current, and I suddenly realized that Salvator was operating with old information. I could tell that he still thought that he would be getting the barrel because he started glaring in my direction, obviously wondering why I’d missed my cue. I couldn’t very well yell at him that they’d told me not to send it, partly because there was probably a microphone on the bank, but mostly because they couldn’t possibly hear me over the sound of the churning water and bobbing turtle heads. So I did the only logical thing a person in my situation could do: I pointedly began to ignore him. Instead of watching our actors flop around in the water, I allowed myself to become completely engrossed with a leaf floating past, hoping that the actors might forget about me and put more effort toward not drowning. I studied a spider web in a crevice along the water line. I watched some clouds drifting by overhead. After a moment I cut a glance over toward them and could plainly see that not only had they not forgotten me, they were both now convinced that I’d forgotten the entire reason that we’d been sent out into the rapids in the first place. I could feel their eyes boring into me, filled with anger and the certain promise of the horrible retribution yet to come (assuming they managed to survive this scene, I mean: they were looking pretty waterlogged.) “This had better be looking really, really good on camera,” I thought to myself. Salvator finally managed to splutter a command... “Drew, give me the barrel”. But... but... the 1st assistant director had plainly instructed me NOT to send the BARREL to the actors, so I kind of shook my head at Salvator with a tiny, desperate “go away” grimace on my face, never quite looking him in the eye… the equivalent of saying “I’m not here, you can’t see me, please stop looking at me”.
Salvator’s eyes kind of bugged out when I did that, which was embarrassing because it was such a funny expression that I nearly busted out laughing…… if he could only see his own face!! I mean, surely we’d all get a laugh out of this one at the end of the day!! Of course, at this particular moment, as he was flailing around in the strong current, Salvator didn’t have comedy on his mind. He wanted a barrel, and he wanted it now. So again he commanded (this time with a little more force (and gurgle) in his voice), “GIVE me the BARREL!!!“. Nope, I shook my head - nope, I couldn’t do it. I shook my head some more, hoping that he’d give up at this point. I mean, honestly… my attempt at ignoring the actors hadn’t helped the first time around so this time I just gave them a blank stare. Maybe they’d take the hint. Convinced that I was the stupidest prop guy he’d ever worked with, Salvator now bellowed, “DREW, GIVE ME THE GOD DAMN BARREL (glug) OR I’LL KILL YOU!!!!!!!!!!” He was clearly building a convincing case for me to send the barrel in his direction. Just at that moment, picoseconds into a daydream where I was explaining to the police why I hadn’t saved two actors from drowning, someone barked a command over the radio. Finally, my cue! I jammed the barrel into the channel between two rocks, giving it a special twirl to make sure that it caught the current and curved directly toward Salvator and George, who then climbed aboard and drifted limply down river. I later found out that the 1st assistant director had never given the signal for me to release the barrel. It might have been random static on the radio, but looking back I suspect that it was more likely a subconscious decision to avoid being remembered as the prop guy who drowned (or was soundly beaten by) two actors. You know, Salvator did finally forgive me, but I don’t think he ever forgot.
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GREENING
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THE SET A Lighter Footprint By: Diane Lasek
he film and television production process has so many items and components used on-set that get thrown away once the show or feature wraps, that it can be an incredibly wasteful situation at best. But being more conscious of what you purchase and use, not only conserves natural resources and limits your waste, it can also save you money. With the sustainability wave hitting mainstream over the last few years, it was only a matter of time that smart innovative thinkers within the film and television production community leadered up and started to implement practices to help lighten the environmental footprint on a set. ‘Greening’ a production includes things like reducing the use of plastic and preventing landfill waste, along with conserving fuel and energy to name a few. Pulling together sound sustainable principles to practice on-set, where the work is fast paced and there’s not really time to think about these matters, involves thorough planning in the preproduction phase. Loading parts of a film set from Mailing Avenue Stageworks, for reuse on a future production.
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At the start, call a meeting with the producing team, specifically the UPM and production manager, to discuss the sustainability plan and determine how best to communicate it to department heads. Determine what each department can do and then search out companies that can best help you with your plan. Engaging everyone in the conversation at the beginning and developing a strategy is crucial to your success. Support for these changes has come from the Studios, who have initiated a lot of these actions. Sony Pictures has been at the forefront as has Fox Studios. Working with the Producers Guild of America (PGA), they have created ‘best practices’ guidelines for environmentally friendly solutions for each department involved in the production process. These departments include Set Construction, Props, Catering and Craft Services, Greens, Lighting & Wrap. There is a thorough breakdown of ‘Best Practices’ on the PGA website: www.pgagreen.org What was first implemented at film studios in Los Angeles is now taking place in other cities, and Atlanta is taking the lead in this area. Below, are suggestions on how you can make effective changes and we have highlighted examples of what local companies in Atlanta are already doing to reduce and conserve.
