Brilliant directors: Roman Coppola

Just last August, writers around the world were invited to become part of a very tantalizing short film competition. In short, filmmaker Roman Coppola had teamed-up with Intel and W Hotels to create an original series of four short films to be written by you or me. Here are a few details that appeared with the original announcements in Portable and many other high-profile media outlets across the creative industries.

“Write a screenplay for a short film set in a W Hotel, featuring an Intel-inspired Ultrabook. Roman and a panel of judges, including Chloë Sevigny, Michael Pitt, James Ransone, Jeff Baena, and other notable filmmakers, might just choose your screenplay to be developed into a short film by The Directors Bureau! Your story awaits behind a hotel door. Submit your script by August 30th. Come make a film with us.”

The opportunity absolutely sparked a great deal of interest… but before I knew it, the winners were being announced, and the resulting films, too. Above, I’m embedding the playlist featuring five films and the project’s official trailer. Below you can also find the project’s original Behind the Scenes content. Enjoy! Read more

“Kickstarted” documentary feature gives back

From “Kickstarted” – the first documentary film for, by and about crowdfunding – comes “Funded in 60 Seconds.” This is a special series of crowdfunding tips, insights and best practices all delivered in under a minute.

Help us keep making more content – and support “Kickstarted,” the first documentary about crowdfunding: http://bit.ly/KickKS

RSVP Now for June 7 #BWSANFRANCISCO Gala Event

Please join the owners of 472 Gallery San Francisco, Presenting Sponsor Streamzoo and dozens of illustrious artists and luminaries for the Gala Reception for the #BWSANFRANCISCO Mobile Photography Exhibition this Friday, June 7, from 7:00-9:00pm. This high-profile reception for the innovative #BWSANFRANCISCO exhibition will feature 40 hand-selected black-and-white street shots from thousands of submissions received. RSVP now to attend this fun night of food, drinks and innovative art.

“…beautifully printed, moody images that portray the rich pageant that is life on the streets of the city by the Bay. I always think the best way to capture San Francisco is to do it in color, but #BWSanFrancisco definitely proved me wrong.” Kate Seward, The San Francisco Chronicle Read more

Great to Know: Mary Frisbie Wood

Singer, songwriter, music industry luminary and ad music specialist Mary Frisbie* Wood was hailed as “the legendary Mary Wood” in a 2012 article in Time Magazine. The artists she has personally written for and produced in the studio include Aretha Franklin, Britney Spears, Dre’s Aftermath camp, Jordan Sparks, Isaac Hayes, Kiss, Faith Hill, Miss Piggy, Jessica Simpson, The Spice Girls, and many others. *Her family actually owned the Frisbie Pie Company, whose tins were made into a game on the campus of Yale University… which became the iconic game of Frisbee by Wham-o. Mary launched her music company Frisbie in New York City in 2004, with the goal of creating, producing and licensing phenomenal music for film, TV and high-profile ad campaigns. Through its innovative collaborations with top ad agencies and brands, Frisbie is now a proven musical powerhouse and artistic resource. As you can see in the “Frisbie Cribs” video above, Frisbie offers state-of-the-art studios and its own music store with exclusive fashions and new releases from its growing family of artists and friends.

Most recently Mary has been co-producing a new album for Benji Hughes, who received four stars in Rolling Stone for his 2008 release “A Love Extreme,” and co-writing the music for the hit show “Team Umizoomi.” Her latest commercial hits have been for Wendy’s My 99, McDonalds, GE and 3M, to name but a few.

Mary’s sound first infiltrated pop culture when she co-wrote and sang a jingle for Pepsi which became a Platinum Album hit for The Spice Girls. While Atlantic and Geffen Records producers Glen Ballard (Alanis Morrisette’s “Jagged Little Pill,” Michael Jackson’s “Thriller”) and The Butcher Brothers (John Lennon, Lauryn Hill) have produced her songs and pursued her to make albums, along with her partner Clifford Lane, Mary has dominated and redefined the contemporary advertising jingle. With simultaneous hit campaigns for Coke and Pepsi on the air, songs for Sony and American Express hitting the Billboard charts, singing and co-writing the theme and all songs for the top-rated kids show “Dragon Tales,” Mary’s musical talents span genres and categories.
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FWA: 13 years of inspiration, and growing

The FWA (Favourite Website Awards) is a recognition organization and inspirational portal that has been showcasing the best of digital since the year 2000. FWA is celebrating its 13th anniversary this month; with over 180 million site visits, it is now the most visited website award program in the history of the internet.

