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Dermot Mulroney joins Chicago Fire S13 as new chief
There’s a new chief at the firehouse. Dermot Mulroney is set to join Chicago Fire Season 13 as Chief Dom Pascal, a series-regular role. Mulroney’s extensive TV credits include Hanna, Shameless, Secret Invasion, Station 19, Crisis, Enlightened, and USA Network’s The Purge. He is best known for his film roles in romcoms such as My Best Friend’s Wedding, The Family Stone, The Wedding Date, and more recently, Anyone But You. He also co-stars in the upcoming Starz drama series The Hunting Wives.
The Obamas endorse Kamala Harris for President
Count the Obamas in. Former President Barack Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama have publicly endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris in her bid for the presidency. The endorsement came in a video released on Friday. “Michelle and I couldn’t be prouder to endorse you and to do everything we...
Motion Agency promotes Terry Mertens to ECD
Motion, Chicago’s largest independent, female-owned creative communications agency has promoted Terry Mertens to their first-ever Executive Creative Director (ECD). For nearly two years, Mertens has served as Vice President and Group Creative Director at Motion, where he led the writing division of the agency’s creative department and assisted with new business development. In his new role as ECD, Mertens will support additional new business efforts, recruit new talent, and continue to be a valuable client leader.
Legendary comedian and actor, Bob Newhart, passes away at 94
Bob Newhart, the celebrated comedian and actor, renowned for his deadpan delivery and unique comedic style, passed away at the age of 94. Newhart died peacefully on July 18, leaving behind a legacy that has profoundly shaped the world of comedy and television. Born to Roman Catholic parents, George David...
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert will broadcast from Chicago
For the first time ever, Stephen Colbert is taking his show on the road!. Colbert revealed that THE LATE SHOW with Stephen Colbert, the top-rated show in late night, will air from Chicago’s historic Auditorium Theatre during the week of the Democratic National Convention, also being held in Chicago, from Monday, Aug. 19 to Thursday, Aug. 22. The show will broadcast live on CBS and will be streaming live and on-demand on Paramount+.
Energy BBDO Chicago Office leader, Jeff Adkins, steps down
Jeff Adkins, president and CEO of Energy BBDO in Chicago, is stepping down after a long tenure with the Omnicom agency. This move creates vacancies at the leadership level for both BBDO’s Chicago and New York offices. Nancy Reyes, the CEO of BBDO Americas, confirmed Adkins’ departure in a...
Highdive scores Emmy nom for State Farm’s Like a Good Neighbaaa
Congrats are in order for the team at Highdive as they have garnered a 2024 Emmy nomination for their work on State Farm starring Arnold Schwarzenegger and Danny DeVito. The Twins costars reunited for a Super Bowl commercial earlier this year. The 90-second commercial video showcased Schwarzenegger’s struggles with his script, providing a humorous behind-the-scenes glimpse. In the video, Schwarzenegger mispronounces “neighbor” as “neighbaaa,” despite being chastised by a film director.
IATSE overwhelmingly ratifies major contracts
The International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) announced that its members have overwhelmingly ratified both the 2024-2027 Hollywood Basic Agreement and the 2024-2027 Area Standards Agreement. The Teamsters are still negotiating. Details here.
Audiences are hungry for The Bear; sets records for FX
The third season of FX’s The Bear has set new records, driven by strong anticipation and a loyal fanbase. The premiere garnered a record 5.4 million views globally within its first four days of streaming on Hulu and Hulu on Disney+ in the U.S., and on Disney+ in select international markets.
The Bear breaks Emmy record for Comedy series noms
While we’ve made our opinion known that The Bear isn’t really a comedy, it is still an outstanding series that we love. And congrats are in order for Christopher Storer, Jeremy Allen White, Ayo Edebiri and the rest of the cast and Chicago-based crew for earning a record 23 Emmy nominations!
Chicago Fire is casting extras and standins for Season 13
Chicago Fire is preparing to film the first episode of Season 13 and the casting department is seeking background extras and standins. A background extra plays a nonspeaking role in television or film productions. Extras can be seen in a variety of settings, such as bustling city streets, crowded restaurants, or lively parties, contributing to the overall atmosphere of the scene without drawing focus away from the main action. Their presence helps create a convincing backdrop.
Visions Blu takes home a Telly Award for Imminent Checkmate
Visions Blu Institute has won the Best General Not-for-Profit in Online category at the 45th Annual Telly Awards, for their short film Imminent Checkmate. Imminent Checkmate is a silent film directed, written, and produced by Karon Hamlet, with Monoleto Wilborn as producer and first assistant director, Patrick Charles as director of photography, and Josh Zarbaugh as editor. The film features a diverse cast of Black males of various ages and was created with local actors and predominantly local crew members.
Emperor of Ocean Park premieres on MGM+
Season 1 of Chicago-made The Emperor of Ocean Park is now streaming on MGM+. The series filmed on the stages at Chicago Studio City last summer through October, and is now available on MGM+ with new episodes airing on Sundays at 9:00pm CT through September 15. Based on Stephen L....
Collective Media pulls together a winning team for Purina Campaign
Collective Media Productions (CMP) is revolutionizing the production and post-production industry by offering exceptional service through carefully assembled freelance teams. This week, CMP released two significant content packages for Golin & Purina. The projects involved celebrity-focused docu-style long forms and cut-downs across multiple cities, including extensive transcodes, clean-up, color, and...
‘Mafia Spies’ reveals CIA plot with Chicago mob to assassinate Castro
The new six-part docuseries Mafia Spies is set to premiere on Paramount+ on Tuesday, July 16. Directed by Tom Donahue and produced by CreativeChaos, Mafia Spies reveals real-world spies, gangsters, honeypots and mistresses that unravels a hidden conspiracy between the CIA and the Chicago mob to assassinate Fidel Castro at a critical time in the Cold War; President Kennedy made it known that there was no living with Castro with missiles 90 miles from American soil.
Advertising Community Night returns to the Midwest Film Festival
For the 10th consecutive year, Advertising Community Night is returning to the Midwest Film Festival (MFF) at the Gene Siskel Film Center. This highly anticipated event brings together and showcases the innovative storytelling talents of the region’s dynamic advertising industry professionals. The evening will feature 11 outstanding short films, highlighting the filmmakers’ artistry as they share the magic of creative storytelling through their unique passion projects.
Stella Artois expands partnership with The Bear
In the third season of FX’s acclaimed series The Bear, Carmy’s fine-dining restaurant opens its doors, and Stella Artois is right there, cementing its partnership with the Emmy-winning show. Building on the collaboration initiated during the show’s second season, the brand will again feature prominently in key scenes,...
AutoZone enters creative review after 10 years with Havas
AutoZone has initiated a creative review process, ending a decade-long partnership with Havas Chicago. The agency has been AutoZone’s creative agency since 2014, with contributions from other Havas entities like Annex88 on various campaigns. The agencies competing for the AutoZone account include BarkleyOKRP, The Community, EP+Co, and Nashville-based Bohan....
NBC releases Fall premiere dates for One Chicago and other shows
NBC has announced its highly anticipated lineup for the Fall 2024 season, showcasing a blend of beloved returning series such as One Chicago and exciting new additions set to debut throughout Premiere Week and beyond. The season kicks off on Monday, September 23, with the return of the hit competition...
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