SOUND STAGE & SET DRESSING Locally, there are several companies involved in taking away and re-purposing parts of the set. Lifecycle Building Center is a non-profit charitable organization that captures reusable building materials from the waste stream through the operation of a retail building material reuse center, and is a great alternative to material disposal. Run by Adam Deck, Director of Operations, they recycle the building materials and distribute them to schools and non-profits and resell the balance to fund their resource efficiency educational initiatives. Their mission is to educate people on how to be more efficient and sustainable within the use of the built environment in the design build, use adaptation and demolition and removal phases. They also educate the public on building science and home performance. Deck has an inventory of building materials and props that can be purchased for local productions. And now that more people know about his company, he has begun getting calls from a few of the productions in town. With companies here like Lifecycle, Atlanta has a better system to “strike it green” and recycle the production materials from films & television programs in town. His operation could become the “go to” for all the various productions as they wrap up shooting in Atlanta.
On the production of the feature Last Vegas, Mailing Avenue Stageworks co-owner, Tyler Edgarton, met with the production manager, to discuss his set strike. They also included Deck of Lifecycle.
“We’ve been in constant contact with the production manager from start to finish. Our message is we won’t slow you down,” says Deck. He coordinated with the sound stage personnel and set decorators on what was his first big project on a movie shoot and offered to Last Vegas that Lifecycle would take the entirety of the sound stage, which was in excess of 20 tons. Generally after wrap, Productions will set aside 10-15% of the aesthetic improvements until the movie opens. These props are saved for potential reshoots. With the remainder of props and building materials available, Lifecycle could potentially step in and be the conduit to provide them at a discount to the local theater groups. “Long term it seems like everyone wins. Atlanta looks more ‘green,’ studios are happy, and production groups are happy. Local theatre groups with tight budgets benefit as well, and Lifecycle gets increased inventory and a potential way to generate income to help them become more self-sustaining,” says Edgarton. Since Last Vegas was a union film, Deck worked with union production people who were there to break down the set. They used a mixture semi-flatbeds and large dumpsters for the haul off. Their goal was to keep the engineered floor system intact. They disassembled the floor into 36 ft. lengths, which was made easier by the fact that you could unscrew the pieces. This floor will be warehoused and can then be purchased for use by as many productions as possible, as long as the floor remains safe. Also, they took away 16 units of plywood and framing that elevated the floor system and will re-bundle the wood for re-use. Five ft. wall modular units used to elevate the floor joists were also taken. In addition, they took away the finishes; like doors, tempered glass and carpeting. All of this material stayed out of a landfill and will get multiple uses.
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feature “Edgarton and the production manager have gone way beyond the call of duty to give us access to collect the material and we couldn’t have done it without their incredible support,” says Deck. Going forward Deck sees Lifecycle Building Center creating a large database and using QR codes and smart phones to show the availability of all of their products in real time. All items that Life Cycle takes away are tax deductible, and they can also provide tracking data of what tonnage was diverted from the landfill. More information can be found at: www. lifecyclebuildingcenter.org.
PROPS During the creative process, there are many opportunities for efficiencies in the selection of props and set decoration. Before the production wraps, look for local organizations that can assist with selling or donating set props and materials. Provide them with a list of items that will be available, including dates for when they can be picked up. In most cases, studios often provide set materials onsite and most prop masters have a prop kit with a multitude of necessary items they will need or they rent a kit from another prop master. Because of limited budgets, most prop assistants and buyers search out flea markets and second hand shops for props, and sometimes rent instead of purchase them. When productions wraps, the items that the studio doesn’t want to keep can be donated or resold. You can seek to use less toxic sprays, adhesives, cleaners and other solvent-based products as more become available on the market.
WATER One of the biggest waste streams on a set is the amount of plastic water bottles used every day. You can reduce this consumption by having productions provide aluminum canisters and water stations to avoid this problem.
RECYCLING ON-SET By far, the largest amount of waste on a set comes from feeding the production staff and crew on a daily basis. Junkit, a local Atlanta company takes care of the recycling and trash on productions in the Atlanta area by providing containers for paper, plastic, cardboard, aluminum and metal. At the start of a production, they place their containers in base camp, craft services, catering and on the stages. They pick these up daily and take them to the county recycling center. Rusty Brown, Junkit’s owner is also actively putting together a composting operation. He also can provide figures on production waste sent to the landfill and the waste recycled to show you your savings.
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CATERING & CRAFT SERVICES “Long term it seems like everyone wins. Atlanta looks more ‘green,’ studios are happy, and production groups are happy. Local theatre groups with tight budgets benefit as well, and Lifecycle gets increased inventory and a potential way to generate income to help them become more self-sustaining,” says Edgarton.