Last year, the organization teamed-up with the multidisciplinary production company UNIT9 to launch the FWA Daily App for iPhone and iPad, which combines all of The FWA Network’s showcased content into one app for your daily viewing. Follow this link to download it for free.

Creative Entrepreneurs: Shilo’s Jose Gomez

Over the past year, creative production company Shilo and director Jose Gomez took on the challenge of creating a great deal of stunning cinematic content for Qatar TV, as you can see in the montage featured above. After traveling to Qatar to learn more about the culture and people – and make a lot of new friends – Shilo crafted this original HD content and much more for Qatar TV’s on-air identity.

“We were asked to make each promo a metaphor for different aspirational subjects such as education, business, environment and family,” Jose explains. “The main creative challenge was to render these stories in artistic and simple ways that didn’t require further explanation or language. We focused on conveying a feeling and tone for each subject in ways that are abstract and metaphorical but still understandable.” Read more

Inspiration for life: Toys and stories

How many people out there feel like the blockbuster Pixar series “Toy Story” relates to them, and their own experiences as youths playing with toy cowboys and astronauts? You can certainly count me among them, and of course I know that Woody is meant to be Johnny West, and at least to me, Buzz is G.I. Joe. Those two men were my constant companions when I was a young boy, especially after my older brother had gone off to school. They inspired my imagination and brought adventures to life that are permanently etched in my memory banks. With time, I have come to see that this treasure trove of wonder and endless possibilities represented by the toys of my youth is something of a universal phenomenon.

For example, by viewing the video above, you can learn about the toys that inspired some of the top speakers from recent FITC Events. I was equally fascinated by the subject matter presented in Emma Hutching’s PSFK feature story entitled “Children Around the World Pose With Their Favorite Toys.” Check out the story to view photographer Gabriele Galimberti‘s photo series “Toy Stories” wherein children from around the world pose with their favorite toys.

What’s your toy story?

Famous images: Reuters

The video above was published at the end of last year by Thomson Reuters, the world’s leading source of intelligent information for businesses and professionals. “From the world stage, to the street corner, Reuters presents extraordinary images taken by its global network of photographers in 2012.”

Reuters’ global network of 600 photographers distributes 1,600 pictures each day, added to a growing archive of over six million. Images are transmitted within minutes to the world’s media providing a constant window on the world. Its photographers won more than 60 international photography awards in 2012, including major prizes for Damir Sagolj in World Press Photo and Pictures of the Year International. To explore the company’s archive of images available for licensing, please visit http://reuters.com/pictures.

Facing Climate Change on Earth Day 2013

Every year on April 22, more than one billion people take part in Earth Day. Across the globe, individuals, communities, organizations, and governments acknowledge the amazing planet we call home and take action to protect it. The theme of Earth Day 2013 is The Face of Climate Change. This campaign seeks to harness the power of Earth Day to personalize the massive challenge that climate change presents, while uniting people around the globe into a powerful call to action. Earth Day Network is collecting images of people, animals, and places affected by climate change as well as images of people doing their part in the fight against climate change.

On and around this year’s Earth Day, an interactive digital display of all the images will be shown at thousands of events around the world — from schools to parks to government buildings. The display will also be made available online to anyone who wants to view or show it. Learn more and upload your photos at www.earthday.org/2013.

Juniper Jones steps up for the Tribeca Film Festival

Based in DUMBO on Brooklyn’s waterfront, Juniper Jones is the creative force dedicated to creating custom-tailored solutions. The firm’s rogue team of award-winning directors and designers believes beauty is always in motion, and that forging deep collaborative experiences with clients yields epic results. Leveraging the brand expertise of its clients, the force’s meticulous diligence reveals spot-on insights, which then benefit from legendary storytelling craftsmanship. For the 2013 Tribeca Film Festival (TFF) running April 17-28, Juniper Jones is continuing its TFF partnership by producing the official Pre-Show for the second straight year. Interestingly, two more original projects created by Juniper Jones for the 2012 Tribeca Film Festival will also screen at selected 2013 festival events: Their three-minute “Bring Tribeca Home” short promoting Tribeca Film On Demand will appear on screens throughout official festival venues, along with their “Before the Action Happens” :60 spot.

Finally, for 2013 Juniper Jones is also extending its creative collaborations with Brookfield Office Properties Read more