All posts by Scott Prewitt

Creative Genius Jennie McGuirk

April 30, 2015 Scott Prewitt Leave a comment

Award-winning creative director Jennie McGuirk represents the perfect dichotomy of creativity and commerce. Under her belt, she has an innumerable list of hugely successful projects for international businesses, publications and agencies. Clients have included: Mercedes-Benz, BP, Ford, WWF, DHL, Kronenbourg, The Westfield Group, Dove, and American Express.

She has an acute vision for artistic and creative detail, yet maintains a clear focus on the bigger picture. Her eye-catching, tailored solutions for trendsetting brands are executed with laser-like precision and have boosted the success of her international clientele.

Before coming to Los Angeles, the Manchester native worked in London for several years where, among other ventures, she assisted agent Charlotte Wheeler and fashion photographer Nick Knight. Alongside projects for Nick’s groundbreaking online platform SHOWstudio, she was exposed to campaigns for major players in the fashion and music industry, such as Levi’s, Christian Dior, Alexander McQueen and Massive Attack.

McGuirk began working in Los Angeles in 2008, and has become one of the most respected names in the world of creative direction. Her stature in the field is exemplified by her recent appointment to the board of directors of the Los Angeles chapter of the AIGA association. AIGA LA is one of the largest, most influential branches of America’s professional association for design.

“AIGA is the world’s largest professional association for design, and it is a great honor for me to be recognized by such a high-caliber group of peers,” McGuirk said. “As Engagement Director, I will be helping to support and develop the Los Angeles chapter and elevating the LA design community on both a national and international level.”

In 2013, McGuirk won the AIGA (Re)design Award for her Creative Direction and Copywriting, a highly-prized honor from the association, which was established more than a century ago and currently represents over 22,000 designers nationwide.

“I’m particularly proud of the AIGA (RE)design Award, as it recognizes creatives who put in the extra effort to consider all impacts of a design project, including environmental, economic, social and cultural,” McGuirk said. “It effectively raises the bar for what constitutes ‘good design.’”

She received that award in recognition for her work on the Small Gestures Campaign for Sunrise Brands, an apparel conglomerate that designs, manufactures and sells both branded and private label clothing. Sunrise Brands’ partnerships with names such as American Rag Cie, Superdry and Melissa McCarthy for Seven7, have made the company a leading name in LA’s renowned fashion scene. She conceived the Small Gestures Campaign to create a sense of community for the company’s employees, while simultaneously encouraging conservation and an environmentally friendly workplace. The campaign was lauded with praise by the esteemed judges at AIGA and had a tangible effect on the community spirit and reduction of waste in the office.

A seasoned veteran in her field, McGuirk’s role sees her working closely with clients to research, plan and implement the creative and visual direction of a brand’s image and experience. She has worked with clients in many industries, and possesses a rare knack for visualizing not just the needs of her clients, but the trends and patterns of their customers. McGuirk is a master of both the ephemeral and the timeless; able to foresee and target consumer trends with pinpoint accuracy, her talents lend a considerable advantage to those she works with.

“I monitor the comparative and competitive landscape, and reference cultural influencers to help inform my concepts. I then define the individual aspects that will set the brand apart. This ensures the creative solution has both relevance and authenticity,” McGuirk said. “I work to make sure the brand messaging is consistent, cohesive and impactful, in order to create that all-important emotional connection with the consumers.”

A versatile and innovative creative, McGuirk has a particular affinity for the fashion industry and has recently dedicated her talents to developing the brand identity and ecommerce experience for West Hollywood boutique, TAGS. Part of the Sunrise Brands portfolio, with which she was well-acquainted from her prior work, TAGS’ massive inventory of affordable luxury brands features the latest styles from Zimmermann, A.L.C., IRO, Vince and Theory, among many, many more of the most up-to-the-minute designer fashions. Since tapping McGuirk as the Creative Director for TAGS last year, the company has had an undeniable surge in site traffic, record Holiday sales, and content-driven marketing campaigns are flourishing. More importantly than the immediate sales growth however, is the way McGuirk has managed to create a recognizable online presence for the company, making them a go-to designer boutique for shoppers around the globe.

“I have been writing about the incredible offering of brands that the store carries for several years,” McGuirk said. “In 2014, I initiated and directed the brand development, content creation and ecommerce site redesign… The company aesthetic is now more in line with the amazing roster of brands that it carries and I’m continuously working to direct site content and enhance the user experience design.”

In a city like Los Angeles, it takes a tremendous amount of talent to stand out among the creative community. McGuirk has become one of the most recognized figures in design, employing innovative and adaptive styles and campaigns to bring national attention to her clients. Her growing list of clients have benefited immensely from her astounding vision, both creatively and fiscally, and her successes have made her one of the most sought-after icons in an industry that begins at the crossroads of aesthetics and economics, beauty and business.

Actors, Film, Spanish Actors, Television

The Spanish Actress to Watch, Ainara Landon!

April 9, 2015 Scott Prewitt Leave a comment

The versatility of Spanish actress Ainara Landon has dazzled European and American audiences alike. Landon is trilingual, internationally recognized for her devotion to her craft, and her work has won prestige on both sides of the Atlantic. Her incredible talent can be seen in major projects such as The Avatars, a Disney production. The show, which is set in New York, filmed in Spain and airs in Italy on the Disney Channel, is known for drawing a huge number of viewers.