At the beginning of a production put together a comprehensive recycling program and try to implement composting efforts. Most catering companies will offer plates and utensils that can be recycled, but it is up to the productions to spend the extra money for these items. Because productions are looking to cut cost on their budgets, they usually don’t chose this route. So in this area, the greenest thing that caterers can do is to use china and stainless steel utensils on the set. Laurent Catering Inc., which was the caterer on the television series The Game, filmed in Atlanta, sources some of its food from farmer’s markets. And sourcing organic items is not as hard as it use to be. Avalon Catering, Atlanta’s only ‘Farm to Fork’ catering company customizes menus with seasonal items that are sourced from local organic farmers. They also donate what food they don’t use to the Atlanta Community Foodbank. You can donate food items by contacting the Atlanta Community Foodbank at foodindustrydonors@acfb.org Several craft services companies who have green practices in place try to offer certain types of snacks that can be enjoyed without dishes. While composting is still an area that needs more support, in time this too will get established.
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feature
LIGHTING With the recent innovations in lighting, such as LEDs, and other types of energy efficient light bulbs, films are now beginning to incorporate them on the set. As anyone who’s been on a set is aware – the lighting gets pretty hot and it’s good news to know that LEDs don’t emit as much heat as conventional bulbs, and productions can save money on their cooling costs. LEDs can light a set approximately 200 times longer than your standard set light and are 75% more efficient than traditional movie lights. The feature Think Like A Man, filmed in Los Angeles, sourced LEDs for their entire lighting operation. Sony Pictures Production Administration President Gary Martin said, “Sony Pictures is committed to making great content with a smaller and smaller energy footprint, and Think Like A Man is a great example of Screen Gems’ continuing tradition of actively reducing the impact and waste of a major feature film production.” As Glenn Gainor, Screen Gems’ SVP of Physical Production says “Filmmaking today has become more environmentally sustainable—more so than it’s ever been.” For more on lighting-there is a video of LED’s use on Think Like a Man on YouTube under: Think Like a Man filmed entirely by LED lighting.
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“Filmmaking today has become more environmentally sustainable—more so than it’s ever been.” - Glenn Gainor, Screen Gems’ SVP of Physical Production
GREENS
Call sheets are a necessary part of the production process and will continue being printed, but most other things that have been printed and handed out, can now be delivered on smart phones and tablets.
John Hemphill, key greensman and Adam Chrisman, on-set greensman for The Vampire Diaries, source their live plants locally and re-use them as much as they can. Hemphill makes his own homemade compost for use in his plantings. And plants no longer needed for a shoot are donated to Habitat for Humanity for re-use in plantings around Habitat houses.
TRANSPORTATION Over the last five years, rental car companies have been building up their fleets of hybrid vehicles. Production companies are now requesting these for their staff. Triangle-Rent-a-Car, provides hybrids along with other economy vehicles for productions in Atlanta. Another way you can improve in the transportation area is to have a portion of your production trucks powered by B99 biodiesel.
STUDENT FILMMAKERS Since sustainability practices will be a part of most productions going forward, student filmmakers can get a head start in learning the ‘best practices’ when putting together their own films, and may try to get special acknowledgement from the Producer’s Guild and other organizations for their innovative efforts. For everyone involved in the various areas of a production, developing and then sharing environmentally friendly solutions and innovative approaches will only add to the overall success of truly ‘greening the set’. As these practices become common place, we can go forward into the future, knowing that we used our heads a little bit better to figure out ways to have a lighter footprint on this planet. You can find green vendors at www.greenproductionguide.com
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VOICES
Don’t Sweat It. Forget It. K.I.M. (keep it moving)
by Monique McGlockton
Another New Year means the annual undertaking of making yet another New Year’s resolution. Some of the most common resolutions are typical: Save More Money Get Organized Lose Weight/Eat Healthy Quit Smoking Travel Volunteer, Just to name a few. After thinking about it, I decided to choose one that I’ve been practicing off and on for about five year’s in a row. “Don’t sweat it, forget it! K.I.M. (keep it moving).” Sometimes more off than on, always easier said than done. “Don’t Sweat It; Forget It, K.I.M.” is a great practice for everyday life, especially when in pursuit of something. One of my hot pursuits is a career in the entertainment industry.
