Zachary Burns: Oklahoma Film + Music Office
A group of production companies, distributors, sales agents and completion bond guarantors have created a new tasks force to push for government funding and support to independent production threatened by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The American Coalition for Independent Content Production (ACICP) said its aim is to help the industry avoid permanent loss of productions and jobs. It ncludes 25 organizations including; A24, Alcon Entertainment, Amblin Partners, Annapurna Pictures, Avalon, Bron Studios, Endeavor Content, Endless Media, Endurance Media, Film Finances, FilmNation, Gaumont, Le Grisbi, Madrona Drive, Media Guarantors Insurance Solutions, Origin Entertainment, Picturestart, Platonic Systems, Skydance Media, UniFi Completion Guarantors, Valence Media, Village Roadshow Entertainment Group, wiip, and XYZ Films.
Source: Deadline.com | Jill Goldsmith
July 16, 2020
CBS’ George Cheeks (left) and the NAACP’s Derrick Johnson
Days after CBS committed to expanding development from BIPOC, the company is teaming with the NAACP for a wide-ranging content partnership.
As part of a new, multiple-year agreement, CBS TV Studios and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People will team to develop and produce scripted, unscripted and documentary content for linear and streaming platforms.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter | Lesley Goldberg
July 15, 2020
(clockwise from top left) Savanah Leaf, Jason Harper, A.V. Rockwell, Rohan Blair-Mangat, Alli Maxwell, Isiah Donté Lee, Karena Evans, Calmatic Courtesy of Change the Lens
As the film and TV industry strives to make up for its long history of deficiencies when it comes to diversity and inclusion in front of and behind the camera, over 100 Black creatives and allies in the filmmaking and advertising communities have teamed to create the Black Filmmakers Collective to launch “Change the Lens,” a new pledge to increase the number of Black workers at all levels.
Source: Deadline.com | Dino-Ray Ramos
July 9, 2020
From the bright lights under the football field to the bright lights of Hollywood, former University of Akron football player Matthew A. Cherry’s Oscar-winning short film is being turned into a series.
After winning the award for Best Animated Short Film, “Hair Love” got picked for a 12-episode series with HBO.
The film was based on the award-winning book following an African American father learning to do his daughter’s hair.
Source: Cleveland 19 News | Simon Hanning
July 8, 2020
In a recent interview with Comic Book, the Russo Brothers gave another update on the current status of their upcoming crime drama film Cherry, revealing that they’re in the final steps of post-production for the Tom Holland-led film. Because of this, they’ve also teased that viewers should expect to see the first trailer in the “very near future.”
Source: Comingsoon.Net | Maggie Dela Paz
July 7, 2020
The Cleveland Leadership Center has named 58 people from nonprofit, for-profit and public-sector employers as members of the Cleveland Bridge Builders class of 2021.
Bridge Builders is a 10-month leadership program that “prepares mid-career professionals of all ages for meaningful, fulfilling and impactful engagement in the community,” the Cleveland Leadership Center said in a news release announcing the members of the new class.
Source: Crain’s Cleveland Business | Scott Suttell
June 30, 2020
SOURCE: PHOTO BY JOSEFIN ASBERG COURTESY OF PLATTFORM PRODUKTION ERIK HEMMENDORFF AND GIORGOS KARNAVAS EXPLORING LOCATIONS FOR RUBEN OSTLUND’S ‘TRIANGLE OF SADNESS’ IN GREECE.
The global screen sector will play a pivotal role in contributing to the worldwide economic recovery from the impact of Covid-19, according to a new study from Olsberg SPI.
‘Global Screen Production – The Impact of Film and Television Production on Economic Recovery from Covid-19’ reports production spending of $177bn drove a total global economic impact of $414bn in 2019. following several years of groundbreaking growth.
The study’s valuation focused on scripted film and television and documentaries, but not sport, news or commercials.
Source: Screen Daily
June 26, 2020
As Northeast Ohio begins to reopen businesses and public areas, there are still a variety of online arts experiences which can be enjoyed from home this week.
Source: Ideastream | Dan Polletta
June 18, 2020
Patricia Heaton made a guest appearance on the CBS game show “The Price Is Right” on January 8, 2020.
Here’s your chance to talk to Emmy-winning actress Patricia Heaton.
The Bay Village native will be the featured guest on the second episode of the Greater Cleveland Film Commission’s “Between the Screens” show. The live online conversation, hosted by Q104 FM personality Jeremiah Widmer, will take place 7 p.m. Monday, June 22.
The program is free to stream, but attendance is limited. Registration is required at clevelandfilm.com.
Heaton was the star of “Carol’s Second Act,” a sitcom recently canceled after one season on CBS. But she is best known for her roles in “Everybody Loves Raymond” and “The Middle.” Heaton also is a best-selling author and currently working on a book called “Your Second Act.”
Heaton, of course, comes from a famous Cleveland family. Her late father Chuck was a longtime sportswriter for The Plain Dealer, and her brother Michael served as the newspaper’s “Minister of Culture.”
Source: Cleveland.com | Joey Morona
June 15, 2020
(ABC/RICHARD FOREMAN)
The Greater Cleveland Film Commission (GCFC), a 501(c)3 nonprofit that aims to cultiviate film and television industry in Northeast Ohio, has just announced that it’ll host an online webinar with actress Patricia Heaton at 7 p.m. on Monday, June 22.
A Northeast Ohio native, Heaton famously portrayed Debra Barone in the popular sitcom Everybody Loves Raymond.
Source: Cleveland Scene | Jeff Niesel
June 15, 2020
