Nicholas Paul heads the Chicago office of FCB’s new 361 Degrees Sports & Event Marketing division. A staff of ultimately 12 will work on sports and sponsorship marketing, event and hospitality services. Paul formerly headed KemperLesnik Sports Marketing.
Film & Tape Works added Mark Johnson as Smoke and online editor, formerly of Swell for 7 years. Another Swell departure was audio engineer Steve Wilke.
Gov. Blagojevich and IFO director Brenda Sexton took a meeting last week in L.A. to pitch filming in Illinois to Jeff Blake of Sony, Jonathan Dolgen, Viacom, Michael Helfant, Miramax, Sherry Lansing, Paramount and Christopher McGurk, MGM. Lakeshore Productions’ Tom Rosenberg, who has yet to make a film here, was instrumental in setting up the luncheon.
The intensely debatable vote on the SAG-AFTRA merger will be determined next month when all the ballots, due back June 29, are counted.
Latest in layoffs: Laughlin & Constable creatives. We hear the plan is to utilize more of their Milwaukee staffers on Chicago accounts.
A dream comes true for DDB group CD Paul Brourman. He will spend the next six weeks studying advanced figure painting at the Florence Academy of Art in Italy. He plans to return in August to resume creative on JC Penney.
Salazar & Navas, Chicago’s exclusive Latino casting agency, moved its offices to 700 N. Green St. Phone’s the same at 312/666-1677.
On the rep beat: Spank! Music hired Vanessa McLean as West Coast rep and L.A.’s Plum Productions signed Rob Mueller of David Wagner & Associates for Midwest sales.
Tracey Ullman, Field’s spokesman, will star in Field’s Glamorama Aug. 8 at the Chicago Theatre. Recording artist Uncle Kracker and British female quartet Bond appear with her.
No encore this year for the Chicago stop of Funny Women’s Festival, although local improv/theatre gurus will hold July workshops. See www.funnywomenfest.com.
Columbia College’s commencement ceremony last Sunday at the UIC Pavilion honored Cultural Commissioner Lois Weisberg, playwright Tony Kushner and hip-hop mogul Russell Simmons.
Machete says thank you to 35 of its good clients by taking them away from summer heat on a sunset cruise aboard the El Presidente.
For the 19th year, Corona Beer sponsors Jimmy Buffett’s “Tiki Time” tour, including June 28 at Apple Valley and Aug. 21 and 23 at the Tweeter Center.