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I have often heard people who have advanced in the entertainment industry say, “You will hear the word ‘NO ’ more than the word ‘YES ’ so get used to it.” I have certainly had my share of the word NO, opportunities to K.I.M. Here’s just one, quick story, one I’ve tried to keep moving from . . .. I was called for an interview as an intern/assistant position with a very well regarded producer from a top production company/studio. I was nervous, anxious, nauseous and excited, all at the same time. Okay, prep time: I went over my resume and looked at zesty interview tips and interview questions. I even had a good friend roleplay by doing a “mock interview” to make sure I was more than prepared. The night before the interview, I felt good about my preparation, but I was really nervous; I mean stomach in knots, NERVOUS! I had my “interview” suit out and thought I should really add a nice touch to my wardrobe ensemble, so I went to closet and dug out my vintage briefcase. Now we’re talking. The next morning, I arrived at the studio lot. A nice gentleman led me to the offices. The receptionist asked my name; I told her whom I was there to see and then took a seat. While waiting in the lobby, a casting session for a project going on. I thought, “Wow, I am really going to be a part of this amazing company.” While I waited, I took the opportunity to brush up. I opened my now shiny briefcase and pulled out the interview tips and started once again to go over the things about me: my accomplishments, how I would be an asset to this company and my future goals.
As I finished that answer, I thought to myself, “Yes, I’ve got this. Bring it on, next question.” The producer, nodded, looked at me and I thought, what will she ask now: “What made me decide to pursue this career path or where do I see myself in five years”? I got it!
A woman came up to me in the lobby and asked if I was there to audition. I thought, yeah right, me, (thanks, though, for the ego boost). I politely said, “no.” Okay, so maybe I did look as if I was rehearsing for a part while staring at the ceiling and mouthing my interview speech. In reality, I guess I was rehearsing. About fifteen minutes later, the producer’s executive assistant emerged and led me to the producer’s office. As we walked and made small talk, I looked around at the beautiful decorum and again thought to myself, “I could someday be walking these halls to get to my work area.” We reached the producer’s office. The assistant asked me to have a seat and let me know that the producer would be with me shortly. Butterflies forming again, “did I eat breakfast?” Can’t remember. Okay, focus! I took in a few short breaths. After the last breath release, the door to the producer’s office opened, and out came the producer. The producer asked me to come in to her office and have a seat. I did, with my resume in hand, prepared to place it in her hand. She sat down with a copy of my resume already out on top of the desk. “So I see you worked on the film . . .,” the producer said. I replied, “Yes, I did. It was one of the first projects that I worked on when I moved here.” “Oh, and how was that?” I spoke about the great opportunity and how I was fortunate to have met some amazing people on set, some that I am in constant contact with today. I omitted the part about working a daytime job, then leaving that paying job to go on set at night to work until 3 or 4 am. And then getting up a few hours later to go back to the paying job and then back to the set after that.
Instead the producer said “Do you have any questions for me?” I looked at her dumbfounded. Taken aback for a minute, I glanced around the room, and thought “what the . . .,” this is not on my tip sheet. This is not what I rehearsed. After I came out of my stupor, which seemed to last about thirty minutes, I looked at the producer with my head held high, a smile on my face and said, “No.” She looked at me and asked again: “There are no questions at all that you have for me?” I drew a blank, my mouth suddenly became dry and all I could do to keep from jumping out of the chair and running out of that office like a lunatic was to continue to smile and reply, “No.” The producer stood up and shook my hand and said, “If there is nothing else, then it was a pleasure meeting you.” I stood up from my seat, shook the producer’s hand, grabbed my shiny briefcase and walked out. As the producer’s door closed, the assistant rose from her desk to show me out. Everything else was a blur. When I reached my car, I sat in the parking lot for a few minutes thinking, “What just happened?” After a few days or so, I thought about all of the things I could have said . . . or asked . . . to make that interview perfect. Then I thought, maybe the producer would base the hiring decision on my experience. It’ll be fine. Needless to say, I didn’t get the job. I felt uneasy about it for a moment, but I realized that it wasn’t the first “no” I’ve heard before, and it certainly won’t be the last. Learn from the situation and move on. Use that energy on the next plan. My friend told me once that her father always taught her to have a plan A, B, C, D, E, F, G . . . you get the point. Rejection is part of life. If you K.I.M.
scene
geor gia entertainment gala On January 13, 2013, twelve hundred guests showed up at the Georgia Would Congress Center for the Ist Annual Georgia Entertainment Gala. This black tie affair included an awards ceremony, produced by Sunseeker Media to honor some of Georgia’s entertainment industry professionals. After the awards show, live entertainment was enjoyed by all.
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1. Trina Braxton. star of We Tv’s Braxton Family Values. along with her husband. 2. Actor/Director Errol Sadler and Actor E. Roger Mitchell 3. Stephanie Stevens; Patricia Roberts; Robert Hall; Heather Place
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4. Actor Danny Williams, Nominee; Actor Brian White Host of the GALA 5. Tribble Reese, Audi; Ian Somerhalder, Actor, The Vampire Diaries; Erikka Tiffany, Marketing Manger
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5 Photographs by
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8 6. Nommie for Best Actor, Jeff Rose & his family. 7. Riley Biederer, singer/songwriter 8. Egypt Sherrod, Host of HGTV 9. The Macon Film Festival board 10. Clayton County Film Office, winner of the Outstanding Contribution to the Georgia Entertainment Industry Award.
