
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

In the next major step toward the resumption of film and television production, the Directors Guild of America (DGA), International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE), International Brotherhood of Teamsters (IBT) and the Basic Crafts, and Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) today released “The Safe Way Forward,” a Multi-Union Report on Covid-19 Safety Guidelines. The Guidelines set forth a detailed set of science-based protocols serving as a path for Employers to uphold their responsibility of providing safe workplaces in a pre-vaccine, Covid-19 world. The Guidelines serve as an essential and necessary element of a return to work for the Unions and Guilds representing film and television casts and crews.

Source: SAG-AFTRA
June 12, 2020

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Hollywood’s unions released their detailed protocols today for the safe reopening of the film and TV industry – a joint effort by the DGA, SAG-AFTRA, IATSE and the Teamsters. The 36-page report implements the more general guidelines set forth in a White Paper on reopening that was issued by the Industry-Wide Labor-Management Safety Committee Task Force on June 1. The release of the unions’ report comes just as Los Angeles County has allowed production to resume, starting today.

Source: Deadline.com | David Robb
June 12, 2020

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Safety protocols for restarting film & TV production in COVID-era Los Angeles were announced just under the wire on Thursday.
They include:
– Health checks for all vendors and employees when they arrive on set
– Protocol and workflow assessment to ensure proper social distancing and infection control
– Designation of a workplace COVID-19 compliance officer
– Established procedures for any employee exhibiting coronavirus symptoms or for those who test positive
Production will be officially allowed to resume tomorrow.
Other considerations include the employer providing all PPE and infection prevention equipment necessary.

Source: Deadline.com | Tom Tapp
June 11, 2020