Introducing Abe Schwartz, Film/TV Coordinator
I have been working in entertainment since graduating from the University of Michigan in 2010. After cutting my teeth in the Motion Picture Lit department at William Morris Endeavor in L.A. (many horror stories), I moved back to New York to join the marketing agency DDCD & Partners where I produced a wide range of video projects for clients including American Express, Chrysler, IMG College and AM General. In addition, the last six months have consisted of the release of a comedic web series (CRASHERS) and the completion of a feature length documentary (WEB).
I have a deep passion for movies of all shapes and sizes. You may catch me at the next Noah Baumbach feature or waiting in line for Iron Man 3. In my free time, I love to play pickup basketball with friends and get on the golf course whenever possible.
I’m so pleased to be a part of this company and excited to work with everyone.
By now, you’ve experienced Part One and Part Two of our Marketing love affair. This week, we bring you the final installment with Hook, Line & Sync’ers, a map of our Film, TV, Advertising and Gaming partners.
We’ve partnered with the cream of the crop in all different industries and genres to get our clients’ music heard, and our Concentrated Music team is always hard at work securing more partnerships, like our latest one with Kina Grannis and Disney. Check out some of our past and current partners below:
Thanks to Airene Resurreccion for the graphic!
Deal sites and flash sales are here to stay and frankly we can’t get enough of them. Here’s one more to keep in mind the next time you’re looking for a great movie.
Dealflicks is a new service that offers movie ticket and concession deals for 40-60% off. In an effort to combat the growing problem of seat filling (due to the sophistication of streaming services, Netflix, VOD, etc.), the company has partnered with cinemas across the country to offer these great discounts.
Users select their neighborhood, movie and showing time, and once they’ve paid, the location of the theater is revealed. Dealflicks states that their model was created in this fashion to preserve the reputation of the theaters they partner with. After a poor year of movie attendance last year, we’ll have to wait and see what effects this and other services like Dealflicks will have on the market. But for now, as far as customers are concerned, keep the great deals coming.
Dealflicks is only available in a select number of cities/states for now, but is quickly expanding. If you’re part of the lucky few, go ahead and try it! If not, sit tight. They should be coming your way before long.
Last week, the LA Times reported that Millennials “seem to have little use for old movies” while Hypebot reported that for the first time since Nielsen SoundScan started tracking album sales in 1991, “old records have outsold new ones.” Digital consumers see music and film as two different experiences, even though they are consumed through many of the same devices and online stores.
The LA Times author argues that Generation Y finds older movies “hopelessly passé — technically primitive, politically incorrect, narratively dull, slowly paced. In short, old-fashioned.” Film viewers become accustomed to picture quality, special effects, but also a style of acting and storytelling that evolves with pop culture. In that sense, film consumption is becoming more like fashion.
Audio recording technology and the instruments used for popular music, on the other hand, have not changed enough in the last 20 years to render older recordings outdated. The difference likely does not matter to the average consumer. But also, we’re accustomed to listening to songs over and over, our favorite songs possibly for the rest of our life. Could a song from our childhood mean more to us today? In that sense, music may act more like a fine antique.
You could argue this has always been the case, but the phenomenon has amplified in the new online market as the quantity of media options and rate of change have accelerated. When presented with an overwhelming number of options, consumers will increasingly pick the newest, most culturally relevant film, particularly because there are not huge price differences between renting old and new. But among music libraries growing faster than ever, with unlimited access through services like Spotify, we may increasingly choose a song we already know.
As a content creator seeking fans, viewers or simply profit, producing a new version of something recognizable can overcome this phenomenon, whether it’s an updated remake of a popular film, a new sequel, a cover song or a re-record.
Images courtesy of Flickr users ‘overseastom’ (left) and ‘Jason Pier in DC’ (right)
Throughout her long and fruitful career, director Nina Rosenblum has made films for HBO, PBS, Showtime, ABC, and numerous others, been nominated for an Oscar, and befriended the likes of Susan Sarandon and Jason Robards. Her latest film, co-directed and produced by her husband and partner Daniel Allentuck, is a beautifully realized exploration of the Photo League, a politically-motivated documentary photography movement that changed the face of the artform forever. The film, Ordinary Miracles: The Photo League’s New York, has been lauded by critics and screened all over the United States, doing week-long runs at The Quad Cinema in New York City and Los Angeles’ famed Laemmle NOHO. Narrated by the actor Campbell Scott, the film is, according to The New York Times, “a great, often inspiring story. . . it’s pretty wonderful to listen to these extraordinary artists, some of whom have since died, recall how they headed into New York’s streets and discovered a world.” And The L.A. Times calls it “a provocative portrait of social photography.” Among the famed shooters the film profiles are the legends Berenice Abbot, Ruth Orkin, Aaron Siskind, Dorothea Lange, and the crime-happy Weegee. In existence from 1936 to 1951, the Photo League’s members captured the realities of urban existence and growth – documenting the growth of Harlem, the immigrant stories of the Lower East Side, and children romping around Coney Island – as well as international stories like the World War II experience. Simultaneously an artfully crafted piece of cinema and an important historical document, Ordinary Miracles is now available, via The Orchard, on iTunes.