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scene
geor gia entertainment gala On January 13, 2013, twelve hundred guests showed up at the Georgia Would Congress Center for the Ist Annual Georgia Entertainment Gala. This black tie affair included an awards ceremony, produced by Sunseeker Media to honor some of Georgia’s entertainment industry professionals. After the awards show, live entertainment was enjoyed by all.
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11 Filmmaker Al G. Sillah & Actor Wardell Richardson 12. Dwight Phillips, an American athlete and a four-time world champion in the long jump. He was the 2004 Olympic champion 13. Attorney & Owner of Green Room, Shannon Nash
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14 14. Peter Thomas of Real Housewives of Atlanta 15. Ian Somerhalder, Actor, The Vampire Diaries; Gala Founder, Autumn Bailey-Ford 16. (L-R) Host Brian White; Executive Producer of Sunseeker Media, Bart Phillips; Host Sarah Wayne Callies
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how i got into the business
Hope Ferguson
Makeup Artist hopeferguson10@gmail.com www.hopeferguson.com
How did you get into the business? I started my career in New York City while still in school at the Make-Up Designory. I interned for anything I could get my hands on. After graduating, I moved to Atlanta and utilized the Oz Sourcebook. I put my name in front of every Production Company, director, and producer in the book.
FRAN BURST-TERRANELLA
Director, Producer, College Faculty
HOW DID I GET INTO THE BUSINESS? The summer I turned 19, my younger sister and I made our first trip from Texas to “the north.” Our destination Cambridge, Mass. Before I knew it, I was living in a tiny 4th floor room of an old Victorian house, had a sleek new bicycle, a part-time job and was a card-carrying Harvard summer student. My favorite class quickly became Film Studies. We watched films from every country and era, and world-famous filmmakers often popped in to guest lecture. One balmy night I found myself in a basement classroom seated just inches away from the whirring 16mm projector, and suddenly, I was drawn into the most intriguing film I’d ever experienced - Alain Resnais’ hypnotic and puzzling “Last Year at Marienbad” where, as Roger Ebert puts it “the story remains a mystery, even to the characters themselves.” And BOOM! Like a bolt of lightning, I knew I wanted to direct movies. Career decision – done! HOW DID I BECOME A DIRECTOR? Many experimental, narrative and documentary short films later at The University of Texas, I became the first woman grad to DIRECT a film for a thesis project. For the next 7 years, I did whatever it took to be involved in making movies – I shot, directed, edited, mixed sound, produced, PA’d, AD’d, AC’d, location scouted, boom op’d, script supervised, did make-up, hair, wardrobe … and I wrangled kids, dogs, trucks and farm animals. I was on one-person crews and 100-person crews, and onlocation in dozens of states plus countries in Asia, Africa and the Caribbean. In 1981, I started my own production company. Several hundred projects later, I added teaching filmmaking to my portfolio of great experiences in 2001. Now I’m adding developing and producing feature films, TV and web series to my filmmaking career goals. WHAT DO I LOVE MOST ABOUT MAKING MOVIES? I never know what excellent adventure I’ll embark on next!
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What do you love about your job?
kody wynne Graphic Designer
How did I get into the Business?
Well, a few years ago the economy went bust and I was laid off by my “civilian job”. Because I was lucky enough to get unemployment I took the opportunity to look for internships I previously couldn’t afford to take. During that time I was introduced to a great Production Coordinator who took a chance on me and brought me in as a Production Office Intern. After a week of volunteering I was offered the gig full time. Within two years I have gone from being Unemployed, to an Office Intern, PA, Graphic Designer, Art Department Coordinator, and even a POC. Funny how a crappy economy kick started my career. What do you love about your job? With graphic design I love having the opportunity to be creative every single day. Especially when I get free reign to run with an idea. (Not to mention I also enjoy the swag I get at the end of a season. Free stuff is always great.)
As a beauty and special effects makeup artist you have the privilege to experience different personalities. People sit in my chair and apologize for their dirty hair and their zit, but what they don’t realize is the only thing I notice is their beautiful green eyes or the natural glow of their skin. As a beauty makeup artist, I enhance their natural beauty. As a special effects artist things are slightly different. Although you do enhance features already there, the beauty of effects is that you can create something, like a gash or a broken nose, just from a few simple products. I love the creativity and on-the-spot thinking of my job. What is the best advice to give someone going into the business? Don’t ever think you are too young or inexperienced to be in the industry. I’m still intimidated by people who have been doing this for twenty years. Every shoot I go on I am the youngest crew member, but I’m always learning and growing and that’s what is most important. What would be your dream job?