The Avatars takes the adaptable Landon back to high school, where her character Jana wins the heart of Robbie, played by Kirk Bonacci. The Avatars centers around a band of teenagers – one of whom is Robbie – whose musical skills have been underestimated because of their young age. In the series the group decides to form an online, pseudo-anonymous band to avoid the judgment of record executives and to prove their talent isn’t limited by their youth.

In the first season Robbie develops a crush on Landon’s character, a romantic dynamic that builds anticipation until the two finally go on a date, which, although ends in catastrophe, doesn’t stop Robbie from trying to win her heart in the second season. Landon described the project as both challenging and rewarding, and said the opportunity to work with an entertainment giant like Disney really helped her grow in her craft.

“Playing a younger character is always a challenge, and going back to high school is definitely a big challenge,” Landon said. “Disney shows are very fast-paced, so it was a really good experience.”

Adept as both a dramatic and comedic actress, Landon’s work has won over audiences and critics in both the U.S. and Europe. Notably, her role in the romantic comedy Stuck to Your Pillow, which earned a Goya Award nomination, the most prestigious award available in the Spanish film industry, and one that is comparable to the Oscars in the U.S. and the BAFTAs in the United Kingdom. Her extraordinary talents in Spanish and Italian productions caught the attention of filmmakers in the States, who have cast her in 8th House, a cerebral drama, which examines the psyche of a woman struggling to recover from heartbreak.

In the upcoming feature 8th House, Landon’s dramatic talents will be on full-display. She plays Paulilu, the lead character’s best friend and editor. Paulilu struggles to help her friend Salome, a poet played by Andrea Goldman (The Sonnet Project, 1/20), after she suffers a nervous breakdown. The film follows Salome as she travels to France in an attempt to win back her married lover. During her journey, she meets eight women who reshape her views on love, femininity, and independence.

8th House is directed by Marem Hassler (House of Saddam, Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life) and co-written by both Goldman and Hassler. It is a co-production of Viscus Films and FleenKat Films, the creative groups behind several exciting upcoming projects including DU-O and Sprouting.

In Dig Deep, Landon gives an amazing performance in the starring role of Jessica. Jessica finds herself at the center of a love triangle, but the audience soon discovers that the men she’s torn between are brothers. The brothers haven’t seen or talked to each other in years, and when they realize they are both falling for the same girl, the movie swiftly turns from romance to drama as it examines the complicated nature of love and the baggage each character carries with them.

Her international and cross-cultural appeal have made Landon one of the most sought-after actresses in the business today. Her sophistication, ability to adapt to filming on location across Europe and the U.S., and her natural talent for becoming the characters she portrays have endowed her with a Midas touch. Landon strives to gain insight from every performance she delivers, and believes each role she’s played and each genre she’s worked in has taught her more about the art form.

“I think it is important for an actor to show versatility. You always find yourself more secure in one genre or character, but you grow more when it’s a challenge,” Landon said. “I think as an actor you are always learning. You learn from every role.”

Incredible skill and a proven track record for bringing the very best qualities to her characters across every genre have made every project she’s been a part of shine like gold. Ainara Landon will no doubt be a household name internationally as she continues to take the American and European continents by storm.

Documentary Filmmaker, Editor, Entertainment, Film, Film Editors, Television

Film Editor Marta Bonet de Gispert Connoisseurs the Perfect Cut

April 6, 2015 Scott Prewitt 1 Comment

Hailing from a family of lawyers, Barcelona native Marta Bonet de Gispert left law school to pursue her creative passions in the film world, a move that has delighted international audiences and filmmakers alike.

Marta Bonet de Gispert went on to attend the prestigious School of Cinema and Audiovisual de Catalunya (ESCAC). About switching professions, Bonet de Gispert recalls, “I started my law degree following my family’s tradition in law. But after a few years, I felt unfulfilled. I had to face my mistake and find a better path. Even though I knew it was a difficult industry, I chose film school. Something inside me told me it was the right thing to do.”

Now an award-winning film editor, it is clear that Bonet de Gispert made the right choice. Her exceptional talent and painstaking attention to detail is apparent in every frame of every film that she’s done so far. Her extensive international resume includes the films Soldados (Soldiers), Padre Modelo (Role Model Father), Devil May Call, as well as many others. She was also the editor on the television shows Latino Dub and Califorma.

It may seem like quite a drastic change to switch from law school to film school, but in truth, both professions require a person who possesses a strong eye for details and an immense understanding of the technical intricacies of their craft. Even more critical in each though, is a person’s ability to use that perceptiveness and knowledge to adapt to a client’s needs—something Bonet de Gispert has accomplished, proven by the sheer number of awards her films have won over the years.

Temporada 92-93 (Season 92-93), one of Bonet de Gispert’s first credits as editor, was a resounding success at international film festivals. Set in Spain where for many fútbol is a religion, Temporada 92-93 tells the comedic story of two inseparable friends united in their love for soccer. One is celebrating his child’s birthday as both split their attention between the festivities and a historic soccer match playing over the radio.

