VFX EXPERT BLAKE NICKLE who worked for L.A.’s Rhythm & Hues doing CGI and visual effects for hit features, has joined Radar as senior post producer. Nickle returned to the Midwest so he could be closer to his Indiana family. He replaces James Henry, who coincidentally moved back to Detroit for family reasons.
At Rhythm & Hues, Nickle worked on “Moneyball,” “Chipwrecked,” “Alvin and the Chipmunks,” and spent a great deal of on the effects-heavy forthcoming “Life of Pi,” directed by Ang Less.
Full service Radar has a staff of around 20 directors, designers, animators, writers, musicians and photographers, and clients include McDonald’s, Samsung, Trek bicycles and Sears.
SLOWLY BUT SURELY our Illinois tax credit adds more competitive muscle. Last week the Illinois House of passed Senate Bill 1286, legislation that adds animated productions to the Illinois Film Production Tax Credit Act. If the Senate goes along, animated film productions will be eligible for a 30% tax credit on all qualified expenditures.
TRIO VIDEO IS GEARING UP for its seventh consecutive year as mobile unit and tech support to the Bonnaroo Music Festival, June 7-12 in Manchester, Tennessee. Four Trio mobile units will be on-site supplying more than 25 cameras and two master control rooms, covering four days of music, 100-plus acts and transmitting two HD channels of live entertainment to YouTube. Fuse TV and Comedy Central will also carry the festival. Sponsored by Dell and AMD, an audience of some 30 million is expected.
BETTY WHITE, HUGH DOWNS AND JOHN MAHONEY will be part of a gala to help celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Museum of Broadcast Communications at its splendid new home at 360 N. State St. on June 12.
The next day, the museum will officially hold its grand opening to the public, 25 years to the day president/CEO Bruce Dumont founded it in the then-new River City complex. Five years later the MBC moved to the Cultural Center where it remained through 2003.
IDEA MEDIA REPLICATION, wholesale CD, DVD, Blu Ray duplication, video authoring and subtitling, etc.,
has been sold to Chicago-based InnerWorkings, Inc., a print management firm that has leveraged technology to serve the economies of the print supply chain, including point-of-sale, direct mail and promotional items. IDEA Media will add to InnerWorkings’ product offerings to its network of print and promotional partnerships.
Idea Media has moved from 1700 W. Hubbard into InnerWorkings’ headquarters at 600 W. Chicago Ave.
UPCOMING: FIRST CHICAGO WOMEN’S FUNNY FESTIVAL will have 135 groups and 400 local and national comediennes perform during the June 6-10 run at the recently renovated Stage 773.
Festival curator is Jill Valentine, executive director of Stage 773’s Chicago Sketch Comedy Festival, which is producing the Women’s Funny Festival. Valentine says she has always wanted to produce a festival featuring the best female comedic talent in Chicago. “When I began to talk about this festival, many talented women from around the country showed interest so I widen the scope to include national and Chicago talent.” Liz McArthur is associate producer.
THE REEL’S CLASSIFIEDS are open for business, delivering the wide, targeted audience you want for results. (Goes for display ads, too.) The revised section makes it easier to post and reply to employment opportunities and services listings.
What’s new? Send details for all to see to Ruth@reelchicago.com.