I’m a huge comic book nerd, so any Marvel movie would be ideal. However, my ultimate dream movie would be Avengers 2. (It WAS the first Avengers movie, but I think I’m a little late on that one.)
When I was 9, I saw, “The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring”. It inspired me to be a make-up artist. The artists for this movie were given the chance to be creative and cutting-edge for a wide-range of different characters and each character had unique features. Along with creating characters they were able to design injuries, lay hair, and create beautiful beauty makeup. My dream job is to be a part of such a complex creative process.
List of your three latest project titles
Projects:
“Second Generation Wayans” (BET), “You’re Pretty Face is Going to Hell” (Adult Swim), “Let’s Stay Together” (BET)
“HGTV: DIY Megadens”“Magnets and Ghosts: Light my flame” (music video), AT&T Commercial
What would be your dream project?
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Scott Thigpen
VP of Branded Content | Producer | Director Crazy Legs Productions scott@crazylegsproductions.com www.crazylegsproductions.com
Tim McCabe
How did you get into the business?
Payroll/Production Accountant Singer/Composer/Music Producer Neverland Film Services/Talent Paymaster, Inc Tim McCabe Productions, Inc./Planet Earth Recording Co. GPP Treasurer
HOW I GOT INTO THE BUSINESS: I remember it well, I was singing in front of a large audience “Bell Bottom Trousers” and the crowd loved it – standing O. A hat was passed and everyone in the audience seemed to be throwing money in. After the roar of the crowd subsided and I had taken my bow, my father, an attorney, pulled me aside and said, “if you want to make it in the music business, you’d better learn to diversify!” He’s the one who had passed the hat. The “take” was $4.38. I was five years old but I learned a valuable lesson - whatever “diversify” meant, I had to do it. Looking back, I see a music career (think genre of Neil Diamond or John Denver) of over 30 years. The singer/ guitarist, the composer – over 75 songs published, over 500 jingles and commercials sung, written, or produced, music entertainment TV specials for WSB-TV and WAGA-TV, 15 CDs produced, 10 years working with The Grammy Awards on their annual telecast… producing a number of concerts and commercials with Ray Charles. Eventually, making jingles brought in fewer dollars, the recorded music business became a “free for all” enterprise, and production contacts in TV moved up the chain. Enter “Diversify”. In 1984, a talent agent (her initials are SG and she now does a pretty good job of casting) asked if I would be the paymaster for one of her clients hiring a few of her AFTRA actors. I went on to work for Rich’s, GA Power, and hundreds of others since founding Talent Paymaster, Inc. Further diversifying my career, I started a full service payroll company specializing in movies in 1991, called Neverland Film Services that’s worked on 30 feature film and television productions. Eventually, the payroll businesses became the primary focus and music took a background position. I still have the love of music in me but I thoroughly enjoy counting money – it’s a great business. BEST ADVICE: If you guessed “Diversify,” then you have read the above article.
Soraia Callison
Producer at Company 3 Atlanta soraia.callison@company3.com
My mother always said I was a perfectionist. I’ve always enjoyed creating something from scratch and seeing it develop into something spectacular. I joined Crazy Legs in 2011 after 17 years as director of advertising and media production for the humanitarian organization CARE. At Crazy Legs I develop projects with blue-chip brands and leading nonprofits as well as produce and direct non-fiction television. I thoroughly enjoy telling important stories of real people that the audience appreciates.
How did you get into the business?
What makes what you do unique?
It was total luck! After studying Social Communications in college, I left my home country of Brazil and traveled around the world. At some point, I landed in Los Angeles. Having little work experience and being new to the English language, I felt my chances of getting a job in advertising were slim. I started off in the jewelry design industry in LA and moved to Atlanta to work as a Special Events Design Decorator during the 1996 Olympics. Shortly afterwards, a headhunter asked me to temp at a place called Todd-AO Editworks, a top postproduction studio in Atlanta. The funny thing was that I was hired to answer the phones but, still perfecting my English, I could just barely pronounce the name of the company! It was love at first place. Not only was I working in my field, but the people were absolutely amazing. Of course, just as I finally mastered the company’s name, we rebranded! I was quickly promoted to Traffic Coordinator. From traffic I moved to Scheduling, then Producer and now DI Commercial Producer for Sr. Colorist Billy Gabor at Company 3 Atlanta.
Like others, we produce branded content, but Crazy Legs is one of the few Atlanta-based companies successfully producing a slate of non-fiction television shows. Our uniqueness lies in our ability to bring out interesting characters and create visuals that have a distinguishing cinematic look. I’m also part of a creative and production team that really does work beautifully together. Crazy Legs is a business that feels more like a family.