“We had to be careful in selecting the takes we would use,” explains Bonet de Gispert. “Also, as in all comedy, finding the right rhythm was essential. Jokes don’t work well if they’re not on the right pace.”

Winning a staggering 44 festival awards, Temporada 92-93 was incredibly well received by judges and critics alike. Among the honors was the Best Editing Award from the Film Festival Terrassa, an incredible achievement for Bonet de Gispert, whose career had only just begun.

It is the editor’s job to thoroughly understand the director’s vision, to see the story as the director imagines it. Then, with that understanding, the editor uses the footage to turn an intangible idea, concept or even a feeling, into the story that unfolds before us.

Able to seamlessly shift from one genre to another, Bonet de Gispert’s work shows that a great editor doesn’t rely on a film’s subject so much as they rely on the vision of the filmmaker.

In Devil May Call, Bonet de Gispert’s ability to convey that vision was once again put to the test, and once again she surpassed everyone’s expectations with flying colors. What had once been just a nightmarish idea, Bonet de Gispert transformed into a physical manifestation of sheer, unadulterated horror.

Not for the faint of heart, Devil May Call is centered on Sam, an operator for a phone counseling hotline. Sam, played by award-winning actress Corri English (Planes: Fire & Rescue, Holliston) is training her replacement on the night shift; but when one of her regular callers, who happens to be a serial killer, hears that she’s quitting, he cuts off power to the building and traps Sam and the other employees inside. Devil May Call was filmed in Los Angeles and debuted at the 2013 Marches du Film event in Cannes, a dream for many filmmakers.

Bonet de Gispert also recently finished the films El Otro Lado and Gored. El Otro Lado, or The Other Side, is one of three films premiering as part of the Summer Of Shorts event, featuring films from three Spanish filmmakers bringing their work to American audiences. El Otro Lado is about a lawyer who finds himself losing his sense of morality as he goes from laundering money for the cartels to an even darker path. An even greater testament to the fact that she chose the right path by embarking on a career in film, Bonet de Gispert also directed El Otro Lado in addition to working as the editor. Produced by renowned production company La Panda, the film is scheduled to premiere in the U.S. this summer.

Gored, is a documentary about, fittingly, the bullfighter that holds the record for being the most gored in Spanish history. In a fascinating approach to a subject that hasn’t seen much coverage since Hemingway, the film follows Antonio Barrera as he grapples with the decision of a lifetime: whether to leave the ring and join his family while he’s ahead, or to commit himself to a glorious death against his lifelong adversary. The film will debut later this month at the Tribeca Film Festival where it has been chosen as an Official Selection, and is set to screen at several more festivals over the course of 2015.

Actors, Film, South Korean Actors, Television, Theater

For Jay Kim, Acting is an Avenue for Endless Exploration

April 5, 2015 Scott Prewitt Leave a comment

As a young boy, South Korean-born actor Jay Kim wanted to be a police officer, a Jedi and a myriad of other occupations one could simply not accomplish in one lifetime.

He recalled, “In the 6th grade, I had an epiphany and realized I that could be all those things if I became an actor. Over the years, the reason I kept to this path has changed, but that was the initial starting point.”

After serving his country as a Korean Special Forces commando, Jay Kim went on to become an actor, an occupation that, even if only for a few months at a time during the shooting of a film, has allowed him to fulfill a wildly diverse range of professions through his characters.

The young actor is absolutely devoted to his craft, and he has continued to prove his ability to blend into any role he is cast with natural ease. His work on both the stage and screen over the past decade has also put him alongside some of the most prestigious names in the business.

In his latest film, Purgatory, Kim gave a truly heart-wrenching performance. The film takes place in purgatory, and follows a man who was killed in a horrific car crash. Kim’s character Tod was an addict, a man with a hard habit and a harder life whose suicide brought him to the realm of repentance. Kim said the challenge of playing such a tormented character was an experience that was equally as dark as it was fulfilling.

“I loved the part and fought hard to get it. It was dark, and ‘getting inside’ the character required a lot of unpleasantness,” Kim said. “The character was miserable, but it was intriguing to attempt to really, really live in Tod’s shoes.”

Several years before Purgatory, Kim worked with award-winning Greek stage and screen actor Yorgos Karamihos whose credits include Without Borders, Beware of Bear, Matomena homata, Tale 52, Bang-Bang Wedding!, El Greco, Fugitive Pieces and over 30 other film and television shows.

Not only were Kim and Karamihos costars in past projects, but Karamihos also had a huge impact on Kim’s development as an actor in the early stages of his career.

After seeing Kim’s performance as Tod in Purgatory, Karamihos said, “Dark stuff, and I absolutely enjoyed watching. Amazing, superbly organic and truthful, disturbingly beautiful to watch… I feel honored for having been [his] teacher once, and I am looking forward to watching [his] new film.”

Kim’s prior work with Karamihos included the gripping film Maestro, in which Kim played Ken, the “tough guy” and right hand man to Karamihos’ character, the titular “maestro.”

About working with Karamihos, Kim recalled, “I learned an incredible amount from him, not just acting technique-wise, but how all aspects of life apply to acting… I truly looked up to him and admired his knowledge, so it was a thrill to work alongside him.”