What makes your job cool/fun for you? I’ve had the chance to work with a lot of really great people on many interesting projects. Working with Robin Thicke to help post-produce one of his breakout music videos was particularly fun! Even Usher visited the studio to check out the work. How cool is that? Commercials are a large part of the business. Most recently, I produced Allstate “ Mayhem” and Sprint spots and I have been involved in TV and film projects including dailies for J.J. Abrams’ TV pilot called “Revolution” and some documentary and feature projects as well. Working with Company 3 has provided me with a great opportunity to excel and continue to learn about the color grading process. It continues to be a fun ride every day!
What’s the best advice for someone getting into the business? “Whether you think you can or think you can’t, you’re right.” - Henry Ford What’s your most memorable professional moment? That would probably be working in the satellite broadcast truck the evening of a live panel discussion with Ann Curry, Madeleine Albright, Natalie Portman, Nick Kristof and Christy Turlington-Burns. It was simulcast into 500 theaters nationwide following the showing of our film A Powerful Noise. I remember thinking about how people had told us that a subtitled movie without celebrities in it would never make it to the big screen. That night we proved it was possible AND we added live all-star bonus content to boot! What have you worked on most recently? I produced and co-directed episodes of Hidden City on Travel Channel and am currently directing episodes of the Discovery ID series, Swamp Murders, set to air in 2013. We also have several major brands approaching Crazy Legs and I’m excited to be developing concepts for them.
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distribution partners NORTH HIGHLANDS
EMORY
Diesel 870 N. Highland Ave. NE Atlanta, GA. 30306
COMMUNITY BBQ 1361 Clairmont Road Decatur, GA. 30033
Manuel’s Tavern 602 North Highland Ave. Atlanta, GA www.manuelstavern.com
Everybody’s Pizza 1593 N Decatur Road Atlanta, GA, 30307 www.everybody’spizza.com
Plaza Theatre 1049 Ponce De Leon Ave. Atlanta, GA 30306 www.plazaatlanta.com
Chocolate’-North Decatur 2094 N Decatur Road Decatur, GA, 30033 www.mychocolatecoffee.com
Youngblood Gallery 636 N Highland Ave. Atlanta, GA 30306 www.youngbloodgallery.com
SOUTH ATLANTA
Righteous Room 1051 Ponce De Leon Ave. Atlanta, GA 30306 Videodrome 617 N. Highland Ave. Atlanta, GA. 30306 PERIMETER NORTH Art Institute Of Atlanta 6600 Peachtree Dunwoody Road 100 Embassy Row Atlanta, GA 30328 www.aia.aii.edu American Intercontinental University - Dunwoody 6600 Peachtree Dunwoody Road 500 Embassy Row Atlanta, GA 30328 dunwoody.aiuniv.edu Mellow Mushroom-Vinings 2950 New Paces Ferry Rd SE #B Atlanta, GA 30339 www.mellowmushroom.com/vinings NORTH DEKALB Beer Growler 38A N. Avondale Rd. Avondale States, GA. 30002 Chocolate’-Shallowford 2566 Shallowford Road - Publix Shopping Center Atlanta, GA 30345 www.mychocolatecoffee.com Crawford Media 5 West Druid Hills Drive Atlanta, GA 30329 www.crawford.com Showcase Video 2323 Cheshire Bridge Road, NE Atlanta, GA 30324 www.showcaseinc.com
Clark-Atlanta University Library 111 James P. Brawley Dr., SW, Atlanta, Ga 30314 Community BBQ 1361 Clairmont Rd. Decatur, GA. 30033
Turner Studios 1020 Techwood Drive Atlanta, Ga 30318 www.turnerstudios.com
C-TOWN/G. PARK/EAST ATL
Utrecht Art Supplies 878 Peachtree Street Atlanta, GA 30309 www.utrechtart.com/stores
97 Estoria 727 Wylie Street Atlanta, GA 30316 www.97estoria.com Homegrown 968 Memorial Dr. SE Atlanta, GA. 30316 Mailing Avenue Stageworks 1144 Mailing Avenue Atlanta, GA 30315 www.mailingavenuestageworks.com Stoveworks 112 Krog St. Atlanta, GA 30307 www.officeloftsatlanta.com
Portfolio Center 125 Bennett Street Atlanta, Ga 30309 www.portfoliocenter.com S.C.A.D.- Atlanta 1600 Peachtree St Atlanta, GA 30309 www.scad.edu INMAN PARK/LITTLE 5 POINTS Brewhouse Pub 401 Moreland Ave. NE Atlanta, GA. 30307
Six Feet Under-Memorial 437 Memorial Dr SE Atlanta, GA 30312
Corner Tavern 1174 Moreland Ave. NE Atlanta, GA. 30307
Smoothie Studio 925 Hamilton St. SE Atlanta, GA. 30316