Maestro was a thrilling, fast-paced story of manipulation, greed, and backstabbing.

“The film was about a conniving, snake-like ‘maestro’ who stole his colleague’s lover and work clients,” Kim said. “Luis Fernandez-Gil also starred in the film and he was a fantastic actor to watch. The intensity he brought was genuine and proved that his talents are of the highest caliber.”

In 2014, Kim’s talent caught the attention of esteemed playwright and actor Tim McNeil, who cast Kim in The Straight Bozo, a one act play about a Wall Street man with a secret which gradually comes to light as the audience follows him in his commute from Long Island to Manhattan.

Other plays on Kim’s impressive list of stage works include Tennessee Williams’ The Rose Tattoo, Federico Garcia Lorca’s Blood Wedding, and Bertolt Brecht’s The Irresistible Rise of Arturo Ui.

Kim’s upcoming releases include Purgatory and The Dragon’s Lair, which is set to finish production later this year. Audiences should brace themselves now, because the world will soon be seeing a lot more of this young phenomenon’s face.

AFI, Behind the Scenes, Editor, Film

Editor Oliver Harwood turns Good Stories into Great Films

March 25, 2015 Scott Prewitt Leave a comment

Oliver Harwood understands better than most what it takes to turn a good story into a great story. His work spans the Atlantic, he’s been trained in one of the most exclusive and prestigious film schools in the world, and his talent has been essential to the success of an ever-growing list of award-winning films. So what does it take to make a good story great? It takes the keen eyes and ears of an editor.

Just this year, Share, a film edited by Harwood and directed by Pippa Bianco, premiered at the massive Austin-based SXSW 2015 festival where it won the Special Jury Recognition Award for Narrative Short. Share tells the story of a young girl’s return to school after being in a sex tape that gets shared online.

Harwood fell in love with film-editing inadvertently, when as a teenager he and a friend began filming their own comedy sketches. He became enthralled with cutting, splicing and arranging the clips, and in so doing found that the way stories are told on film come down to decisions made by the editor. Within a few short years, the young Brit was enrolled at the American Film Institute, known the world over for producing some of the biggest names in entertainment and filmmaking.

In 2013, Harwood edited Gala Goliani’s (What the Monkey Saw, Worship) film Red Rider, a dystopian thriller set eight years after a disaster turns the world into a wasteland. The intense action follows Adena, played by Abigail Wilson (Cigarette, The Half Man), as she roams the wastes seeking revenge on a vicious biker gang. A marvelous editing job to say the least, Harwood uses the character’s voice to narrate her thought process as she plans her mission, which gives viewers entry into her world without the overuse of dialogue to explain her plight.

The film was an Official Selection by several film festivals in 2014 including the San Jose International Short Film Festival, the La Femme International Film Festival and the NewFilmmakers New York Winter Festival. It also won the awards for Best Actor and Best Cinematographer at the Los Angeles New Wave Intl’ Film Festival.

After Red Rider, Harwood was tapped by director Leonard LoBiondo (Inheritance) to edit the film Reaver starring Kelly Blatz (Prom Night, 90210, Chicago Fire). A hair-raising chiller, Reaver is the haunting story of two siblings who come face-to-face with the evil specter that spirited-away their father. Reaver won the festival prize for Best Lovecraft Short at the 2014 A Night Of Horror Film Festival.

“Starting Reaver, I was pretty comfortable with myself as an editor, and was ready to experiment with my approach to collaborating with a director,” Harwood said.

A huge part of making a great film comes from knowing how to communicated and collaborate best with your fellow filmmakers. Harwood has been editing films long enough to what he needs to achieve the best possible film, and for him, that has to do with having his own space to create without someone looking over his shoulder. So, when it came time to start editing Reaver, Harwood suggested the use of a separate monitor where the director could view the progress without looking over his shoulder.

That decision really paid off. Harwood recalled, “It helped the director keep a better sense of perspective on the movie… he was much more able to astutely observe how much tension we could bring out from each shot, and how the following shot could be used to further enhance and build on that tension.”

Hot on the heels of Reaver, Harwood began work on Contrapelo in 2014. Directed by Gareth Dunnet Alcocer (Dig!, Exodo), Contrapelo was a huge change of scenery for Harwood. While the film’s dialogue was in Spanish, a language Harwood didn’t speak a word of, he managed not only to do the job, but to edit it into an awe-inspiring and gripping film. Contrapelo focuses on a cartel boss, a barber, a straight razor, and one of the most difficult decisions a person can be forced to make.

“Because I was unable to understand what was being said, I was able to decontextualize the line and turn the dialogue into something like music,” said Harwood, explaining that in a way the language barrier helped him with editing. “The rhythm and tone of the words being spoken helped me guide each cut based on feeling.”

The film’s recognitions included countless awards including Best Indie Short Film and the Audience Award at the 2014 Cine Gear Expo, the Best Short Awards from the Las Vegas International Film Festival and the Los Cortos International Film Festival, as well as nominations for Best Overall Short Film at the Calgary International Film Festival, the German Independence Award for Best Short Film at the 2014 Oldenburg Film Festival, and Best Narrative Short at the world-renowned Tribeca Film Festival.

Harwood’s mastery of his craft is the result of his incredible training, extensive experience and raw, innate talent. He possesses the rare skill to find the exact crossroads between technical genius and creative visionary. His work is certain to leave viewers not just satisfied with the cinematic experience, but contemplating some of the most serious issues facing the world today. And that, after all, is the difference between a good story, and a great story.

Actors, Model, Russian Talents, TV Host

Russian Television’s Leading Lady, Yana GoodDay!

March 11, 2015 Scott Prewitt Leave a comment

The name of supremely talented Russian celebrity Yana GoodDay has become synonymous with entertainment. An inimitable radio personality, charismatic television host, mercurial actress and a drop-dead gorgeous model, GoodDay first began laying the foundation for her career in the late 90s when she accepted an offer to tour the South of Russia as a podium model with “Prestige,” a company known for it’s unique theatrical fashion performances.

For GoodDay, this was only the start of the incredibly fruitful career she has created for herself today. Her initial success in the entertainment field came at the start of the new millennium when she was offered a job as a radio host for the show “Formula of Luck,” which featured a number of Russian celebrities.

She recalls, “I started my work as a radio host in 2000, at the age of 16. I got an offer to do so right away after winning the beauty contest “Miss Russian Radio 1999″ in Pyatigorsk.”

As the host of “Formula of Luck,” which aired on the massively popular Russian Radio, GoodDay travelled around the city streets in a car specially-outfitted with mobile broadcasting equipment while interviewing drivers.

In 2006, GoodDay made her debut leap into television when she was invited to host Success Stories, which aired on the TDK Channel. By then, the talented young beauty had already earned her stripes in the industry having won two beauty contests, and being chosen to model for several high-profile companies including Ro-Color and Revlon.

Her instant popularity on Success Stories led her to be offered the position of host on the live show Sexual Revolution, which she still hosts today. GoodDay was able to help uncover some of the most groundbreaking findings in the world of sexuality and sexual health through her interviews with some of the foremost experts in the field. A testament to GoodDay’s talents as a host and the overall success of Sexual Revolution, the show received Best Erotic TV Show of the Year from the International Erotic Arts Festival from 2010 to 2012.

GoodDay also worked as the director, scriptwriter, reporter and host on Reports about Egypt, a series promoting tourism destinations and lodgings in Egypt.

“We had to cover about 10 hotels in different areas along the Egyptian Red Sea coast within a week, so we had to film one or two hotels per day,” says GoodDay. “We had to work fast and be creative.”

As a result of her work as the host of the show, GoodDay adds, “I’ve learned a lot about hotel design, architecture, art directing, tourism business and Egyptian antiquities.”

GoodDay was also asked to host the state lottery program Gosloto, a popular news and variety program featuring celebrity guests, musical acts and of course, the lottery. Being chosen to host such a highly watched program puts GoodDay in league with Vanna White, the leading lady from the popular American show Wheel of Fortune.

Quickly becoming a staple of the show, GoodDay was not only broadcast on live television as a Gosloto host, but the position also gave her an opportunity to work with one of her longtime idols, Tina Kandelaki.

“As one of the hosts of Gosloto (State Lottery), I was honored to work with Tina Kandelaki, one of the most successful and popular TV host/journalist/producers in Russia,” explains GoodDay. “She was always a role model for me.”

The diverse nature of Kandelaki’s successful career in the entertainment industry easily made her the perfect inspiration for GoodDay in her youth. The co-owner of Apostol Media, the production company behind Gosloto, Kandelaki has been honored with three TEFI Awards, an annual award given by the Russian television industry, and an Astra Award for “The Most Stylish TV-hostess,” among others.

Like Kandelaki, GoodDay has also found remarkable success in the industry thanks to her diverse talents. As an actress, she has landed a lengthy list of starring roles including the role of Liza in the hit sitcom Kids in the Cage.

“It’s a backstage parody of modern music shows,” says GoodDay. “My character Liza was a ‘golden kid’ and was chosen to participate in the show because of her father who is one of the investors.”

Aside from Kids in the Cage, Yana GoodDay played the role of Olga Radosteva in the series The Fortune Teller, Dasha in Detectives, Alla in Understand and Forgive, Angela in Daddy’s Daughters, as well as several roles in the show Sled, and many more.

Additionally, GoodDay displayed her raw talent as an actress in the lead role of Katya in the film The Waiting, which she co-wrote and produced as well.

Actor, writer, director, producer, hostess, model – whatever hat this astounding young talent decides to wear, she is all business… and business is good.

In addition to hosting Gosloto, Yana GoodDay also hosted several episodes of Bingo-Boom Lottery, which you can check out above.

Canada, Cinematographer, Director, Film, Television

Canada’s Leading Cinematographer Jonathan Bensimon

March 2, 2015 Scott Prewitt Leave a comment

Jonathan Bensimon is a rare breed of visionary. As both a director and cinematographer, he exercises precise control over both the storytelling and artistic aspects of his craft. He has worked with some of the biggest names in entertainment, and his exceptional talent behind the camera has earned him a myriad of awards from some of the most prestigious institutions in the business. His work with a camera knows no boundaries in genre or format, and includes everything from feature length and short films, documentaries, dramas and comedies, to music videos for major artists and commercials Fortune 500 companies.