Criminal Records 1154 Euclid Ave. NE Atlanta, GA. 30307
MIDTOWN West
Stoveworks 112 Krog St. NE Atlanta, GA. 30312
E-Six Lab 678 10th Street NW Atlanta, GA, 30318 www.e-sixlab.com
Studioplex 659 Auburn Avenue NE Atlanta, GA 30312 www.studioplexlofts.com
Jack’s Pizza 676 Highland Avenue NE Atlanta, GA www.jackspizzaandwings.com
Elliott Street Pub 51 Elliott St., SW Atlanta, GA 30313
Tomatillo’s 1242 Glenwood Ave. SE Atlanta, GA. 30315
Six Feet Under-11th 685 11th Street NW Atlanta, GA 30318 www.sixfeetunder.net
Little’s Food Store 198 Carroll St. Atlanta, GA 30316 www.littlesfoodstore.com
Panavision 1250 Menlo Drive NW Atlanta, GA 30318 www.panavision.com
529 529 Flat Shoals Ave. Atlanta, GA 30318 www.529atl.com
Savi Urban Market 287 Elizabeth Street NE Atlanta, GA 30307 www.saviurbanmarket.com
PPR - Professional Photo Resources 667 11th Street NW Atlanta, Ga 30318 www.ppratlanta.com
MIDTOWN-ish
Parish 240 N Highland Avenue NE Atlanta, GA 30307 www.parishatl.com
EUE/Screen Gems 175 Lakewood Way, SE Atlanta, Ga 30315 www.screengemsstudios.com/atl Raleigh Studios-Senoia 600 Chestlehurst Road Senoia, Ga 30276 www.raleighstudios.com
Imagers 1575 Northside Drive Bldg 400, Suite 490 Atlanta, GA 30318 www.imagers.com Octane Coffee Bar & Lounge 1009 Marietta Street NW Atlanta, GA, 30318 www.octanecoffee.com PC & E 2235 DeFoor Hills Road NW Atlanta, GA 30318 www.PC&E-Atlanta.com
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King Plow Arts Center 887 West Marietta Street Atlanta, GA, 30318 www.kingplow.com
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Georgia Film Commission Spring St. NE Atlanta, GA 30309
Inman Perk Coffee 240 N Highland Ave NE # H Atlanta, GA 30307 www.inmanperkcoffee.com Java Lords 1105 Euclid Ave. NE Atlanta, GA. 30307 Moog Gallery 1653 McClendon Ave. NE Atlanta, GA. 30307
Paris On Ponce 716 Ponce De Leon Pl. NE Atlanta, GA. 30306
El Myr 1091 Euclid Avenue NE Atlanta, GA 30307 elmyr.com
SLICE 85 Poplar St. NW Atlanta, GA. 30303
Star Community Bar 437 Moreland Ave. NE Atlanta, GA. 30307
Sam Flax 1745 Peachtree St at Brookwood Place Atlanta, GA 30309 www.samflaxsouth.com
Aurora Coffee 468 Moreland Avenue Atlanta, GA 30307 www.auroracoffee.com
le t me give you my card
On e i s n umbe r y o u ... w ill e v er know t h e l o n e liest
Two to four matched cameras in full studio configuration Well engineered on-location fly packages Corporate - Sports - Convention Religious - Special Events office:
joe@agoratv.tv
www.agoratv.tv Special Events since 1979
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National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences Southeast (NATAS) Atlanta Press Club (APC) Georgia Production Partnership (GPP) The Freelance Forum American Federation of Television and Radio Arts (AFTRA) Cable & Telecommunications Association (CTAM) American Society of Media Photographers (ASMP) Society for Technical Communication (STC)
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ad agency campaigns
The Partnership. Digital. Advertising. Design.
BKV
ME TICULOUSLY-CR A F TED A ND DE SIGNED A PPA REL– A S RUGGED A ND AUTHENTIC A S THE PEOPLE WHO WE A R IT
Client Name: Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta (Not-For-Profit) Title of Campaign: “Share the Hope” Project Team Members: Paul Carpenter, Michelle Gunn, Todd Bemis, Scot Prudhomme Campaign Description: One day. One camera. One hospital. Through an emotional video that captured a day in the life of patients at Children’s, this campaign targeted donors and collected holiday messages. Tactics included a microsite, mobile site, Facebook tab, plus digital and traditional media support. Messages and donations collected greatly exceeded goals.
CARHARTT HERITAGE The Carhartt Apparel Look Book follows the story of Jack Murphy, a Santa Monica “event” stunt designer who notoriously always completes every job regardless of weather. Carhartt is his rugged work brand of choice. Carhartt’s durability is even reflected in the tagline, “Where there’s work, there’s Carhartt”. Client: Carhartt Apparel President & ECD: David Arnold CD & Writer: Harry Hayes Sr. Art Director: Sim Wong
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