Bensimon began his training in Toronto, and before long earned a coveted place in the exclusive Budapest Cinematography Masterclass, a program funded by Kodak and taught by Vilmos Zsigmond. Zsigmond himself has had an enormous impact on the field, having won an Oscar for his work on Close Encounters of the Third Kind and a BAFTA for The Deer Hunter, as well as an Academy Award nomination for the latter film. During this period, Bensimon worked hand-in-hand with Zsigmond on the inimitable Woody Allen’s Melinda and Melinda.

You Might As Well Live, Bensimon’s first feature film as a cinematographer, was a dark comedy about a “loser” trying desperately to change his fortunes. The film also marked the first feature film collaboration between director Simon Ennis and Bensimon, and garnered praise from critics at publications such as Variety and The Toronto Star. The film stars Michael Madsen (Reservoir Dogs, Kill Bill Vol. I & II), and won the award for “Most Interesting Film” at the Slamdance Film Festival where it premiered in 2009.

Having proven his innate ability to capture the essence and vision of a story on film, Simon Ennis once again chose Bensimon as the cinematographer on his film Lunarcy!.

The film premiered at the world renowned Toronto International Film Festival, and has since aired on television channels around the world.

Being that the film Lunarcy! is a documentary and the subjects aren’t actors, missing the right moment means the moment is lost, it can’t be fixed by calling another take. Bensimon had to be constantly aware of the subjects in order to catch them at their most earnest, and sometimes most vulnerable, moments.

“Although this film had a comic undertone, it was also filled with heartwarming moments,” Bensimon said when describing the challenges of the documentary. “As the cinematographer on such a documentary I had to make sure the camera was in the right place at the right time to capture these moments.”

Bensimon’s artistic vision behind the camera is perhaps best exhibited in The Long Autumn, a film set in a land where seasons last 10 years. Filmed entirely in a studio, he had to rely on his raw talent to portray a beautiful environment where the passing of seasons and years is completely fabricated, yet wholly immersive and believable.

“A climactic scene takes place just before winter sets in,” said Bensimon, describing his signature technique and unique visual approach. “To light the surreal set, I used blacks and deep blues to illustrate the darkness and the drama of the scene. The film was shot on Super 16 to give the images texture and grain.”

Bensimon again applied that vision in his work on The Death of Chet Baker, a dark film about the jazz icon’s mysterious death. Exhibiting his adaptive style, Bensimon filmed primarily on a handheld camera in low light to capture the haunting mood.

His critically-acclaimed work is by no means limited to his work on films, however. He’s been receiving recognition and praise for his cinematography and directorial work on music videos for nearly a decade, and has been credited on more than 25 videos for international recording artists. Among those musicians is Grammy and Juno Award winner Nelly Furtado; Bensimon exhibited his diverse talent for cinematography in Furtado’s video, Spirit Indestructible.

Bensimon’s cinematography in the video for Canadian artist Kreesha Turner’s hit song Rock Paper Scissors was also nominated for a MuchMusic Video Award in 2012.

In addition to this immense catalog of work, Bensimon has also served as both director and cinematographer on dozens of commercials and advertising campaigns. Notably, his work directing and filming the hilarious Canadian Zombie short film, promoting the Canadian Film Festival, earned him one gold and two silver medals across three categories from the Advertising and Design Club of Canada. The promo also made the short list for the Cannes Lions, the branch of the Cannes Film Festival that awards filmmakers of advertisements; the Cannes Lions festival has been referred to as the world’s biggest ad-film festival.

His immense commercial resume also includes gold medal-winning work on several public service announcements for the World AIDS Organization, as well as both director and cinematographer credits on advertising campaigns for massive international companies such as Walmart, Honda, Mazda, Pizza Hut, Burger King, Budweiser, Tylenol, Bayer, Hitachi, Keurig and Hershey’s, just to name a few.

Nobody else in the field today can match Jonathan Bensimon’s cinematography chops. He is without a doubt one of the most talented and prolific filmmakers in the business, and his credits and commendations are sure to multiply exponentially over the coming months. Most importantly, Bensimon has exhibited a rare and masterful ability to produce work that is at times commercial, at other times entertainment, but no matter the project, his work without exception possesses the touch of a visionary and an artist.

Actors, French Actors

Spotlight: Dynamic Actress Manuela Osmont

February 25, 2015 Scott Prewitt Leave a comment

Dynamic actress Manuela Osmont’s stunning beauty is matched only by her ability to meld into character. Highly talented and experienced, Manuela has been at home on stage and behind the camera since the age of five. Raised and trained in four countries on three continents, her works run the proverbial gamut; from Gnossienne, a film which grapples with the subject of clinical depression, to the lighthearted Vice-Versa about a love triangle with a twist.

In the tragic and beautiful Gnossienne, which was recently accepted as an Official Selection of the Cannes Short Film Corner, Osmont plays the wife of a doctor. After the death of their first child, Osmont’s character becomes hopelessly depressed. The film follows her and her husband as she grapples with depression, and through the narrative the film examines one of the most prevalent mental illnesses in society.

“Each person is very singular about how they deal with grief and the loss of a child, and I enjoyed being able to experiment with my character’s vulnerable side,” said Osmont.

Osmont’s astounding ability to shift characters is seen in Mariana Can, where she plays the role of a prostitute who meets a writer and becomes his muse. The setting and cinematography take a surreal approach, making this film, like all of Osmont’s work, a cerebral and artistic examination of human emotion.

“I try and go for the roles with big moments and emotions that truly reflect how people behave,” Osmont said about choosing her roles. “I mostly try to do the projects that scare me the most. If I read a script and start to doubt my ability to do it, then I go for it. In my opinion, that’s what helps me grow.”

In Vice-Versa, Osmont plays a married woman who is having an affair; only, the woman she is seeing is also involved in a tryst with her husband. Osmont’s first comedic film role, Vice-Versa forced her out of her element; exactly what she loves in a role.

“I usually try and choose roles that I haven’t done,” Osmont said. “I don’t want to put myself in a box.”

In addition to her film experience, Osmont has spent practically her entire life on stage. Her repertoire includes roles such as Lady Macbeth in Shakespeare’s Macbeth and Queen Margaret in Henry VI, Blanche Dubois in Tennessee Williams’ A Streetcar Named Desire and Carol Cutrere in Orpheus Descending. Of her work on stage though, her most dynamic role was that of Sergei Upgobkin in Tony Kushner’s Slavs. The play centers on the fall of the USSR, with Osmont playing an old Bolshevik man.

“I had to work really hard to get the Russian accent right combined with the voice of an old man, which proved to be quite challenging, but a lot of fun nonetheless,” said Osmont, the consummate professional.

All of Osmont’s experience onstage and in front of the camera is compounded by her training at the renowned Cours Florent Acting School in Paris and UCLA’s Film School. A polyglot, Osmont fluently speaks French, Spanish and English, and is functional in German and Italian as well. With her diverse background Osmont is able to blend into almost any cross-cultural role.

“Because my father is French and my mother is Colombian, I am ethnically ambiguous; I get called in for European, Hispanic, Middle Eastern and sometimes even Indian parts,” said Osmont.

Her upcoming projects include Across The Desert, a film about a devoted sister spreading her brother’s ashes along a road trip; Smoking Gun, about a spy in the CIA who learns more than she’s supposed to; and Galleon, about the search for a shipwreck containing an enormous cache of treasure.

Actors, Australian Talents, Dancers, Model, TV Host

The New Face of Entertainment: Adam Pedicini

February 20, 2015 Scott Prewitt Leave a comment

Australian entertainer Adam Pedicini has displayed a rare talent — the ability to seamlessly take on the roles of television host, model, dancer, and actor in a multitude of genres from drama to horror to his personal favorite, comedy. Pedicini’s strikingly good looks also put him among the ranks of such Aussie heartthrobs as Hugh Jackman and Russell Crowe.

Pedicini has been an avid fan of the theatre his entire life, and when he began acting on stage as a teenager he immediately proved to be a natural. His first performance was in a play called Patrick’s Hat Trick, which was aimed at a young audience. His role as a struggling magician was so popular it earned the play tour dates across much of New South Wales and Victoria in south Australia.

His theatre experience is impressive, and his prolific dedication to the stage stems from his love of the art form. In addition to Patrick’s Hat Trick, he’s played the famous role of Puck in the Australian Shakespeare Company’s production of the classic A Midsummer Night’s Dream, a prestigious role in itself. In his roles in the double-billed productions of writer Mark Dunn’s Judy Garland Slept Here and Full Frontal Male Nudity, he showcased his comedic talent, while also shining a spotlight on issues facing the LGBT community.

“The first play dealt with the homophobic issues of a small country town in Southern America,” said Pedicini. “The second looked at the body image of gay men. Although both were rather funny plays, they also had a strong message about gay rights and issues.”

With his incredibly outgoing personality, and being an avid supporter of LGBT rights, Pedicini also had the privilege of hosting the televised Sydney Mardi Gras parade. The parade was organized in part by Academy Award nominated actress and comedienne Lily Tomlin, and earned more than $30 million for the state of New South Wales, making it the second-largest event in the state in terms of its economic impact.

An entertainer with no boundaries to his medium, Pedicini is incredibly proud of his work in film. His feature film projects include True Face and Cold Feet. In True Face, he actually plays two characters with vastly different personalities, and it isn’t until late in the film that the viewer discovers the characters are actually the same person. Cold Feet is a comedy-horror film about a bachelor party, where Pedicini’s character Barry is playing the “bad influence” on his betrothed friend Freddie.

The director of True Face, Lauren Batschowanow, spoke highly of Pedicini’s devotion to his craft, and of his chemistry with his co-stars.

“Adam’s charisma and confidence made it easy for his co-stars to be natural in the scene,” said Batschowanow, “and it certainly created electricity on screen, which is what every director dreams of!”

Passionate about traveling the world, Pedicini has done a great deal of jet-setting. At the beginning of his career as a dancer, he performed on cruise ships as a way to see the world; within a few years his immense talent earned him a place dancing onstage across Europe with Cascada, the gold- and platinum-certified German dance-pop trio.

“There’s a special bond that a performer has with a crowd, and I really feed off that,” said Pedicini. In addition to his tour with Cascada, Pedicini has also performed in the Britain’s Got Talent, UK X Factor, and Australia’s Got Talent.

With such a multi-faceted and rare set of talents, Adam Pedicini is certain to become the new face of entertainment.

Behind the Scenes, Film, Producer, Television

Producer Meric Aydin Unveils His Highly Anticipated Upcoming Projects

February 9, 2015 Scott Prewitt Leave a comment

Visionary producer Meric Aydin has displayed a keen eye and untiring work ethic through his work on projects such as the critically acclaimed Zayiat. While Zayiat did incredibly well on the international film festival circuit being chosen as an Official Selection of the 2013 SXSW Film Festival, the International Film Festival of Colombo in Sri Lanka, and the !f Istanbul International Independent Film Festival, Aydin’s upcoming projects are set to be his most ambitious yet.

As a producer, Aydin is heavily involved in every aspect of a production, giving him a great deal of responsibility for and influence on every production to which he lends his name.

“The producer is the person who’s with the project from the beginning to the very end, doing whatever it takes to achieve production and release,” Aydin explained about his work. “I genuinely enjoy every stage.”

Working from behind the scenes, Aydin’s mastery of the filmmaking process ensures his projects run like a Swiss clock. This year will mark the release of two highly anticipated feature films from Eclectic Pictures, both bearing Aydin’s distinct touch. The first, Septembers of Shiraz, is a thriller with a backdrop of political turmoil. The film centers on a Jewish family in Tehran after the Iranian Revolution, and their lives following the fall of the Shah. Septembers of Shiraz will feature an all-star cast, including Salma Hayek (Frida, Once Upon a Time in Mexico) and Adrien Brody who received an Academy Award for Best Actor for his performance in The Pianist.

Also set for release later this year is Frankenstein, a project in which Aydin played a critical role in getting off the ground, and one that is sure to terrify audiences. A contemporary metamorphosis of Mary Shelley’s classic novel led by director Bernard Rose (Candyman), whose work has been known to give millions of people nightmares, for fans of the horror genre the new Frankenstein will undoubtedly be on the top of list of films to see this year.

As for lovers of films riddled with suspense, Meric Aydin recently began the first phases of production on The Census Taker, a film destined to keep audiences on the edge of their seats. Inspired by the classic style of Alfred Hitchcock, this enthralling mystery follows a wealthy New York couple who find the body of a real estate developer in their apartment. When a census taker arrives at the house and witnesses the scene, a police investigation ensues, but the plot begins to thicken when the census taker disappears. The Census Taker is being produced by Eclectic Pictures.

With his experience touring the festival circuit, it’s fitting that one of Aydin’s most ambitious productions yet is set in Cannes. Du Cap follows a former paparazzo as she is called back for one final job covering the famed Cannes Film Festival. Staying in the glitzy Hotel Du Cap and reporting undercover, she becomes wrapped up in a series of events, which culminate in the murder of a star. Aydin will be working with producer Heidi Jo Markel (Olympus Has Fallen, As I Lay Dying) on Du Cap, which is being produced by Eclectic Pictures as well.

As he has climbed the ladder to the top of the film industry Meric Aydin has proven that he is the kind of producer that makes successful films, but beyond success Aydin is dedicated to making pictures that bare a deeper meaning.

“I’d like to achieve the creative power to tell thought provoking stories that bring up issues of misrepresented people, topics that are controversial to deal with and causes that we all care about; environment, animal welfare and poverty alleviation. I also wish to add to these exciting and engaging storytelling,” said Aydin.

Aydin’s interest in political, philosophical and humanitarian issues is apparent in both his work, as well as his personal life. In his native Turkey, Aydin volunteered with the philanthropic organization UNIRC where he taught children about cinematography and helped to cultivate the next generation of filmmakers.

Aside from Aydin’s upcoming film projects, he is also working on an hour-long television drama called Reminiscence. Proof that his talents extend beyond producing; Aydin was honored by the renowned Final Draft Big Break Competition where he was selected as a quarterfinalist for Reminiscence, which he wrote and plans to produce next year.

Reminiscence tells the story of a dystopian society where memory implantation and extraction have become so widespread that people no longer know what version of the past is true. The story follows a dissenting faction of the futuristic society that is dedicated to discovering and exposing the lost truth. Through the narrative Aydin explores the motif of censorship. “The general debate is a philosophical one: should you tell the truth no matter what, or should you restrain it,” said Aydin in a recent interview.

As for the future, Aydin said, “My plan is to raise the bar for filmmaking; as innovations occur, I am constantly learning new ways of doing our business. I’m open to improvements and I’d like to see opportunities in what some call cable cutting. The Internet came and started converging with how we are living in every way, and this has inescapably reflected upon our industry. Now if a film can’t find a place in movie theatres for one reason or the other, they can always go to VODs. And this doesn’t mean the traditional is going to decay forever. It is all about content; great stories will always be great stories. The main point is who tells those stories. Successful creators and content makers will define that by who they go to. And I would like to be that person that they go to.”